Matayoshi Shinko

Matayoshi Shinkō ( 又 吉 眞 光 ; * 1888; † 1947) was an Okinawan expert on Kobudō and karate as well as the creator of Matayoshi-Kobudō, a martial art style that became known worldwide through the work of his son Matayoshi Shinpō .

Life

Matayoshi Shinkō had already learned to use numerous Kobudō weapons in childhood . With Agena Shokohu, Matayoshi Shinkō learned the techniques for Bō , Sai , Kama and Eiku , and from Ire Matsutaro the handling of nunchaku and tonfa . He toured China in 1911 . Two years later he returned to his homeland after learning horse riding, archery, shuriken jutsu and the use of the lasso in China . In the year of his return he took part in a public demonstration in Tokyo with Funakoshi Gichin and in 1921 together with Miyagi Chōjun in a demonstration in front of the Imperial Crown Prince Hirohito in the castle of Shuri, Okinawa. On a second trip to China, which took him to Shanghai , he learned the arts of Suruchin , Timbe , Nuntebo , as well as acupuncture and the science of medicinal herbs . His return trip took him through Fuzhou , where he learned the kungfu style of the "white crane".

In 1935, Shinko Matayoshi definitely came back to Okinawa and settled in Naha to continue training and fostering his connections with other martial arts experts. In the martial arts world, Matayoshi Shinko was called Kama no Mateshi, "Matayoshi the Kama", because of his great skill in using the Kobudo weapon. He died at the age of 59 and bequeathed his art to his son Matayoshi Shinpō .

Web links

• World Oshukai Federation WOF
• Okinawa Kobudo Association Germany

literature

• Roland Habersetzer , Gabrielle Habersetzer: Encyclopédie des Art Martiaux de l'Extrême-Orient. 4th edition. Editions Amphora, Paris 2004, ISBN 2-85180-660-2 .
• Thomas Heinze: The masters of karate and Kobudo. Part 1: Before 1900. Books on Demand, Norderstedt 2009, ISBN 978-3-8391-1785-9 .

Japanese name: As is common in Japan, the family name comes before the first name in this article . Thus, Matayoshi is the family name, Shinkō the first name.