Has Anyone Here Studied Matsubayashi Ryu

[Cthulhu]

Is Matsubayashi ryu the same style of Shorin ryu taught by Trias when he opened his school in the 50's?

Okinawa-te is supposed to have 36 lenghty kata (a kata in Okinawa-te has at least 60 movements, unlike the 20 or so movements of most Shotokan kata). However, I think the number of people who know even half of these kata can be counted on one hand. We also have 12 short forms, though most schools only teach 6 nowadays. Damn shame, too...they left out some of the coolest ones.

Again, thanks for the kewl info!

Cthulhu

 

[jeffbeish]

Well, I dug out a box stored in a closet and found two more old karate books I forgot about. One is a 1960 vintage _Karate_, Nishiyama, a Shotokan sensei -- and _Karate-Do_ by Funakoshi Gechin who started Shotokan karate in Japan. I bought Nishiyama’s book while living on Okinawa because my best friend and Judo buddy and I had practiced Shotokan before. One of my first Judo sensei was a yudansha in Shotokan where he learned while at the Kodokan in Japan. They taught that in the old Kodokan even when I was there. It is a hard style and when I studied under Nagamine he taught me to loosen up. Some Okinawa karate is hard style, but from what I saw others were less so.

Now, it was fun reading all that stuff again. History is fun and especially if I was there when some of it was in the making, so to speak. Heck, to some I am historical!

 

[Rob_Broad]

We must look to the past to see our future. It is always great when different generations can share and learn from each other's varied experience.

 

[jeffbeish]

Swami Vivekananda said: "We have to go though different experiences, but let us never forget the ideal."

O nore wo migaku wo aruku beshi - "If one is to polish himself, one must follow a moral path of Morse." (Meaning: To better oneself, one must have stepped over rocks on the Path of Life).


I know there is at least one Confusius saying to fit in here

 

[arnisador]

Originally posted by Cthulhu
I've heard of kushanku, but not jusanku. Gojushiho is practiced in Shotokan, I believe.

Gojushiho ("the fifty-four steps") is also practiced in some styles of Shorin-ryu, I know: I was taught gojushiho-no-sai as a Shorin-ryu sai kata and was told it was very similar to the empty hand kata. Kusanku is the one named after a Chinese ambassador to the Ryukus, if memory serves.

 

[Cthulhu]

I saw another book by Nagamine at Barnes & Noble. Can't remember the title at 1a.m., but it's about different Okinawan karateka, going back 200 years or so. Similar to Richard Kim's The Weaponless Warriors I guess. It was translated by Patrick McCarthy.

Cthulhu

 

[shine]

I have the book you are referring to: Tales of Okinawa's Great Masters. I thought it was a fun book with some good stories and insights. For instance, Nagamine argues against the myth that karate was developed by peasants; he believes karate was the sole domain of the aristocracy.

 

[donald]

Hope I'am not bustin in. What style did Robert Trias teach? Was it a "traditional" style? Or was it an off shoot? :karate:

 

[Cthulhu]

I may be mistaken, but I thought Robert Trias taught Shorin Ryu. Let me do a quick Web search to see...


...searching...


...whoops, from what I turned up, it was Shuri-ryu, promoted to 10th dan in 1983.

Cthulhu

 

[twendkata71]

The 18 kata of Matsubayashi ryu are.
Fukyugata I&II
Pinan I-V
Naihanchi I-III
anaku
passai dai
rohai
wanshu
wankan
chinto
gojushiho
kusanku

I studied Matsubayashi Shorin ryu with James Driggs in Ohio for a year,before going back to my original instructor.