Motobu Chōki
Motobu Chōki (本部 朝基, April 5, 1870 – April 15, 1944) was an Okinawan karate master and founder of Motobu-ryū. He was born into a branch of the Ryukyuan royal family, and at the age of 12, he and his older brother Motobu Chōyū invited Ankō Itosu to learn karate. Chōyū was also a noted martial artist.
| Motobu Chōki | |
|---|---|
Motobu Chōki | |
| Born | April 5, 1870 Akahira Village, Shuri, Ryūkyū Kingdom |
| Died | April 15, 1944 (aged 74) Shuri, Japan |
| Style | Shuri-te, Tomari-te, Motobu-ryū |
| Teacher(s) | Sōkon Matsumura, Sakuma Pechin, Ankō Itosu, Kosaku Matsumora |
| Rank | Sōke, Founder of Motobu-ryū |
| Notable students | His son Chōsei Motobu, Tatsuo Yamada, Sannosuke Ueshima, Yasuhiro Konishi, Hironori Ōtsuka, Tatsuo Shimabuku, Shōshin Nagamine, Katsuya Miyahira |
| Website | Motobu-ryu |
Motobu also studied karate under Sakuma, Matsumura Sōkon, and Kōsaku Matsumora. He excelled especially in kumite and was already known throughout Okinawa in his twenties. As he grew up, he came to be regarded as the best in Okinawa in terms of practical karate techniques. He is reported to have been very agile, which gained him the nickname Motobu no Saru ("Motobu the Monkey").
Motobu later moved to mainland Japan, and at the age of 52, he beat a foreign boxer in Kyoto, Japan, and his name became instantly known throughout the country. He distanced himself from the modernization trend in karate, focusing only on kata Naihanchi and concentrating on kumite practice.