Kentsu Yabe
( 1865 - 1945 )
The following biography is quoted in a number of different sources on the internet. The original author is undetermined.
Kentsu Yabe was a student of Master Itosu and one of the first shihan in the Okinawan school system along with Master Chomo Hanashiro . Master Yabe was a strong karateka and emphasized the priciple of ikken hissatsu ( one punch - one kill ).
A prominent Shorin-ryu master, Kentsu Yabe was known for his fighting ability. It is said that he never lost a fight, supposedly beating even the great Choki Motobu in a famous challenge match.
Yabe began his Karate training under Sokon "Bushi" Matsumura and later continued under Matsumura's top student, Yasutsune Itosu. His classmates under these two teachers included such future masters as Chomo Hanashiro, Gichin Funakoshi, and Chotoku Kyan. Yabe was one of the first ever to teach Karate in the Okinawa school system (under Itosu's supervision) and, in 1927, traveled to Hawaii where he taught Karate for almost a year before returning to Okinawa.
During the Sino-Japanese war (1894-95), Yabe fought on the Chinese mainland as a sergeant in the Japanese army. From this experience came his ferocious fighting style as well as the nickname "The Sergeant" which remained with him for the rest of his life.
Though Yabe was never defeated, he never hurt an opponent except in war. Among his students was Shigeru Nakamura, founder of Okinawa Kempo.
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