History of Shorin Ryu Matsumura Kenpo & Kobudo

Tode Sakugawa

In 1756, Sakugawa became a student of the Chinese  military envoy Kusanku.  Kusanku was a highly skilled Kenpo master and was famous for his fighting ability.  He did many things that that ultimately aided Shorin Ryu’s development.  He brought many of his Chinese students to Okinawa with the intent of spreading the art.

After his trraining with Kusanku, Sakugawa became an expert in Chinese style of fighting.  He was given the first name Tode (Chinese hand).

Sakugawa combined the Chinese style with the Okinawan Shuri-Te which formed the basis of the Okinawan karate. He is therefore often considered to be the founder of Okinawan karate.

Sakugawa had several students who distinguished themselves as excellent martial artists. They included Bushi Ukuda, Macabe Chokun and Bushi Matsumoto of Urazoe. However his last and most famous student was Bushi Matsumura.



Sokon “Bushi” Matsumura

“Bushi” Matsumura 1797-1889, was one of the most renown martial artists of his time.  He was the creator and founder of Shorin Ryu karate.  He chose the name Shorin Ryu because it related back to the Shaolin Temple in China (“Shorin” is the Japanese pronunciation of “Shaolin”).

He is credited with passing on the katas Naihanchi I and II, Pasai Dai, Seisan, Chinto, Gojoshiho, Kusanku and Hakutsuru.  He is also considered the creator of Pinan I and II.

He was given the title of “Bushi” meaning warrior by the Okinawan king.  He fought many individual fights and was never defeated.

Sokon Matsumura’s Shorin Ryu is the progentor of many Okinawan styles of kenpo.



Nabi Matsumura

The purest teaching of Matsumura’s Shorin Ryu was done by Nabi Matsumura, 1860- 1930.  He brought the old Shorin-ryu secrets into the modern age, but his name does not appear in many karate lineage charts, perhaps because he had only one student of his own, his nephew Hohen Sokan.

Nabi Matsumura received the teachings of the family art as well as the secret teaching of the ‘White Crane.’

The white crane system was reputed to a secret family style that was only taught to intimate family members.

In his later years, Nabi Matsumura was referred to as Nabi Tanme or “old man” Nabi. He was known to be a stern and disciplined teacher. He had only one student, Hohan Soken. It is said he was one of the top karate men of his time.



Hohan Soken

Hohan Soken

Hohan Soken was the next successor in the lineage of Matsumura.  He lived from 1889- 1982.  He began his training at age thirteen under his uncle Nabi Matsumura.  Soken had to work in the fields as a youth despite his samurai heritage.  This was due to a political reorganization in the Ryukyu Islands called the Meiji restoration.

After ten years of training under Nabi Matsumura, Soken began learning the techniques of the white crane or Hakutsuru.  This took place in 1912 when he was 23.  According to Soken, this was a secret methodology of training only for the Matsumura family.  Soken said that one example of the training was to perform the white crane kata on a board floating in a pond, that would barely support his weight.  Hohan is considered one of the great masters.  His legacy can best be described with his personal death poem:

“I have taught you all I know.  There is no more I can teach you.  I am a candle who’s light has traveled far.  You are my candles to whom I have passed on my light.  It is you who will light the path for others.  Today around me I see the lights of Shaolin.

The flame of tomorrow.  My task is done, so my flame will end.  Teach the true spirit of karate-do and one day you may enter the temple of Shaolin.”

Yuichi Kuda

Yuichi Kuda

Yuichi Kuda was born October 1928. His father believed in the old ways and soon began teaching him the old family Bo Staff fighting system including some rare Bo kata. Young Yuichi was introduced to Sumo wrestling in grade school and continued that until age 13yrs.

At age 17yrs old near the end of World War 2 he was forced to serve in the Japanese navy. He was one of only two Okinawans on the ship and both were treated badly by the Japanese. The other Okinawan was an officer named Yamashiro who took young Yuichi under his wing and began teaching him karate in a very small room on board ship.

The war ended shortly after and Yuichi Kuda was forced to work on the docks by the US Military. It was during this time that Mr. Kuda began training in Okinawan Kenpo with Nakamura Sensei. After the death of Nakamura Sensei in 1970 Mr. Kuda was accepted as a student of Hohan Soken. Mr. Kuda trained with Soken Sensei until Sokens death in November 1982. At that time Kuda sensei began training with Seitoku Higa in Tode, and Yamani Ryu Bo jitsu. Yuichi Kuda Sensei passed away April 1999.