Choki Motobu was a karate master who achieved great notoriety. He was born in Shuri, Okinawa in February, 1871 as the third son of a samurai family. He grew to be a large man by Okinawan standards and became very strong. He was known as 'Motobu zaru' or 'Motobu the monkey'. He got this name from his remarkable agility and his ability to climb up and down a tree like a monkey (zaru). As a youth, he had the reputation of being a bully because of his numerous street fights and inclination to test the techniques he learned in actual confrontations.

Motobu learned much about karate without the benefit of formal training. His oldest brother, Choyu, received the bulk of his family's attention and grooming, including martial arts training. Choki learned by watching his brother in training. Motobu had a great enthusiasm for the martial arts training and trained himself a great deal. He used ancient Okinawan methods of training to make himself strong. He used a makiwara to make his punches strong and powerful. He also lifted heavy rocks to build up his strength.

During his career, Motobu received martial arts training from Anko Itosu, Kosaku Matsumora, of Tomari village and Yabu Kentsu. However, because of his street fighting and aggressive behavior, many Okinawan masters did not want to teach him. Although he did persuade Kosaku Matsumora to teach him some basic techniques and two kata, Naihanchi and Tomari Passai. One famous story about Motobu recounts that he pressed Matsumora for further instruction in kumite but Matsumora refused to teach him because he was afraid that he would put this knowledge to immediate use in street fighting. Although Matsumora's intentions were well founded, it wasn't successful because Motobu learned Matsumora's techniques anyway by secretly peaking through a knot in the wooden fence that surrounded Matsumora's backyard dojo. Motobu would watch kumite techniques being taught to Matsumora's other students. He would practice them on his own and then test their effectiveness in the evening at the local night spots by picking fights with the local patrons. Motobu was usually victorious in these confrontations but one story relates that he was badly beaten once by a karate man named Itarashiki

In another match, with Kentsu Yabu, Motobu was defeated due to Yabu's excellent techniques and great experience. Another tale mentions a kumite match between himself and another karate man from Tomari village called Kodatsu Iha. Iha was also a student of Matsumora and had a reputation for being a good fighter. Supposedly, Motobu received a scar on his left shoulder from this encounter, but the exact result of this match is not known.

Motobu's fighting strategy was unique. It developed as a result of his experiences in actual fighting, intensive makiwara training and his kata practice. He favored the horse stance and would close with his adversary often taking blows so that he could deliver close punches and knee attacks. One of his specialties in makiwara training was the use of the forefinger knuckle punch. He developed this technique to a high degree through his makiwara training. According to Shoshin Nagamine, he also spent much practicing yakusoku kumite, which is a two man prearranged sparring drill.

Motobu moved to Osaka, Japan in 1921 and taught karate in both Tokyo and Osaka. On one trip to Kyoto, he became involved in an event that gave him recognition throughout Japan. He fought a contest between himself and a Russian boxer. The Russian had traveled to Japan as part of a cultural exchange to fight Japanese martial artists.  Motobu and a friend attended a contest one evening in which matches were held, pitting judoka against boxers. The Russian had beaten all comers up to this point and finally he issued an open challenge to the audience. Even though Motobu was 52 at the time he accepted the challenge. He stepped into the ring and launched an attack at the boxer by front kicking him in the solar plexus and finishing him off with a ridge hand strike to the head accompanied by a loud kiai. The audience were stunned by the outcome and the speed in which Motobu had dealt with the Russian. Up to this point, Okinawan karate had never been demonstrated outside Okinawa and it was virtually unknown in Japan at this time. Motobu achieved instant notoriety throughout Japan. Many magazine and newspaper articles were written about him detailing the fight with the Russian boxer. As a result many people sought him out for instruction in this mysterious Okinawa fighting art.

Although he taught many people, Motobu never formally established a school of his own, although some Ryuha have laid claim to Motobu as their founder. He did teach widely, though. He taught in Tokyo and Osaka, and even went to Hawaii in 1933. He wrote a short book published in 1926, which detailed the training methods of Okinawan karate. Despite his recklessness youthful spirit and brawling activities, he gained respect as a karate master in his later years.
He returned to Okinawa from Japan in 1936 and visited other karate masters to further study both karate kata and kobujutsu and then returned to Japan. Just prior to World War II, he returned to Okinawa once again, where he died in 1944 at the age of 73

Thanks to Michael Thorne, of the Shorin-ryu Karate Association of Ireland, for the above information.