Our Karate teacher's teachers from Okinawa brought their friendship, lifestyle, culture
and Martial Arts (Ryukyu weaponry, To-de fighting and survival-skills, that
were taught in secret 1609-1895 during the Satsuma invasion) to
So, the Karatedo of our Kofukan International organization is the
traditional Karatedo of the Doshisha University, an original birthplace of Karatedo in Japan.
Master Chojun Miyagi brought Naha-te (Karate style of Kanryo Higaonna) from Okinawa to Doshisha University, around 1920.
Since Chojun Miyagi's stay in Japan was temporary, he recommended his students to continue under Kenwa Mabuni, a fellow student of Kanryo Higaonna.
After returning to Okinawa, Chojun Miyagi founded Goju-ryu Karatedo around 1929.
Master Kenwa Mabuni arrived in Osaka in 1928 and taught traditional Naha-te at Doshisha University. His teaching included Karate Jutsu, Karatedo, later Hanko-ryu, Shito-ryu and Kobudo at Doshisha University:
Master Miyagi & Master Mabuni mainly taught Master Higaonna's Naha-te and Aragaki and chinese methods from Gokenki.
Many years later (after Master Miyagi's return to Okinawa), Master Mabuni kept teaching Master Higaonna's Naha-te but later as well his Master Itosu's Shuri-te, Tomari-te, Kiyan, Aragaki and other methods of Shito-ryu such as Matsumora and chinese methods.
Chojiro Tani learnt all of that and he taught Shito-ryu (Higaonna's Naha-te, Itosu's Shuri-te, Tomari-te, Aragaki and more from Miyagi's & Mabuni's teachers).
Master Kenwa Mabuni then authorized Chojiro Tani to develop his own style "Tani-ha Shito-ryu" and he called his organization "Shukokai". To establish his own dojo "Tani-ha Shito-ryu Kempo Karatedo Shukokai Honbu Dojo" he moved to Kobe, from where Tani got world-renowned.
Master Fujimoto's background is Higaonna's Naha-te (Goju-ryu, hard-soft) together with Itosu's Shuri-te (Shito-ryu as above) Aragaki,
Uechi-, Motobu-ryu and Karate Jutsu from Seijiro Sakihama (Jugoshizen-ryu, soft-hard).
Master Tomiyama & Master Omi, Joint Chief Instructors of Kofukan International, are both graduates of Doshisha University,
"Doshisha Karatedo Old-Boys" of the Doshisha Karatedo Club (since 1935) and teach the traditional Karatedo of their
direct teachers.
Master Tomiyama of Kofukan International has a strong background is Naha-te (6th Dan Goju-ryu), Shuri-te & Tomari-te (8th Dan Shito-ryu),
Uechi-ryu and Karate Jutsu "Jugoshizen-ryu" from Master Fujimoto.
So, our Budo heritage of traditional Karatedo that we learn from our direct teachers, such as Miyagi, Mabuni, Tani, Fujimoto
and Tomiyama, contains:
Please find here the
official list of
Kofukan International Karatedo Katas
Since 1999 (1999, 2007, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2019), students from Switzerland regularly visit Doshisha University Karatedo Club Kyoto for trainings,
where as well our own teachers teach and have learnt our traditional Karatedo themselves.
Doshisha University Karatedo Club has more than 300+ Senior Karateka who have learnt Karatedo from these teachers above,
Chojun Miyagi and Kenwa Mabuni, in the years 1920 and later. They're called "Doshisha Oldboys".
The Doshisha Oldboys celebrated their 80th Anniversary of Doshisha University Karatedo Club in 2017 in Kyoto, where
we enjoyed to attend the awesome Anniversary celebrations with festivities.
It's a unique pleasure to regularly train with the Doshisha Oldboys at Doshisha University Karatedo Club,
to feel their original Karate Jutsu and Budo spirit, friendship, see their good health, their youth at advanced age and to keep that unique treasure alive.
During the "Satsuma invasion" (1609-1895) all Ryukyu islands including Okinawa were occupied and weapons
were banned for the local population. To survive the occupation, the "To-te" fighting- & survival-skills were used and taught in secret
in the Okinawan villages Naha (Naha-te style), Shuri (Shuri-te) and Tomari (Tomari-te), and "Ryukyu weaponry" (Nunchaku, Tonfa, Sai, Bo, Jo, etc.) were invented.
Before coming to the Doshisha University Kyoto, our Karate teacher's teachers from Okinawa,
Master Chojun Miyagi and Kenwa Mabuni, learnt the Okinawan Martial Arts and weapon skills and fighting methods from their teachers
Around 1900, after the occupation, these Okinawan Martial Arts were brought to Japan, mostly Universities in Osaka area (Osaka and Kyoto) and Tokyo area.
This is how it started at the
Note: At that time, Karate was not accessible to the public, and Karate techniques "-te" were called
or named after its Chinese Style, e.g.
Chojun Miyagi was in the Army, well known as martial artist. To teach the police, he became a Police Instructor.
To maintain independency as a Police Instructor, Miyagi had to move his homebase regularly.
That's why Master Miyagi came to Japan at the beginning of the last century. Chojun Miyagi brought his Ryukyu Kempo from Okinawa
island to Osaka area and started teaching at Doshisha University in Japan.
So, Doshisha University is considered to be a birthplace of Karatedo in Japan.
Kenwa Mabuni from Okinawa island, a good friend of Police Instructor Chojun Miyagi, as well learnt fighting methods, and was trained by
Master Kanryo Higaonna,
Master Anko Itosu,
Master Aragaki and
Ryu Ryu Ko.
When Chojun Miyagi started his Police Service in Japan, Kenwa Mabuni also followed Chojun Miyagi to Osaka/Kyoto area and helped him teaching Naha-te at Doshisha University.
When Chojun Miyagi's service in Japan ended, Miyagi and Mabuni both agreed that Kenwa Mabuni stayed in Japan to keep teaching Naha-te at Doshisha University.
At that time, most of today's "Doshisha Oldboys" were young students at the University and started learning Karatedo by learning Higaonna's Naha-te directly from Master Kenwa Mabuni.
At that time, Kenwa Mabuni did not yet create "Shito-ryu". Kenwa Mabuni taught mostly "Naha-te" at Doshisha (later, after Miyagi founded "Goju-ryu", Mabuni called his Naha-te
"Hankyo-ryu", later "Mabuni Goju-ryu") and many years later started to teach Itosu's Shuri-te, Tomari-te and Kobudo at Doshisha as well.
Some of his young students were Chojiro Tani, Hiroshi Fujimoto, Sakamoto and many more. As I said, still today there are more than 300+ Karateka at Doshisha University Karatedo Club called "Doshisha Oldboys" who have learnt Karatedo from these teachers.
Master Hiroshi Fujimoto is a student of the Naha-te Karate club at Doshisha University in Kyoto started by Chojun Miyagi.
Before returning back to Okinawa, Chojun Miyagi recommended his students to continue under Kenwa Mabuni, a fellow student of Kanryo Higaonna,
and Kenwa Mabuni taught traditional Naha-te to the students at Doshisha University Karatedo.
Years later, Mabuni's style was called Hanko-ryu (a very precise, technical version the Naha-te of Kanryo Higaonna).
Only later did Mabuni teach his Shito-ryu to one of the students at the club who later became it's leader.
In 1950 Hiroshi Fujimoto was awarded his Shihan title by Mabuni in Hanko ryu (half hard style).
Years later in Osaka at a festival of Okinawan dancing and Karate-do Hiroshi Fujimoto challenged one of the Okinawan Karate experts
and he was soundly beaten. This Okinawan master was Seijiro Sakihama who was a student of Kanbun Uechi.
Seijiro Sakihama had studied with Kanbun in the pre-war period in Kansai and created his own style called Jugo Shizen Ryu.
Jugo is the same characters as Chojun Miyagi's Goju-ryu, just in the reverse order.
Fujimoto asked to become as student and learn this art but Sakihama refused saying he only taught Okinawans.
Fujimoto undeterred asked those at the festival and was able to obtain the address of Sakihama's dojo.
After many attempts and requests Fujimoto relented, much like in the famous story of Kanbun gaining entrance to Zhouzhihe/Shushiwa school, and accepted Fujimoto as a student.
Sakihama taught Fujimoto the three forms of Jugo Shizen Ryu: Uechi-Sanchin, Higaonna-Seisan and Sanrinryu, also called Santairyu.
Fujimoto brought these forms back to the Naha-te club at Doshisha University and they made their way into the curriculum along with Mabuni's Shito-ryu and were taught to Tomiyama Keiji.
Tomiyama Keiji is the head of his own Shito-ryu association that still teacher these forms and is called Kofukan (tiger wind/style house).
Our Karate Masters & close friends Master Chojun Miyagi, Kenwa Mabuni, Chojiro Tani, Hiroshi Fujimoto, all the "Doshisha Oldboys",
Keiji Tomiyama, Naoki Omi and many more still come together to train Karatedo, for their whole life now, from the beginning of their studies
until today, at Doshisha Karatedo Club in Japan.
Their good health, active friendship, open heart and happiness is very obvious in this unique Karatedo-family. They meet whenever they can.
Kofukan International association of Master Okubo, Omi & Tomiyama is our worldwide Karatedo organization.
Our teachers are all gradutates of Doshisha University and our teachers are "Doshisha Oldboys".
As long as Master Chojiro Tani was alive, Kofukan was as well official representant of "Tani-ha Shito-ryu Kempo Karate-do Shukokai" of founder Chojiro Tani, who learnt
Higaonna's Naha-te, Itosu's Shuri-te, Tomari-te & other methods and Kobudo from Master Kenwa Mabuni.
That's why we learn, study and practice these specific Karatedo methods, styles & Katas of
Naha-te, Shuri-te, Tomari-te, Aragaki, Matsumora, Kiyan, Uechi and other methods from our direct teachers
Chojun Miyagi (Goju-ryu), Kenwa Mabuni (Shito-ryu), Chojiro Tani (Tani-ha Shito-ryu), Master Fujimoto (Master of Goju-, Uechi-, Shito- and Ju-Go-Shizen-ryu).
Thank you for your interest.
