PinnedMotobu NaokiSelf-IntroductionMy grandfather, Motobu Chōki, was born in 1870 into the royal family of the Ryukyu Kingdom, at the Motobu Udun (literally, Motobu Palace)…Jul 26Jul 26
Motobu NaokiReview of a New Book on Yabu KentsūThomas Feldmann Sensei, a German karate researcher, has published a book on Yabu Kentsū, following his previous work on Itosu Ankō. As I…20h ago20h ago
Motobu NaokiStarted PatreonI have been posting English translations of my blog articles on Medium for about a year and a half. Recently, I noticed an increasing…2d ago2d ago
Motobu NaokiIs this person Itosu Ankō?As I mentioned earlier, Itosu Ankō is a prominent figure in the history of karate. Therefore, karate researchers have been desperately…Jul 31Jul 31
Motobu NaokiThe Yasuke Controversy: Did Black Samurai Exist in Japan?The latest installment of the popular game series “Assassin’s Creed,” scheduled for release by Ubisoft in November, has sparked a major…Jul 27Jul 27
Motobu NaokiHow Long Did Itosu Ankō’s Students Study Under Him?Itosu Ankō is a big name in karate history. Therefore, in the styles established by Itosu Sensei’s students, there is a tendency to take…Jul 251Jul 251
Motobu NaokiKarate demonstration at the 1914 Tokyo Taisho ExpositionFirst public demonstration of karate in mainland JapanJul 20Jul 20
Motobu Naoki100th Anniversary of Motobu Chōki’s Victory Over a BoxerThe following article was written in 2022.Jul 191Jul 191
Motobu NaokiHigaonna Kanryō’s Real NameIn the previous discussion, it is difficult to imagine that a martial arts master would be called Rūrū (kō) in the customs of Fuzhou at the…Jul 18Jul 18
Motobu NaokiHigaonna Kanryō’s Master (4)Master Zhèng Wéncún (鄭文存, 1906–2005), mentioned in the article “Higaonna Kanryō’s Master (3),” established a martial arts school called the…Jul 17Jul 17