Visit this page for a concise listing of notable Okinawan karate figures. The information is brief but accurate, includes information on some rather lesser known figures, and there are links to a very useful appendix of Ryukyuan feudal social rankings.
"Try to see yourself as you truly are and try to adopt what is meritorious in the work of others. As a karateka you will of course often watch others practice. When you do and you see strong points in the performance of others, try to incorporate them into your own technique. At the same time, if the trainee you are watching seems to be doing less than his best ask yourself whether you too may not be failing to practice with diligence. Each of us has good qualities and bad; the wise man seeks to emulate the good he perceives in others and avoid the bad."
Funakoshi Gichin
Recent Comments
TKRIblog Authors
Archives
Flickr Photos
Top Posts
Anatomy Resources
Blogroll
karate Links
- Daidokan Karate club
- Goju Ryu Karate
- International Ryukyu Karate Research Society
- Kazoku Kai International
- Okinawa Karate and Kobudo Blog
- Okinawan Fighting Art: Isshin Ryu
- Ryubukan Dojo
- Sanzinsoo Okinawa Goju-Ryu Karate-Do
- Seijinkai Karate-Do Association
- The Chibana Project
- The Seatle Kobukan Blog
- The Shotokan Way
- TKRI Martial Arts and Fitness Store
- TKRI Missouri
- TKRI-Virginia
- Total Karate
- Traditional Karate Magazine
- University of Hawaii Okinawa Collection: Digitized versions of historical karate texts
- Washington University Traditional Karate Club
Links to Asian Studies Resources
- Asian and Pacific Studies Electronic Journals List
- InYo:The Journal of Alternative Perspectives on the Martial Arts and Sciences
- Japan Reference
- Japanese-English, English-Japanese Dictionary
- Okinawa Time
- Sanzinsoo Okinawa Goju-Ryu Karate-Do
- The Japan Foundation
- University of Hawaii Okinawa Collection: Digitized versions of historical karate texts
Miscellaneous On-line Resources for Research
- Athletic Insight: The Online Journal of Sport Psychology
- Europeana-Connecting Cultural Heritage
- Google Books
- Internet Public Library
- InYo:The Journal of Alternative Perspectives on the Martial Arts and Sciences
- Journal of Combative Sport
- Project Gutenberg
- The Free Library
- The Journal of Sports Science and Medicine
- University of Hawaii Okinawa Collection: Digitized versions of historical karate texts
- WWW Virtual Library
Other Gendai Budo
Resources for women dealing with violence
self defense
Strength and Conditioning
- ACL Injury Prevention for Female Athletes (PEP Program)
- Beast Skills Tutorials
- British Journal of Sports Medicine
- Concussion
- Dangerous Stretches
- Fitness for the Fighting Arts
- GUStrength’s Blog
- Journal of Athletic Training
- National Council on Physical Activity and Disability
- Shoulder health, Prehab, and Rehab
- Sports Fitness Advisor
- Stumptuous- Women’s Weight Training
- The Journal of Sports Science and Medicine
Violent Crime Data
agility
anatomy
athletic performance
balance
boxing
brain injury
Budo
Bushido
coaching
concussion
conditioning
DIY
elmar schmeisser
equipment
F4FA
female athletes
fighting
Fighting Arts
fighting skills
Fight Sciences Research Institute
fitness
Fitness for the fighting arts
FSRI
Gasshuku
goju ryu
grappling
head injury
heavy bag
Higaonna
History
injuries
injury
injury prevention
Japan
Japanese Festival
judo
Kakiya
karate
Karate Camp
karate training
kata
makiwara
martial arts
martial arts injuries
martial myths
miyagi
mma
myth busting
NASM
pedagogy
Photos and Images
physiology
plyometrics
posture
power
punching
random associations
reflection
robert miller
round makiwara
seisan
self defense
Shotokan
strength
Strength and Conditioning
stretching
striking
tkri
tradition
training
ude makiwara
Uechi
uechi ryu
violence
wrestling
Categories
Blog Stats
- 117,918 hits
Join 13 other subscribers
FSRI Blog 
3 comments
Comments feed for this article
March 12, 2009 at 7:44 pm
Gillian Russell
That does look useful. I wonder why Azato isn’t mentioned when they list Funakoshi’s teachers?
March 13, 2009 at 9:43 am
randysimpson
Not sure- that’s a paradox I don’t quite get. The author may have simply been going by the available source information. The Big F himself states all over the place in Nyumon, Koyhan and his bio that Azato was his principal teacher, but then goes on to talk far more about Itosu. I wonder if part of that may have been because Azato went to Tokyo with the Sho family when they were exiled following annexation by Japan- but Itosu stayed in Okinawa, giving Funakoshi more exposure to his instruction. But multiple sources also make it obvious that Funakoshi likely did not learn the Pinan kata from Itosu himself, and picked these up later (in Japan) from Mabuni. All three men were fairly pro-Japanese, so I doubt the lack of mention was due to any political disagreements.
March 13, 2009 at 6:07 pm
Gillian Russell
I exchanged emails with the author of the list. He says: “Thanks for the information. I am aware of Azato. Unfortunately, my ISP has been sold several times and one of the purchasers blocked the web site from being changed several years ago. I should put up a revised web site on another ISP.” Oh well.