"In the old days
we trained at karate as a martial art, but now they train at karate
as a gymnastic sport. I think we must avoid treating karate as
a sport - it must be a martial art at all times! Your
fingers and the tips of your toes must be like arrows, your arms
must be like iron.
You have to think that if you kick, you
try to kick the enemy dead. If you punch, you must
thrust to kill. If you strike, then you strike to kill
the enemy. This is the spirit you need in order to
progress in your training". - Chibana Chosin
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Chibana
Choshin, the originator
of Okinawa style shorin-ryu ("the small forest style") was born on
June 5, 1885, at Tottori-cho in Shuri City, Okinawa. He
began training with Yasutsune "Ankoh" Itosu in 1900, after dropping
out of the Okinawa Kenritsu Dai-Ichi Chu-gakko (high
school). He was then 15 years old.
He studied
with Itosu until his teacher's demise on January 26, 1915, at the
age of 85. Five years after his teacher's death, he began teaching
on his own. His first training hall was located at Tottori-bori and
as his reputation spread, he was able to open up a second training
hall in Kumo-cho, Naha.
Chibana remained on the island of
Okinawa during World War II and narrowly escaped death when Shuri
was destroyed by the Americans in 1945. After the war,
he once again began teaching Shorin-ryu in Giho-cho which is a
section of Shuri City. During February, 1954, until
December, 1958, he was also the Chief Karate-do Instructor for the
Shuri City Police Department. On May 5, 1956, the
Okinawa Karate-do Association was formed and he was appointed its
first president.
Chibana's reputation as a karate master
continued to spread, not only in Okinawa but also in mainland Japan.
By 1957, he had received the title of Hanshi (High
Master) from the Dai Nippon Butokukai (The Greater Japan Martial
Virtue Association) and in 1960, he received the First Sports Award
from the Okinawa Times Newspaper for his over-all accomplishments in
the study and practice of traditional Okinawan Karate-do.
On
April 29, 1968, Chibana brought further honor to Okinawan Karate-do
by being awarded the 4th Order of the Sacred Treasure (KUNYONTO) by
the Emperor of Japan in recognition of his devotion to the study and
practice of Okinawan karate-do.
In 1964, Chibana was advised
that he had terminal cancer of the throat. But,
because of his dedication to the art of Okinawa Shorin-ryu, he
continued to teach even though his body began to weaken as the
cancer spread. By 1966, he was admitted into Tokyo's
Cancer Research Center for radiation treatment in an attempt to
arrest the spread. After some improvement, Chibana once
again resumed his teaching of Okinawa Shorin-ryu with his grandson,
Akira Nakazato (Shorin-ryu 7-Dan).
By the end of 1968,
Chibana-sensei's condition became worse and he returned to Ohama
Hospital. Despite the doctors' efforts to save his life,
he died at 6:40 a.m. on the 26th of February, 1969, at the advanced
age of 83.
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