Saturday, 30 April 2016

The Master of Sokon "Bushi" Matsumura (1798-1890)



The Master of Matsumura was Born in the city of Shuri (there is a bit of uncertainty on the exact year) on the island of Okinawa, early in his life he was sent to train to the Master Sakugawa school. He furthermore was taught directly by Master Kushanku. 

There is also enough information to believe that he also was taught by a Chinese Master called Iwah and on the other hand some master of the Jigen sword school of the Satsuma clan, most surely a Master called Yashuhiro Ijuin. 

Among his most important students we can count Yasutsune Itosu and Yasutsune Azato. From time to time he would teach Gichin Funakoshi directly but his greatest influence was surely indirectly through Azato and Itosu.

Among his teaching we have:
 

If you want to understand the truth of the Martial Arts, you must study intensely. In their foundations arts and martial arts are the same thing. 


If we consider Budo:
  • Gukushi no bugei, to have nothing more than a superficial technical knowledge.
Meimoku no bugei, a person that has the physical knowledge of Bugei. 


Budo no bugei, this is what I admire. At this level you can make the enemy destroy himself. The people that practice this are loyal to their friends, their family and their country


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