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Probably the event most responsible for the worldwide popularity of karate is Master Choki Motobu’s defeat of a Western boxer in 1925. Initially ridiculed by the audience at an “all-comers” prizefight in Kyoto, Japan, laughter turned to stunned silence when the middle-aged and rather portly Okinawan karate man knocked his strongly built young opponent unconscious within seconds. Karate became an overnight sensation, and the mainland Japanese embraced the art as their own.
So spectacular it was featured in "Kingu", Japan’s most popular magazine of the era, the victory sadly did little for Motobu personally. Illustrations used in the magazine implied the victor was Gichin Funakoshi, a man inferior in both social status and fighting ability to Motobu, infuriating the latter, and ensuring instant fame for Funakoshi who went on to found the Shotokan style of karate and become a karate legend.
Nonetheless, Motobu’s technical influence on karate was immense. His students included Shoshin Nagamine (Matsubayashi Shorin Ryu), Yasuhiro Konishi (Shindo Jinen Ryu) and Hironori Otsuka (Wado Ryu), all of whom formed their own karate styles based, in part, on his teachings. On the death of Choki Motobu in 1944 his unique form of karate seemed destined for extinction. Few members of his original Daidokan Dojo survived the war, and so little was known of Motobu sensei’s private life that most were unaware of his son Chosei who was destined to carry his father’s style into the twenty first century
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A landmark video!,
By John Edwards (Agoura Hills, CA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Karate of Choki Motobu (Tsunami) [VHS] (VHS Tape)
About once each year a truly significant video like this is published. There are others that are professionally made (although this studio excels with its karate/martial arts videos), some also feature genuinely talented martial artists, a few contain worthwhile archival material. This has all of the above and a great deal more.Choki Motobu was one of the most famous of the karate pioneers and one of the greatest fighters.His easy defeat of a Russian boxer in the early 1920s marked the beginning of the worldwide karate movement. It was widely believed that his unique style of karate died with him in 1944 and all that remained were a few enigmatic photos of his training that raised more questions than they answered. This was not the case as it turns out. For almost 60 years since the death of its founder, the style had in fact been kept alive by his son, Chosei, a retired police officer from Osaka, Japan, who has also preserved his father's notes, documents and photographs. What this video presents is the entire Motobu style of karate performed by the son and another fifty year veteran of the Daidokan Dojo, Takeji Inaba, 8th Dan. Contents include the history of the style and its founder, the two Motobu Ryu Naihanchi kata and the twelve unique fighting methods of Choki Motobu, (Jiyu Hon Kumite). Everything is shown in great detail, the fine points are explained by Motobu sensei (voice over in English), and the exercises are filmed from both sides. This is the first time I saw Motobu Ryu and it certainly lived up to expectations. It is an extremely short range system, very practical, and great care need to be exercised in training, especially with the joint locks which are brutally effective. The video is beautifully produced, the locations are fantastic and the music worthy of a movie score. The new historical information is fascinating as are the previously unpublished photos of Choki Motobu from the family archives. Whatever style of karate you practice this a "must have" item if only to see what karate looked like seventy years ago before parts of it started their evolution into a sport. A lot of material, well presented. Without a doubt, two thumbs up! John Edwards, Dragon Times magazine.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Living the experience,
By Jamie Hamelin (Osaka-shi, Japan) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Karate of Choki Motobu (Tsunami) [VHS] (VHS Tape)
As a Canadian martial artist living and working in Osaka, I have had the excellent fortune of being accepted into Motobu Sensei's dojo as a student. I am honored to be learning from a man with such a rich family history. Motobu Choki Sensei was one of the key teachers of Nagamine Shoshin, founder of Matsubayashi-ryu, my base style. While I am here, I am quite fortunate to learn even a part of what he learned under Motobu senior.The Motobu system is unlike any I have really ever seen before. Natural and very practical in infighting situations, it is both deadly and beautiful to watch. Motobu Sensei has amazing power and speed for a man of his age, I am in awe of his skills. If you catch even a glimpse of what I live here on this tape, I assure you that this is to be the best investment you have made in a long time. A tape truly made for the serious martial artist and a must have for any traditional karate-ka's collection.
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