Chotoku Kyan
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Chotoku Kyan
Chotoku Kyan was born in Shuri, Okinawa in December 1870
and was the first son of Chofu Kyan. Chofu Kyan had been a
descendant of the fourth Ryukyuan king, Shoshi. Kyan (also
sometimes pronounced Kiyuabu) was born a frail child, but
through his martial arts training he developed into a strong
adult and his health improved much. He had begun his training
in karate-do at the age of five years old.
Kyan was known in Okinawa as 'Chan mig-wa' or 'small-eyed
Kyan', and was known by this nickname because his eyes were
small and weak. Despite this handicap, he went on to become a
great master. In fact, he was one of the most knowledgeable
masters of his time, as he studied both the Shuri-te and the
Tomari-te styles of karate. He studied Shuri-te from Sokon
Matsumura and Anko Itosu and studied Tomari-te from
Oyadomari Pechin, Maeda Pechin and Kosaku Matsumora. Kyan's
teaching combined the elements of both of these styles of
karate, with his students originally calling his system
'migwa-te', but later it became known as 'Sukunaihayashi-ryu'.
Kyan enjoyed traveling a good deal. During his martial arts
career he journeyed to Taiwan, where he brought back the
kata Ananku to Okinawa. He also visited one of Okinawa's
off-lying islands and learned Tokumine no Kun (bo kata) there.
Tokumine Pechin had been a lord in Okinawan, but had been
banished to the Yaeyama Islands after having being involved in
a fight with 30 constables in the red-light district.
Chotoku Kyan lived in Shuri until he was about thirty years
old and then he moved to Kadena, where he opened his own
dojo. He lived in the village of Yomitan, where a karate man
called Yara taught him the Kusanku kata. In addition to
Kusanku kata (which became his favourite), he learned other
kata; from Sokon Matsumura he learned Naihanchi and
Gojushiho, from Kosaku Matsumura he learned Seisan,
Oyadomari taught him Passai and Maeda Pechin taught him
Wanshu. Kyan later developed his own versions of the katas
Chinto and Passai, and he even learned tree fighting which is
linked to the Okinawan monkey dance 'saru mari'.
Because of his reputation, Kyan was often challenged. It is
alleged that he fought many actual fights but was never
defeated. Kyan was highly adept at body shifting. Since he was
a small man, he used this type of body movement (known as tai
sabaki) to defeat his opponent. His technique was to never
back up, but rather to move forward rapidly and strike, or
block and counter attack immediately.
Two of Chotoku Kyan's top students were Ankichi Arakaki and
Shimabuku and it is said that they accompanied their teacher
almost everywhere and were inseparable from him. Kyan
enjoyed rooster fighting very much, in fact he often entered
his own roosters in these fights. One anecdote reveals
something of Kyan's abilities as a martial artist, by telling that
on this particular occasion he attended one of these rooster
fights and had his own rooster in a firm grip under his arm. His
students, Arakaki and Shimabuku, decided to test their masters
skill and started a fight with a couple of the local men. Once
the fight got started they left and hide in some nearby bushes.
When Kyan came over to see what was happening, and to see
where Arakaki and Shimabuku were, the enraged men attacked
him. Kyan is said to have fought with the men and defeated them
all. What was so unique about this occasion was that during
the entire fight, Kyan had kept a firm hold on his rooster - he
fought them all with only one hand and his feet. Arakaki and
Shimabuku watched the whole fight from their hiding place
and were amazed by his skill and composure.
Kyan felt strongly about the ancient code of Bushido and
felt that every martial artist should follow it totally. He
was both a perfectionist and a disciplinarian, in both his own
training and also his teaching. He believed that self-discipline
and social order and justice went hand in hand. He was also
quoted as saying "superior conditioning can only be built on
relentless effort. The size of one's body is irrelevant".
Master Chotoku Kyan died Ishikawa City, Okinawa, on 20th
September 1945 - he was 76 years old.
Eastbourne Matsubayashi Karate-do Kai web site
Chotoku Kyan was born in Shuri, Okinawa in December 1870
and was the first son of Chofu Kyan. Chofu Kyan had been a
descendant of the fourth Ryukyuan king, Shoshi. Kyan (also
sometimes pronounced Kiyuabu) was born a frail child, but
through his martial arts training he developed into a strong
adult and his health improved much. He had begun his training
in karate-do at the age of five years old.
Kyan was known in Okinawa as 'Chan mig-wa' or 'small-eyed
Kyan', and was known by this nickname because his eyes were
small and weak. Despite this handicap, he went on to become a
great master. In fact, he was one of the most knowledgeable
masters of his time, as he studied both the Shuri-te and the
Tomari-te styles of karate. He studied Shuri-te from Sokon
Matsumura and Anko Itosu and studied Tomari-te from
Oyadomari Pechin, Maeda Pechin and Kosaku Matsumora. Kyan's
teaching combined the elements of both of these styles of
karate, with his students originally calling his system
'migwa-te', but later it became known as 'Sukunaihayashi-ryu'.
Kyan enjoyed traveling a good deal. During his martial arts
career he journeyed to Taiwan, where he brought back the
kata Ananku to Okinawa. He also visited one of Okinawa's
off-lying islands and learned Tokumine no Kun (bo kata) there.
Tokumine Pechin had been a lord in Okinawan, but had been
banished to the Yaeyama Islands after having being involved in
a fight with 30 constables in the red-light district.
Chotoku Kyan lived in Shuri until he was about thirty years
old and then he moved to Kadena, where he opened his own
dojo. He lived in the village of Yomitan, where a karate man
called Yara taught him the Kusanku kata. In addition to
Kusanku kata (which became his favourite), he learned other
kata; from Sokon Matsumura he learned Naihanchi and
Gojushiho, from Kosaku Matsumura he learned Seisan,
Oyadomari taught him Passai and Maeda Pechin taught him
Wanshu. Kyan later developed his own versions of the katas
Chinto and Passai, and he even learned tree fighting which is
linked to the Okinawan monkey dance 'saru mari'.
Because of his reputation, Kyan was often challenged. It is
alleged that he fought many actual fights but was never
defeated. Kyan was highly adept at body shifting. Since he was
a small man, he used this type of body movement (known as tai
sabaki) to defeat his opponent. His technique was to never
back up, but rather to move forward rapidly and strike, or
block and counter attack immediately.
Two of Chotoku Kyan's top students were Ankichi Arakaki and
Shimabuku and it is said that they accompanied their teacher
almost everywhere and were inseparable from him. Kyan
enjoyed rooster fighting very much, in fact he often entered
his own roosters in these fights. One anecdote reveals
something of Kyan's abilities as a martial artist, by telling that
on this particular occasion he attended one of these rooster
fights and had his own rooster in a firm grip under his arm. His
students, Arakaki and Shimabuku, decided to test their masters
skill and started a fight with a couple of the local men. Once
the fight got started they left and hide in some nearby bushes.
When Kyan came over to see what was happening, and to see
where Arakaki and Shimabuku were, the enraged men attacked
him. Kyan is said to have fought with the men and defeated them
all. What was so unique about this occasion was that during
the entire fight, Kyan had kept a firm hold on his rooster - he
fought them all with only one hand and his feet. Arakaki and
Shimabuku watched the whole fight from their hiding place
and were amazed by his skill and composure.
Kyan felt strongly about the ancient code of Bushido and
felt that every martial artist should follow it totally. He
was both a perfectionist and a disciplinarian, in both his own
training and also his teaching. He believed that self-discipline
and social order and justice went hand in hand. He was also
quoted as saying "superior conditioning can only be built on
relentless effort. The size of one's body is irrelevant".
Master Chotoku Kyan died Ishikawa City, Okinawa, on 20th
September 1945 - he was 76 years old.
Eastbourne Matsubayashi Karate-do Kai web site
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