# Motobu-Ryu



## chinto01 (Oct 29, 2008)

Hello all. Was wondering if there are any people out there that practice Motobu Ryu. Was also wondering if you can give me more insights into the system.

In the spirit of bushido!

Rob


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## marlon (Oct 29, 2008)

chinto01 said:


> Hello all. Was wondering if there are any people out there that practice Motobu Ryu. Was also wondering if you can give me more insights into the system.
> 
> In the spirit of bushido!
> 
> Rob


 
Prof.Kimo founder of the kempo jutsu kai. works with the heads of this system regularly. It is not a pure karate system , as such in the west. Rather it is a fighting orientated system, uising kata as a bases for self defense and fighting

Respectfully,
Marlon


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## punisher73 (Oct 30, 2008)

It depends on what you are looking for.  The karate of Choki Motobu?  Or the art of his family.

Originally, Motobu-ryu would have been Choki's father's art and only his older brother was taught this.  There were no katas and was more of a "palace hand" type style using lots of locks etc.

Choki learned from various instructors and then would go and try out what he learned in streetfights.  Choki never really propagated his own style, but many others came to learn from him and incorporated what he taught into their own teachings.

There used to be a some clips on youtube of Choki Motobu's version of Naichanchi kata performed by his son Chosei (sp?) with applications, but they have been removed by the user.  But, here is a clip (starting at 3:10) that shows Choki Motobu's 12 kumite techniques that were in his book.  it also shows Naihanchi 1&2 performed by others at a festival.





 
Here is an article about Choki and how he viewed karate.  Also, if you look around, this site sells a dvd on Motobu-ryu
http://www.dragon-tsunami.org/Dtimes/Pages/articlec.htm


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## chinto01 (Oct 30, 2008)

Thanks for the video links. I will have to check them out. I think I am more interested in his son Chosei. I have done some research which all seems to say the following:

1. he studied only 3 years with Motobu from ages 14-17.
2. he only studied with Motobu when he came down from Tokyo to Osaka.

All that being said I wonder how much actual time he spent with his father in those 3 years. Especially since it appears that Motobu did not even live with him. Any clarification would be helpful.

In the spirit of bushido!

Rob


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## punisher73 (Oct 30, 2008)

chinto01 said:


> Thanks for the video links. I will have to check them out. I think I am more interested in his son Chosei. I have done some research which all seems to say the following:
> 
> 1. he studied only 3 years with Motobu from ages 14-17.
> 2. he only studied with Motobu when he came down from Tokyo to Osaka.
> ...


 
That is about all I have found as well.  Here is an interview with Chosei that Graham Noble did for a magazine in 2003.  It talks a little bit about Chosei, but the main focus is him talking about his father.

http://seinenkai.com/articles/noble/noble-motobu2.html

Does your questions lie more in what Choki taught originally, or does what Chosei teach now truly reflect his father's teachings?  Just trying to narrow down what you want.  I don't think that question can really be answered because like I said, Choki never had a style based off of his teachings, they were other styles (wado-ryu, isshin-ryu for example) that incorporated his ideas.

As a point of interest, I have read that Motobu's "12 Kumite techniques" were not something set in stone, they were only examples used in the book.  They were not meant to be definitive in anyway, only examples to certain things.


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## twendkata71 (Oct 30, 2008)

The Motobu Ryu family system from what I have been told, Motobu Choki did not learn officially because he was not the eldest son and it was only taught to his brother. Later after Motobu Choki's death in 1944, it was opened up to Uehara, not sure why. I do believe that Motobu Choki probably learned some of the style from his brother, but not in an official way and not the complete style. If you know anything about Motobu's history you know that many teachers of the time thought of him as a ruffian and would not teach him, or teach him very little. But with  a lot of persistance he finally was accepted by Matsumura as a student. 
The original Motobu Ryu Ti style did not have kata, but somewhere down the line, students of Uehara added kata. It is not really a form of karate persay, as it is Ti style and kept that way. To me it always looked more like a form of aikido or Jujitsu, not using the hard blocks and strikes of karate. It concentrates on strike nerve centers and manipulating joints. 
The other styles called Motobu ryu karate were named after Motobu Choki to show that it came from his teachings, He never officially named his style of karate, at least from what Nagamine shoshin said.  
On the subject of the Motobu ryu ti style, looks can be deceiving, if you are on the receiving end  of the techniques, they are very effective and painful. It is rare to find qualified instructors who teach the style. 
There are several others styles of Ti, one of which Onaga sensei of the Shinjinbukan Shorin ryu school teaches.


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## robertmrivers (Nov 12, 2008)

I hosted Chosei Motobu Gosoke twice in 2005 and 2006. I just returned from Okinawa having trained with the Koza Motobu Ryu Udundi Kobujutsu Dojo. Be happy to answer what I can in PM. Been practicing Motobu Kempo and Udundi since 2004.

Regards

Rob

Robert M. Rivers
6th Dan Motobu ha Shito Ryu
3rd Dan Motobu Ryu Udundi Kobujutsu


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## robertmrivers (Nov 12, 2008)

Just a quick note...don't confuse Ti/ Di with UDUNdi. Motobu Ryu is not the same thing...

Best

Rob

Robert M. Rivers
6th Dan Motobu ha Shito Ryu
3rd Dan Motobu Udundi Kobujutsu


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## Muwubu16858 (Nov 12, 2008)

> Originally Posted by twendkata71
> But with a lot of persistance he finally was accepted by Matsumura


 
I thought it was Matsumora who taught him? A lot of people confuse Matsumora and Matsumura.


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## twendkata71 (Nov 13, 2008)

You are correct, I misspelled the name. It was Kosaku Matsumora that he studied with. Not Matsumura.


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## TimoS (Nov 13, 2008)

marlon said:


> Rather it is a fighting orientated system, uising kata as a bases for self defense and fighting



You have just defined what okinawan karate is


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## Todd (Nov 14, 2008)

twendkata71 said:


> You are correct, I misspelled the name. It was Kosaku Matsumora that he studied with. Not Matsumura.


A good homepage with a brief primer on Matsumora Kosaku, with photos and a translation of his monument in the Tomari district of Naha, Okinawa.

http://www.karate-kobudo.co.nz/2005mkmv4.html


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