Born in the city of Shuri (there is a bit of uncertainty on the exact year) on the island of Okinawa, early in his life he was sent to train to the Master Sakugawa school. He furthermore was taught directly by Master Kushanku. There is also enough information to believe that he also was taught by a Chinese Master called Iwah and on the other hand some master of the Jigen sword school of the Satsuma clan, most surely a Master called Yashuhiro Ijuin.
He worked as a bodyguard for three different kings. He lived in China around the year 1830, when he returned he forms his school and starts teaching a modified Chinese form he calls Passai.
Among his most important students we can count Yasutsune Itosu and Yasutsune Azato. From time to time he would teach Gichin Funakoshi directly but his greatest influence was surely indirectly through Azato and Itosu.
Among his teaching we have:
If you want to understand the truth of the Martial Arts, you must study intensely. In their foundations arts and martial arts are the same thing.
If we consider Budo:

  • Gukushi no bugei, to have nothing more than a superficial technical knowledge.
  • Meimoku no bugei, a person that has the physical knowledge of Bugei. It can be a strong and violent person, that can win over others easily. Doesn't have selfcontrol and is therefore dangerous.
  • Budo no bugei, this is what I admire. At this level you can make the enemy destroy himself. He waits with a calm mind and the enemy destroys himself. The people that practice this are loyal to their friends, their family and their country. They would never do something against nature or what is human.

Login Form