“The Matayoshi Family

and Kingai-ryu”
Fred Lohse explores the mysterious Kingai-ryu, guiding us through its history
and shedding light on its relationship with other Okinawan martial arts.

- by Fred Lohse -

The “mysterious” Kingai-ryu is refer- Matayoshi legacy. To further confuse Taiwan, some travel around China,
enced in a variety of ways in the exist- matters, one way the family referred trips back to Okinawa and Japan, and
ing literature on the Okinawan martial to their martial tradition is Kingai-ryu a period of around 10 years during
arts. It has been treated as the progenitor Matayoshi Kobudo, or Kingai system which he lived back in Okinawa (from
of Goju-ryu, a sister system to Uechi- Matayoshi traditional weapon arts. the early 1920’s), Shinko studied with
ryu, a Chinese crane system, and more This would mean that everything un- Roshi Kingai from about 1909 or 1910
commonly as the empty-hand system der the Matayoshi umbrella is Kingai- WR  ZKHQ KH ¿QDOO\ UHWXUQHG WR
of the Matayoshi tradition. In reality, ryu, whether it came from Roshi Kin- Okinawa for good. In addition to mar-
it is none of these things. While actual gai or not. However, for this article I tial arts, he also studied Chinese herbal
information on the system is rather will treat the term Kingai-ryu as that medicine, acupuncture, and moxabus-
scarce, this article is an attempt to dis- element of the Matayoshi tradition that WLRQZLWK.LQJDL%HIRUHKH¿QDOO\OHIW
pel some of the myths about Kingai- VWHPV VSHFL¿FDOO\ IURP ZKDW 6KLQNR for Okinawa in 1935, Roshi Kingai pre-
ryu, and its connection to the Okina- Matayoshi learned from Roshi Kingai sented him with two scrolls, the upper
wan martial arts. It draws on written in Fuchow. and lower, that detailed Kingai-ryu’s
documents about the system published bushin (god of military arts or patron
by the Kodokan dojo in Okinawa, the Kingai-ryu Tode Jutsu ㊄⎬ᵹ໊ᚻⴚ saint), Roshi Komyo Taigen (Guang-
practice of the “unarmed” arts passed Shinko Matayoshi traveled to Fuchow ming Da Yuanshuai, or Generalissimo
down in the Matayoshi tradition, and on the recommendation of his friend Guangming).3 Roshi Komyo Taigen is
conversations and interviews with a Kenki Go, arriving sometime around seen as a Buddhist saint (bodhisattva).
number of people familiar with the 1907-08. In Fuchow, he took up resi- He symbolizes wisdom, a knowledge
system(s). While this article is not dence with Koki Go, Kenki Go’s fa- of the evil passions inherent in human
PHDQWWREHGH¿QLWLYHDVPXFKRIWKH ther. Koki Go soon introduced Shinko nature, the imparting of the light of
secrecy and “mystery” around the sys- to a friend and fellow martial artist, Buddhism’s virtue and the protection
tem remains (and is perhaps even less Roshi Kingai. Kingai is said to have of the 18 arhats, as well as the need to
penetrable since the death of Shinpo been a well known martial artist in the stay true to these teachings. The fam-
Matayoshi), it is meant to shed more Fuchow area, and is supposed to have ily still holds Roshi Komyo Taigen’s
light on a virtually undocumented por- been a senior to the same Shu Shi Wa
tion of Okinawa’s martial culture. (Zhou Zeihe) that was Kanbun Uechi’s
The most common understanding of teacher in Fuchow.1 Kingai referred to
Kingai-ryu is that it is the unarmed art his system as Kingai-ryu, and referred
passed down in the Matayoshi family, to the characters comprising the name
stemming from the instruction Shinko in the following manner: “Kin refers to
Matayoshi received from Roshi Kin- supplely reacting to change, while Gai
gai, his teacher in China. However, refers to a steel like hardness”. Togeth-
this initial assumption is incorrect. The er they refer to hard and soft as one.2
Kingai-ryu as taught by Roshi Kingai is The reading for Kin, which is usually
not a solely unarmed style; it includes translated as gold, money, or metal, is
the use of weaponry, such as the nunti, rather idiosyncratic, perhaps based on
tinbe, suruchin, and shuriken. Addi- a personal understanding of the name.
Courtesy of Mario McKenna.

tionally, there is more than one art with The system was also referred to as a
an unarmed element that the Matayoshi Golden Bird style by Shinpo Matay-
family preserved but did not common- oshi, connecting the Kin (gold) char-
ly teach, making the Kingai-ryu only acter to it in a different way.
part of the “unarmed” portion of the With some breaks, including travel to Kenki Go, seated right, and one of his students,
VHDWHGOHIWZLWK&KRMXQ0L\DJLFHQWHU
 Kingai-ryu Wankan or Sanchin to the
extant Okinawan forms, but given the
similarities in the other kata, it may be
safe to assume there are some. It is also
safe to assume that these kata are not
identical to the other Okinawan ver-
sions.
This leaves us with a variety of pos-
sibilities regarding the primogeni-
ture of these kata: that there is actu-
ally an Okinawan source for them,
that they were common Chinese kata
that were imported into Okinawa, that
these names for kata were common in
Okinawa and/or Fujian, or of course

Courtesy of David Naus.

Courtesy of David Naus.
something else entirely. The connec-
tion to a variety of Okinawan martial
arts does seem obvious however. In
any case, the system includes a vari-
Shinpo Matayoshi doing crane kata, Kodokan Shinpo Matayoshi doing crane kata, Kodokan
dojo, 1986.
ety of empty hand and armed kata, dojo, 1986.
emphasizes open hand and knuckle
scrolls, which represent Shinko’s mas- strikes, and is not identical to any of standing of the vital points of the vital
tery of Kingai’s system. Unfortunately Okinawa’s extant karate systems. It points on the human body, and is con-
the content of these scrolls has never also contains instruction on vital point sidered a killing art, intended solely for
been made public. striking (kyusho). actual combat.
The system itself appears to be a Fu- Shinko’s training under Kingai is said Included in this method is “kida”, a
jianese Tiger-Crane system. Sanchin to have been quite severe. However, method of striking the opponent by uti-
is the base kata, and central to it. The Shinko treasured the opportunity to lizing his energy (ki). It is also called
entire list of kata, as published by the learn the art from such an accom- kokyu-daho, which means to strike
Kodokan and Matayoshi family after plished master, and steeped himself the opponent in time with his breath-
the death of Shinpo Matayoshi, can be in the training, as well as in the Chi- ing. The spots to strike are chosen ac-
VHHQLQ¿JXUH nese medicine he was studying. The FRUGLQJWRVSHFL¿FFLUFXPVWDQFHVDQG
As can be seen from this list, a number art master Kingai taught was based on are points related to acupuncture and
of the kata are common to other sys- certain core teachings, including kata moxabustion. According to the system,
tems in Okinawa, including Sanchin, study and much work with the applica- the appropriate attack for these points
Sesan, Gojushiho, and Wankan. How tions of the kata. One of the “secrets” LVXVXDOO\ZLWKWKH¿QJHUWLSRUWKHSRLQW
close these kata are to the other ver- of the system was “daninpo”, a method of a one knuckle strike.
sions on Okinawa is somewhat unclear, for striking a person. This particular It would appear that Roshi Kingai’s
however they are not identical. Bishop method of striking is related to human instruction was not a simple pugilistic
(1989, pp. 150) states that the Sesan in physiology. It starts with an under- method, but also included medicine,
the system is identical to Uechi Ryu’s,
but having personally seen the Kingai
Sesan, I disagree. There are some simi-
larities in pattern and technique choice,
particularly the extensive use of open
hand attacks, but the kata is most as-
suredly not identical. As another ex-
ample, the late Sensei Seikichi Odo
taught a version of Gojushiho taught
to him by Shinpo Matayoshi that he
called Gojushiho Ichi. He also taught
a Kyan lineage Gojushiho, as Go-
jushiho Ni.4 The Matayoshi Gojushiho
has some similarities to the other ver-
sions on Okinawa, which stem from
Courtesy of Fred Lohse.

Sokon Matsumura, but is in most ways

a very different kata. I do not know if
there are any similarities between the
written elements, and of course the Kingai-ryu’s historical connections to
armed and unarmed skills of the sys- Okinawa’s martial heritage seem ex-
tem. Along with the physical instruc- tensive, if somewhat vague. On a more
tion, the secrets of this method were modern level, the expression of Roshi
transmitted to Shinko through the use Kingai’s teachings in the Matayoshi
of three-ideogram poems. In many Kobudo is a core element of the system,
ways, this type of instruction is very even if the empty hand kata were not
different from that of the more tightly taught as part of it. Therefore, through
focused systems, systems which often the impact the Matayoshi kobudo has
cover empty handed combat alone, that had on the Okinawan martial arts and
are common to Okinawa today. the large number of Okinawan martial
It is, not surprisingly, unclear where artists familiar with it, there is also a
this system came from. If, for instance, GHHS LQÀXHQFH RQ PRGHUQ 2NLQDZDQ
Kingai was a senior to Shiwa Shu, why karate coming from the Kingai-ryu.
is the system so different from what But in looking at the Kingai-ryu, it
Kanbun Uechi was taught? Who were is also important not to elide it with

Courtesy of ZOKR Pp3.

both Kingai and Shu students of? Was other elements of the Matayoshi tra-
the system created by Kingai? If so, dition. While not taught publicly, the
that would explain the name, as well as Matayoshi family also maintained an-
possibly explain the variant explana- other martial tradition, one that had a
tion of the characters. But what did he KXJHLQÀXHQFHRQWKHGHYHORSPHQWRI 6KLQSR0DWD\RVKLXVLQJVDQFKLQNDPL6KR-
dokan dojo, early 1960s.
study before he founded his own sys- Okinawan karate in the 20th century,
tem? It seems to be based in Fujianese and one that was separate from the
Tiger-Crane boxing, but what lineage? Kingai-ryu. shop, the Senshun Kai, in Naha’s Hi-
How is it connected to other Okina- gashi Machi district, but in 1913 he
wan systems? To other Chinese roots Shorin Ha Tsuru Ken, Kenki Go Line- opened his own shop, the Eiko Tea
of Okinawan systems? The kata imply age ዋᨋᵷ㢬ᜣ
๓⾫⾆વ᧪ Company.
that there is a connection to both Nafadi As a young man, Shinko Matayoshi Go took the Japanese name Sakaki
and Suidi, but again it is unclear what began his studies of Chinese martial Yoshikawa and married an Okinawan
that connection is. Unfortunately, these arts under his friend, Kenki Go (1887- woman, Makato Yoshikawa; they had
and other questions are likely to remain 1940), Wu Hein Kui in Chinese. Go a daughter named Toyo Yoshikawa. Go
unanswered, as with the death of Shin- was a Fujianese man who possibly was also a teacher of Southern Shaolin
po Matayoshi the transmission of the moved to Okinawa in 1912, at the age Crane Boxing.
complete system has likely been lost. of 26.5 He was working for an Okina- Shinko’s trip to China was in part in-
wan named Masatada Gima at his tea- spired by Kenki Go’s stories of the
martial arts there. As noted above, the
family history relates that Go encour-
aged him to travel, and gave him both a
recommendation and an address to go
to in Fuchow. There, after a long jour-
ney, Shinko ended up at the Go fam-
ily home, which was in Suibukanmae
machi, Minami-dai, Fuchow city, in
Fujian province. There he was taken in
by Koki Go, Kenki Go’s father. Koki
Go was also a teacher of Fujian Crane
¿VW DQG EHJDQ WHDFKLQJ WKH \RXQJ
Shinko. This relationship would even-
tually lead to Shinko’s introduction to
Kingai-roshi, a friend of Koki Go’s.
Shinko trained with Koki Go until he
started training with Kingai, and main-
tained his practice of the Go family
Courtesy of Hokama, 1984, pp 345.

white crane throughout his life.

The Matayoshi connection to Kenki
Go’s crane kempo would not stop
with Shinko however. Shinko began
instructing his son, Shinpo, in the sys-
6HLNR+LJDDQGVWXGHQWV
 tem when he was very young. Later,
in 1935, after Shinko had returned to
Okinawa for good, he introduced his
son to his old friend Kenki Go, and
Shinpo studied with him until Kenki
Go’s death in 1940.

Courtesy of Fred Lohse.

,QWKH\HDUVVLQFH6KLQNRKDG¿UVWVWXG-
ied with him, Go had been moving in
the highest circles of Okinawan karate,
participating in the famous Kenkyu-
kai Tode with Chojun Miyagi, Juhatsu Tokashiki (1995) considers it possible can safely be assumed the Go family
Kyoda, Kenwa Mabuni, and other no- the Go family learned Singing Crane knew Shu, as he and their friend Kin-
table karate teachers. In part through from its founder Xie Zongxian.7 It has gai had trained together, and taught
this group Go had a huge impact on the also been suggested that Go learned in the same town. It is also said that
Okinawan karate of his day. Versions Crane boxing from Shu Shiwa, who Kanbun Uechi and Kenki Go referred
of the kata he taught there are pre- taught Kanbun Uechi. Shu supposedly students to each other in Okinawa,
served in a number of Okinawan sys- knew Crane boxing as well as the Ti- and had known each other in Chi-
tems. Additionally, while there are no ger boxing he taught Uechi. (See Wei na. (See McKenna, 2001, and Yagi
direct Kenki Go kata in Goju-ryu Go et. all, 1998, pp. 221.) The techniques Takami, 1977, pp.439.) However,
was also said to have had a deep effect and kata of Uechi-ryu and Kenki Go’s what the actual connection was, and
on Chojun Miyagi’s martial arts. The kempo seem to have very limited tech- how it related to their training, is un-
two were good friends (Miyagi was nical similarity however.8 known.
also a friend of Shinko’s), and among Indeed, the system, despite similari- Much like the Kingai-ryu, Go’s kempo
other things traveled together to China, ties in kata names and some base tech- is usually considered an unarmed sys-
to research martial arts there. nique, does not seem to be identical to tem, however this is also incorrect, as
Just what Crane lineage Kenki Go’s any extant Crane system in China, at it is a complete martial system, con-
system was is unclear. Neither Kenki least to my knowledge. Nor is it simi- taining armed techniques as well. The
Go or his father left a written lineage, lar to any extant Okinawan system. content of the system, as published by
or described their teachers. Neither the It is perhaps loosely connected to the the Matayoshi family, is listed in Fig-
Matayoshi family or other students of Kingai-ryu, as Koki Go was a friend ure 2.9 A number of these forms are
Go’s, like Shojo Itoman, Kenwa Mabu- of Roshi Kingai and it seems like- still preserved in different Okinawan
ni, or Juhatsu Kyoda, have any records ly his son knew him as well, but the systems. Nepai is part of Juhatsu Kyo-
of who Go’s teachers were. According systems do not share any kata. It has da’s Tou’on-ryu, and in its current per-
to the Liu family, who teach Feeding recent connections to many modern formance maintains a strong similarity
Crane in Taiwan, the Kakuho form re- Okinawan karate styles, through Go’s to the crane kata the Matayoshi family
sembles Flying Crane, but this is only participation in the kenkyukai. It may taught.10 As Nipaipo it is also preserved
a guess based on the form.6 also have deeper historical connections in Shito-ryu, though its presentation is
to a number of Okinawan martial arts,
through the connections between Go,
Shu, Uechi, and Matayoshi (and pos-
sibly Ko Ryu-ryu and Higashionna). It
Courtesy of Mario McKenna.

Courtesy of Mario McKenna.

Courtesy of David Nauss.

.HQNL*RLQDFUDQHSRVWXUH 6KLQSR0DWD\RVKLLQDFUDQHSRVWXUH 6KLJHND]X.DQ]DNLKHDGPDVWHURI7RX¶RQU\X

Kenwa Mabuni is to the rear left. Kodokan dojo, 1986. LQDFUDQHSRVWXUHIURP.HQNL*R¶V1HSDL
much different. Happoren is also pre- the kata and the variations seen in dif- clear on this, at least not to me or my
served in some Shito-ryu lineages. ferent people’s performance of it. In- teachers. They could be part of Kenki
Tsuruho, or crane method, has been stead of experiments or mistakes, the Go’s White Crane Heiho forms, teach-
passed on in a number of variations, variations may instead be different it- ing certain elements of movement and
under various names. It can be seen erations of the same principals. technique included at different levels
in Ryuei-ryu (Paiho), some Shito-ryu This kata in particular seems to have RILQVWUXFWLRQ7KH\GRQRWVHHPWR¿W
(Hakaku, Hakutsuru), Goju Kensha grabbed the imagination of Okinawan in the Kingai-ryu syllabus anywhere,
(Kakufa), possibly the Ryusan passed karate practitioners, and their West- though they were referred to as Kingai-
down by Chomo Hanashiro, and as an ern students. It is the form that Shinpo ryu at times by Shinpo Matayoshi (the
adjunct form in various other systems. Matayoshi taught a number of his sen- nomenclature issues discussed above
The characters for the form can be read ior students, and has been demonstrat- may hold true here as well). However
Kakuho or Tsuruho, but it has been re- ed and taught by a number of them, in Kingai’s junior Shu is known to have
ferred to in a variety of ways, includ- different iterations. It is also the emp- also practiced Monkey boxing, among
ing Hakutsuru, Hakaku, Hakucho, ty-hand form Shinpo Matayoshi most
Kakufa, Okaku, and so on. The content often demonstrated.12 Since it comes
of the kata also varies.The base pat- from the Matayoshi family, it has also
tern is usually visible, but with a large been referred to as Kingai-ryu Hakut-
number of possible variations. suru.This is in some ways a semantic
This variation may not be as unusual as issue, as depending on how you are re-
it initially seems. Some have theorized ferring to the Matayoshi family martial
that Go was experimenting with or cre- arts, they can all be considered Kingai-
ating the form when he was teaching it ryu, and therefore this is Kingai-ryu as
in the Kenkyukai, leading to the differ- well. However, the form originates in
ences in different people’s kata.11 How- the Shorin Ha Tsuru Ken, Kenki Ko’s
ever, my instruction in the form also lineage.
included a number of possible “altera- Again, both the material and its pres-
tions”- places where techniques could entation leave a number of questions.

Courtesy of Hokama.
EHDGGHGRUPRGL¿HGZKLOHSHUIRUPLQJ Shinpo Matayoshi did not teach the
the kata. In looking at the methodolo- system publicly, and to my knowledge
gy implied by the syllabus, the various did not pass it down in its entirety to
White Crane Heiho forms imply a sys- anyone. It seems none of Go’s other 6KLQSR0DWD\RVKLLQDFUDQHNDPDH
tem based more on concept than overly students did either. Just how Kenki Go 6KRGRNDQGRMRHDUO\V
didactic form. This is a different ap- taught, what training methods are in-
proach to kata than that normally seen cluded in the system, and so on is rath- other styles, and so these forms may
nowadays, one emphasizing a certain er unclear.13 Unfortunately, with the have been passed down from their
creativity with the material, as well as death of Shinpo Matayoshi these ques- mutual teacher, as an adjunct to the
a practice approach that emphasizes tions are likely to remain unanswered. Kingai-ryu, or as something Shinko
concept over form. This in turn would While Sensei Matayoshi seems to have picked up around Kingai’s students.
tie into both the variations possible in taught more of this system, sharing Shinko Matayoshi also studied some
Kakuho in particular with many of form of Chinese Boxing in Shanghai
his senior students over the years, the for a time, and it is possible they come
system in its entirety does not seem to from whatever art he practiced there.
have been passed down. Indeed, many They may also stem from the Matay-
portions of it, like the double swords, oshi family kempo Shinko Matayoshi
seem to be unknown on Okinawa to- learned as a young man from his father
day. and paternal grandfather, but again
there is no record of what this kempo
Other Material consisted of.
Interestingly enough, an examina- These forms, like so much of the
tion of the Kingai-ryu and Kenki Go’s unarmed material passed on in the
Hakutsuru Kempo does not immediate- Matayoshi family, remain somewhat
ly cover the entirety of the Matayoshi of a mystery. They also do not seem
unarmed tradition. Among the forms to have been passed down to any of
that Shinpo Matayoshi was famous for Shinpo Matayoshi’s students in any
Courtesy of OKKI.

demonstrating were Monkey, Mantis, systematic manner.

and Drunken forms.14 Given the syllabi
OLVWHGLQ¿JXUHV ZKHUHGRWKHVH Connections to Okinawan Karate
6KLQSR0DWD\RVKLGRLQJFUDQHNDWD IRUPV¿W"6KLQSR0DWD\RVKLZDVQHYHU The various connections between these
Kodokan dojo, 1990s.
 with other Okinawan systems, points
towards a common root, probably
Kata and application from the kata Kakuho. based in Fuchow. That an earlier visi-
tor to the area, Matsumura, passed on
1A 2A 3A
a Sesan that also demonstrates a clear
connection to these forms, as well as
other kata that share names and some
technical similarities with kata in the
Kingai-ryu, points at least to the pos-
sibility that a local art or arts, practiced
in or near the Ryukyukan, is a common
thread between the various Okinawan
systems. This in turn may even suggest
a native Okinawan origin for these arts,
RQHWKDWLQÀXHQFHGORFDO&KLQHVHDUWV
as opposed to the other way around.
1B 2B 3B However, while some single progeni-
tor art is a tidy concept, even more
likely is an ongoing relationship be-
tween native Chinese martial artists
and visiting Okinawans, and a local
training community that partook of el-
ements of both traditions. Using a sim-
ilar community in Okinawa as a better
1A: Sweeping upper block. This movement can also be done very close to the body, and called
“Lady Brushing Her Hair”. documented example, when expatriate
1B: The block moves in a circle, keeping contact with the attack, and pulling it in. Fujianese (Go and To Daiki) came to
2A: Grab, trap, and attack as the body weight shifts in and down onto the front foot. In kata,
Okinawa, they got involved in, and
WKHDWWDFNLVZLWKWKH¿QJHUWLSV LQÀXHQFHG ORFDO WUDLQLQJ FRPPXQL-
2B: The block continues into a grab and trap, using the body weight to take the attacker’s ties like the kenkyukai. Their expatri-
EDODQFHZKLOHWKHDWWDFNJRHVWRDYLWDOSRLQWLQWKHQHFN7KHDWWDFNFDQXVHWKH¿QJHUWLSV
(nukite), knife edge of the hand (shuto), palm (shote), or thumb knuckle (boshiken), depend-
ate status perhaps lent them a certain
ing on what target is open. social status in this group, as did their
previous martial training. They be-
3A: Crane stance, crane beak downward sweep. This is usually interpreted as a lower block
from crane stance. came part of a community that shared
3B: The striking hand wraps around the neck and as the body rises into the crane stance the information and practice in a way that
attacker’s head is pulled into the rising knee by the crane “block”.
is perhaps less common today. They
also became part of a community that
people moved around in, studying with
systems -Kingai-ryu and Kenki Go’s Going back further, to the 1830s or so, multiple teachers and sharing knowl-
kempo- and other Okinawan systems Sokon Matsumura is also said to have edge with friends.
raise a number of questions about the learned martial arts in Fuchow. What Taking this as an example in Okinawa,
Chinese progenitors of some Okina- he studied is unknown, but he passed it does not seem so far fetched for
wan karate. Kenki Go’s family home is on the kata Gojushiho, Sesan, and sup- Okinawans in Fujian to participate in
said to have been close to the Ryukyu- posedly a crane form. Given that he a similar community, particularly since
kan, where many Okinawan karate pio- was an expatriate Okinawan, it seems there is a good deal of evidence to sup-
neers, people like Kanryo Higashionna possible he also had a connection to port the idea. This in turn can muddy
DQG.DQEXQ8HFKL¿UVWVWD\HGLQ)X- the Ryukukan, and through it to the the more simple, and therefore in some
chow. Both Higashionna and Uechi are surrounding community. Certainly he ways more appealing, concept that
said to have trained at the Kojo dojo, practiced some form of martial arts in some of Okinawa’s karate pioneers
at the Ryukyukan, but it is unclear just Fujian. learned from just one main teacher,
what system that dojo taught, or how The various iterations of Sesan across and then passed that art on. So while
it was connected to other local martial Okinawa imply, in their similarities, a it seems nice to believe that the Okina-
arts. It seems unlikely there would be connection between them. In particu- wan arts came from Fujian, it is equal-
martial artists in the same neighbor- lar the Goju, Tou’on, and Uechi ver- ly possible that Okinawan practice
hood who did not know each other, sions are very similar in pattern, as are helped in the development of a local
but both the Go family’s and Shiwa the Sanchin of the three systems. That training community in Fuchow based
Shu’s connection to the Ryukyukan or these forms are also seen, in a recogniz- around the Ryukyukan, one connected
the Kojo dojo (if any) is unclear, as is ably similar form, in Kingai-ryu, a sys- by frequent contact with Okinawa, and
Roshi Kingai ’s. tem that on the surface has no contact one that possibly formed one base for
much of today’s Okinawan karate. As a whole, this set of relationships essary. He may have seen that there
While technically Kenki Go’s system, points to information and people mov- ZHUHPDQ\NDUDWHV\VWHPVÀRXULVKLQJ
unlike the Kingai-ryu, seems to have no ing back and forth, sharing knowledge in Okinawa, and decided that instead
direct connection to any extant Okina- DQG LQÀXHQFLQJ HDFK RWKHU UDWKHU of adding another he would focus on
wan system, the social connections than a straight one way transmission the armed elements of the tradition,
around his practice seem more rel- of knowledge. This is shown clearly particularly as he felt that much of the
evant to the development of the Okina- in the traditions the Matayoshi fam- island’s armed heritage was being ne-
wan arts. He, and his family, seem to ily passed down. They did not simply glected. He may simply not have had
have known both the Shiwa Shu that teach a pure Okinawan or Chinese art. the time to try to teach everything, and
taught Kanbun Uechi, and Roshi Kin- Instead, the Matayoshi family taught so started with the weapon arts, and
gai, Shinko Matayoshi’s teacher. The a blend of the things they took from stayed there. Certainly in selecting his
system that Shu taught bears a strong both sources, their Okinawan training material he elected to focus on native
resemblance to the karate of Higash- LQÀXHQFHGE\6KLQNR¶VWLPHLQ&KLQD Okinawan elements; perhaps for that
ionna, who studied under someone in the Chinese elements blended with the reason alone he decided to limit the
Fuchow, possibly Xie Zongxian, who native Okinawan training he had at a amount of time he would spend on the
in turn may have also known the Go number of points in his life. Just what primarily Chinese systems of Kingai-
family. That the Go family knew expa- LQÀXHQFH6KLQNRPD\KDYHKDGRQKLV ryu and Kenki Go’s crane kempo.
triot Okinawans is clear, as Kenki Go Chinese teachers, the Go family and In any case, it is unfortunate that these
PHWKLV¿UVWHPSOR\HHUDQ2NLQDZDQ Kingai, is unknown, but if they were systems have essentially died out.
in Fuchow, he is said to have known open minded it is unlikely they would While a number of Shinpo Matayoshi‘s
Uechi in China, and later Shinko have taken a student with a strong senior students teach a small piece of,
Matayoshi stayed in their home. They background and not at least been inter- most often, Gokenki’s kempo, these
also lived near the Ryukyukan, and ested in what he had to show. However systems have not, to my knowledge,
were engaged at some level in com- this, like most investigation into the been passed down in their entirety to
merce with Okinawa. As an expatriate, connections between current Okina- anyone. They formed a link between
Go later lived in Okinawa, and trained wan and past Chinese martial arts, is the martial past of both Okinawa and
with most of the greatest karate men of primarily speculation. Fujian and Okinawan martial arts of
his generation. today. They also were a living snap-
In some ways, the Go family, Roshi Conclusion shot of a developing practice, one that
Kingai, and Shinko Matayoshi may All told, the various elements of the is continually changing. The elements
be an example of the social network Matayoshi tradition add up to an enor- of these arts that are not as heavily em-
around the martial arts in Okinawa mous amount of material. The best phasized today -armed technique, tra-
and Fuchow. Go was an international known, of course, is the Matayoshi ditional medicine, vital point striking,
traveler and expatriate, living, work- kobudo, now taught world-wide. Shin- written mnemonics- are elements of
ing, and training in both Okinawa and po Matayoshi was also famous for his training that, without being preserved,
Fuchow, as well as traveling around White Crane, the Kenki Go lineage may eventually be lost completely.
China. His training was connected in crane kempo, which he demonstrated However, while these systems have
various ways to that of a number of frequently over the years. Together not been passed down in their entire-
Okinawan luminaries such as Uechi, with the various elements of the Kin- ty, they do continue.15 The Go family
Matayoshi, and possibly Higashion- gai-ryu, the rest of Kenki Go’s system, kempo has become a part of Okinawan
na. He lived and practiced near the Shinpo Matayoshi’s expertise in both karate. Pieces of it are practiced in a
Kojo dojo, a pivotal environment for Sensei Kyan’s Shorin-ryu and in Goju- number of systems, and in some ways
a number of Okinawan practitioners, ryu, and whatever other elements of it has become an Okinawan ideal, the
and was associated with a number of training the Matayoshi family passed “secret” white crane. The Kingai-ryu
important local teachers, including on, the sheer volume of material is has, through its presence in the Matay-
Zhou and Kingai at the very least. He enormous. That a large portion of it RVKL NREXGR LQÀXHQFHG JHQHUDWLRQV
was also friendly with other expatriate was not passed down is not surprising; of Okinawan martial artists, and will
Fujianese in Okinawa like To Daiki passing down the bulk of the kobudo continue to do so as long as this tradi-
(Tang Daiji; see Fujiwara and Gima, taught by Shinpo Matayoshi was in it- tion is practiced. Perhaps in that way
1986, pp.74). Taking his experience self a large undertaking. the “unarmed” elements of the Matay-
as an example, we have a demonstra- Just why Shinpo Matayoshi decided oshi tradition will be maintained into
WLRQ RI WKH ÀXLGLW\ RI WKH FRQQHFWLRQV to focus his instruction on the pieces the future, a part of the continually
between the Fujianese community in of his family heritage he did is un- growing and changing spectrum of the
the area around the Ryukyukan, the ex- known. He may have decided that Okinawan martial tradition.
patriate Okinawan community in that the core elements of Kingai’s system
area, expatriate Fujianese in Okinawa, incorporated into the kobudo was a Bibliography
and the local Okinawan martial arts full expression of the Kingai-ryu, and
community. therefore teaching more was unnec- Bishop, Mark. (1989). Okinawan Karate:
Teachers, Styles, and Secret Techniques. Lon-
GRQ$ &%ODFN na’s teacher, Ko Ryu Ryu.
Fujiwara, R., and Gima. (1986) Shinkin, Kindai 8.See McKenna, 2001, for more information
Karate do no Reikishi wo Kataru (Conversa- on the Go family.
tions on the History of Modern Karate do). To- 9.Interestingly enough, this list differs from
kyo: Baseball Magazine. one given by another student of Go Kenki’s.
Hokama, Tetsuhiro. (1984). Okinawa Karate- See McKenna, 2001.
do no Ayumi. (A history of Okinawan karate
do.) Okinawa: Seihonshu Minami Purinto.
10.Thanks to Mario McKenna for insights Would you
like to
into Tou’on-ryu’s Nepai. write or share a serious
Hokama, Tetsuhiro (Translated by Joe Swift). 11.Thanks to Fernando Camera for sharing
(2007). Timeline of Karate Hitory. Okinawa:
theories on Kenki Go’s participation in the article or interview with
Ozato Print Co..
Kenkyukai.
McKenna, Mario. (2001) Wu Xianhui and Tang
Daiji, Pioneers of Okinawan Karate. Dragon
12.Perhaps as an extension of the variations
in the kata, Shinpo Matayoshi rarely per-
Meibukan Magazine?
Times, Vol. 20, pp. 13-15.
McKenna, Mario. (2003) Uechi Ryu Karate, a formed this kata the same way twice. I saw
Short History, Part 1. From Fighting Arts.Com: him do it a good number of times, and have
seen video of him doing it for various events,
Don’t hesitate and
http://www.fightingarts.com/reading/article.
php?id=478. and each time it was a little different. Addi- feel free to write us!
Okinawa Ken Kyoiku Iinkai. (1998). Karate do tionally, he referred to it publicly as Kakuho,
Kobudo Kihon Chosa Houkokusho. (Karate do Hakutsuru, Okaku, and Hakaku. One added
Kobudo Basic Investigative Report.) Okinawa: element of this variation in public, he told
Bunshin Insatsu Shushiki Kaisha. me, was that then people could not “steal” his
Takamiyagi, S. (1977) The History of Okina- kata. I was present for one situation in which
wan Karate Do. Okinawa: Uechi Ryu Karate an American student demonstrated a version
Do Association. of the form, and when asked where he learned MEIBUKAN MAGAZINE
Tokashiki, Iken. (1995) Bujin Go Kenki to To it told Sensei Matayoshi a friend taught it to P.O. Box 8, 6663 ZG, Lent, Netherlands
Daiki no Issho (The Lives of Martial Artists Go him, but would not say who. Matayoshi re- Email:
Kenki and To Daiki). Naha: Okinawa Times. plied that that was unlikely, as the only time [email protected]
Wei, Q., et. All. (1998) Hu Xing Quan (Tiger he had done the form that way was at a cer-
Form Boxing). Fuzhou: Fujian People’s Press. Meibukan Magazine is pleased to submit
tain demonstration, and therefore the student views, concerns and experiences on any
Zen Okinawa Kobudo Renmei (ZOKR), Kingai must have copied it from video. Matayoshi
Ryu Matayoshi Kobudo Soke Honbu Kodokan. subject matter IF related to the mission
then kindly went on to correct the student’s statement expressed by the Meibukan
(1999). Kingai Ryu Tode to Matayoshi Shinko. performance.
pp. 19-25 in Matayoshi Shinpo Sensei Tsui- Magazine. Therefore articles, photographs
13.Some more detailed information on Go’s and illustrations are welcome, although
tou. (Memorial for Matayoshi Shinpo Sensei)
teaching is included in McKenna, 2001. Meibukan Magazine is selective and can
Okinawa: Zen Okinawa Kobudo Renmei.
14.Versions of these were demonstrated on a not guarantee that submissions will be
video the Kodokan dojo published in the mid placed. Submissions can be mailed to our
1990s. According to students from the 60s, 32%R[E\ÀRSS\&'RU'9'RUFDQ
Thanks to Joe Swift and Mario McKenna these forms were also a little more “open” in be sent to our e-mail address.
for help with source material. content and presentation.
Thanks to Corey Tedrow for assisting 0HLEXNDQ0DJD]LQHLVDQRQSUR¿W
15.This may not be the case. I have been
with the application photos.
told that recently some members of the Zen SHULRGLFDO:HGRQRWJHQHUDWH¿QDQFLDO
Thanks to David Nauss and
Jim Baab for photos. Okinawa Kobudo Remei are gathering at the funds and therefore can not pay for any
Special thanks to the late Kodokan dojo to practice Kingai Ryu. I do contributions.
Matayoshi Shinpo, Sakai Ryugo, not know who is teaching, or what the actual Together with the publication of your
and Kimo Wall for sharing content of this class is. article, we offer you world wide publicity
their recollections and knowledge for your name and biography. If you have
of the Kingai Ryu and Go Kenki’s kempo. your own website, we will be happy to
Fred Lohse, is a 5th degree add your url to the pdf-edition in which
your article is published.
Notes black belt in Goju-ryu karate
1.There is no record of Matayoshi having any and Matayoshi kobudo, and
contact with either Zhou or Uechi, however. has been training both for over
Uechi left Fuchow around 1904, and Matay-
20 years. He lived in Japan Do you want to share your
oshi arrived no earlier than 1907.
2.This quote, and much of this information is from 1990-1992, and has thoughts and opinion about
taken from ZOKR (1999). master’s degrees in Japanse our magazine and its
3.This Guangming Da Yuanshuai may have Studies and International content? Please mail us
EHHQDKLVWRULFDO¿JXUHLQ&KLQD
4.Thanks to Julian “Butch” Spain sensei for
Education from Harvard ([email protected])
information on the content and lineage of the University. He trains and and let us now what you
kata taught by Sensei Seikichi Odo. teaches karate and kobudo think. Received messages will
5.There is a discrepancy in the dates here. with Kodokan Boston, in not go public and are used
Most sources give Go’s arrival in Okinawa as
around 1912, but the Matayoshi family tradi- Boston, Massachusetts. RQO\IRURXURZQUHÀHFWLRQV
tion states that Shinko Matayoshi knew him
before he left Okinawa in 1905.
6.Conversation with Liu Chang’I and Kimo Forr more
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