Kudokan - Norwich

Traditional Okinawan karate

Karate Origins

Okinawa is part of the Ryukyu islands, which were an independent kingdom long ago. Historically, these people had complex relationships with their much larger neighbors of China and Japan. At times, there was a tributary relationship with China. The integration of Okinawa into Japan occurred in various stages, beginning with the invasion of Okinawa by the Satsuma clan in 1609. Culturally, the Okinawans may be considered distinct from China or Japan, and there is even a native Okinawan dialect different from Japanese.

The history of karate is not fully understood, and an ongoing area of research, but there is some basic information that seems likely to be true from the available evidence. The martial arts of Okinawa trace back a long time to the Ryukyu kingdom. Before the formation of what we now call karate, there were native martial traditions referred to in the Okinawan dialect as toudi, essentially meaning "China hand", in reference to the heavy influence of Chinese gongfu. The famous text known as the Bubishi indicates especially White Crane and Shaolin Monk Fist gongfu. Over time, as Okinawa became more integrated with Japan, references to toudi were eventually replaced with the Japanese karate, using ideograms that translate to "empty hand", seemingly in the 20th century. However, the roots of karate as a martial art are not Japanese or Chinese, but Okinawan.

Eizo Shimabukuro

Shobayashi Shorin Ryu

As toudi evolved, there were variations of training that emerged from different regions of Okinawa and were later referred to by their place of origin. In particular, Shuri-te and Naha-te referred to the martial traditions linked to the cities of Shuri and Naha. The karate styles of Shorin-ryu and Goju-ryu derive from Shuri-te and Naha-te, respectively.

In his youth, Eizo Shimabukuro (pictured here) started training with the Goju-ryu founder Chojun Miyagi. He then began training with Shuri-te master Chotoku Kyan, who was his primary teacher, but also trained with masters Choki Motobu, Tatsuo Shimabuku (his older brother), Chosin Chibana, and obtained kobujutsu (weapons) training from Taira Shinken. He took elements of his training and formed the Shobayashi branch of Shorin-ryu karate. In this system, he is known as O-Sensei, like saying "distinguished teacher". O-Sensei was motivated with the preservation of the root Okinawan martial traditions of toudi that were passed down through the Shuri-te and Naha-te masters. He always emphasized to his students that they should preserve the knowledge and maintain the purity of the karate in the Shobayashi system.

Shorin Ryu in Norwich

I have lived in Norwich since 2014. My teacher is Grandmaster Wilfred Santos, who has taught the Shobayashi system for many years in East Hampton, CT, where I went to high school. The pioneer of Shobayashi Shorin-ryu in Connecticut was Grandmaster Robert Inferrera of Middletown, CT. In his younger days, Grandmaster Inferrera was in a Marine Recon unit stationed in Okinawa. He trained under O-Sensei throughout his life, obtaining every promotion directly from him all the way to 10th-degree black belt. We are fortunate that Grandmaster Inferrera brought this pure form of Okinawan karate to Connecticut.

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