The Motobu Udun Tomb ( Japanese : 本部御殿墓 , Motobu Udun-baka ) is a turtleback tomb (亀甲墓 kamekōbaka ) located in Ganeko in today's Ginowan City , Okinawa Prefecture , Japan. The tomb belongs to the House of Motobu whose origin is Prince Motobu Chōhei (本部朝平, aka Shō Kōshin 尚弘信, 1655–1687), the 6th son of the 10th King Shō Shitsu (1629–1668) of the Second Royal Shō Dynasty of Ryūkyū.
43-696: According to a description in the "Records of the Royal Era" ( 王代記 ''Ōdaiki'' ) of the Second Royal Shō Dynasty , “the remains originally enshrined in Sueyoshi in Shuri were transferred to Ganeko.” According to this, the tomb was likely built after 1694, when founder Chōhei's bones were washed before placing them in the burial urn. Both ends of the tomb's “eyebrow” (眉 mayu ) are gently curved and similar to other ancient turtleback tombs which have been reconstructed in
86-487: A Naming taboo ). In Ryūkyū's administrative documents and in relation to Satsuma, the Shō family's male members except the king used Japanese-style names, which consisted of kamei (house name), ikai (rank), and nanori (given name). A kamei referred to a land in which the samurai was enfeoffed by the king. Because the Shō family members occupied a large portion of high-ranking positions, they often changed their kamei during
129-467: A correct understanding of the history of Ginowan and that have academic value in terms of scale, remains, excavated artifacts, etc.” The Motobu Udun Tomb is located in Ganeko, on a hill on the south side of Shiinomi Nursery School, across the road from Okinawa Hospital, near the border between Ginowan City and Nishihara Town. The full address is: 2 Chome-9 Ganeko, Ginowan, Okinawa 901–2214, Japan (see here for
172-629: A degree of fame that neither had previously known in Japan. In 1923, he opened a karate dojo in Osaka. Among his students at that time were Tatsuo Yamada and Sannosuke Ueshima . In 1926, he published his first book, Okinawa Kenpo Karate-jutsu Kumite-hen (Kumite Edition of Okinawa Kenpō Karate Art). This is the oldest book on kumite, and the 12 kumite drills presented in this book are still passed down in Motobu-ryū today. Around 1927, Motobu moved to Tokyo to establish
215-784: A displaced member (by the Japanese annexation of Okinawa) of the Ryukyuan aristocracy than by inability. In the fall of 1936, Motobu temporarily closed his Daidōkan dojo in Tokyo and returned to Okinawa. He then attended a roundtable meeting of karate grand masters held in Naha on October 25. He stayed in Okinawa for a while and returned to Osaka the following year. There he began teaching karate to his son Motobu Chōsei. Motobu occasionally traveled to Tokyo to teach karate, but due to deteriorating health he closed his dojo in
258-446: A retainer of Prince Shō Taikyū . He was appointed as the treasurer after Shō Taikyū became the king. After a coup d'état in 1469, Kanemaru set aside King Shō Toku 's family and ascended to the throne. Assuming the family name of Shō, he pretended to be the crown prince of Shō Toku , which resulted in his reign being accepted by the Ming dynasty in 1471. The kingdom reached its peak during
301-412: Is a theory that Shirokuma is Channan because of its resemblance to Pinan. Furthermore, he taught Wanshū and Jitte. Around 1921, Motobu moved to Osaka , Japan. In November 1922, a friend convinced Motobu to enter a " boxing vs judo " match which was taking place. These matches were popular at the time, and often pitted a visiting foreign boxer against a jujutsu or judo man. According to an account of
344-576: Is practiced at Motobu-ryū to this day. He also favored kumite matches based on this kakidi form, called kakidamishi ( kakedameshi in Japanese). kakidamishi is often mistaken for brawling, but it was a rules-based kumite match. Motobu published a series of kumite drills in 1926. These are among the earliest kumite drills. In these drills, Motobu drew on the theory of Naihanchi kata, which he emphasized, as well as on his experience in practicing kakidi and kakidamishi . Below are some of his ideas regarding
387-569: Is similar to the Ginowan Udun Tomb. The height difference from the graveyard entrance (outer yard) to the front of the burial chamber (inner yard) is believed to represent the high social status of the deceased as a member of the royal family, and the high prestige of the Motobu Udun. The interior of the burial chamber has an arched ceiling, with an elevated ledge on each side, and a total of ten carved and decorated pottery burial urns for storing
430-680: The Meiji government recognized the Ryūkyū Kingdom as a han and renamed it Ryūkyū Domain ( 琉球藩 , Ryūkyū-han ) , Shō Tai was appointed as Domain King ( 藩王 , han'ō ) . In 1879, the Meiji government abolished the Ryūkyū Domain, and the last king Shō Tai abdicated. After the establishment of Japanese peerage, the last kind Shō Tai was given the rank of marquess. Shō Tai's three close relatives were given
473-463: The Daidōkan dojo and also became the first Shihan of the karate club at Toyo University . Regular students at the dojo at that time included Higaonna Kamesuke and Marukawa Kenji. In addition, his guest students were Yasuhiro Konishi , Hironori Ōtsuka , and boxer champion "Piston" Horiguchi. Motobu had no small amount of difficulty in teaching karate in terms of language. He moved to mainland Japan after
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#1732863125258516-807: The Ryukyu Kingdom, the third son of father Chōshin and mother Ushi. His father, Prince Motobu Chōshin ( Motobu Aji Chōsin ) was a descendant of Shō Kōshin, aka Prince Motobu Chōhei (1655 - 1687), the sixth son of Shō Shitsu (1629–1668), the King of Ryukyu. The Motobu family was one of the cadet branches of the Ryukyuan royal family called the Motobu Udun ("Motobu Palace") and was one of the most prominent families in Okinawa. He studied karate primarily under Ankō Itosu (1831 - 1915), Sōkon Matsumura (1809 - 1899), Sakuma, and Kōsaku Matsumora (1829 - 1898), but also occasionally under Kunjan Pēchin and Kuniyoshi Shinkichi. He studied under Itosu for seven or eight years. With
559-653: The abolition of the Ryukyu Kingdom, these teachers lost their jobs and became impoverished. The Motobu family was wealthy because they received income from the Japanese government as a member of the former royal family. Therefore, the Motobu family employed them as karate teachers and assisted them. Motobu was taught Naihanchi and Channan (the original form of Pinan ) by Itosu. However, under Itosu's tutelage, Motobu found it difficult to defeat his older brother, Motobu Chōyū, in kumite. Therefore, he secretly continued his training under Sōkon Matsumura and Sakuma from Shuri, and by
602-446: The age of 12, he and his older brother Motobu Chōyū were invited by Ankō Itosu to be taught karate. 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
645-525: The age of 50, so he was forced to teach exclusively in the Okinawan dialect at the dojo. As a result, those who were not pleased with his success spread a rumor that he was illiterate. This rumor has been largely discredited by the existence of samples of Motobu's handwriting, which is in a clear and literate hand. In a Tsunami video production on Motobu-ryū, Motobu Chōsei comments that his father's language difficulties may have been motivated more by protest at being
688-549: The annexation of the kingdom were surprised that mitsudomoe banners were flown everywhere. The adoption of the Hidari Gomon is attested to the last ruler of Okinawa's First Shō Dynasty, King Shō Toku . The King, possibly inspired by Japanese pirates who worshipped the Japanese god of war, Hachiman , adopted Hachiman's symbol and led an invasion of Kikai Island in 1467, later building the Asato Hachimangū shrine and taking
731-490: The bones (厨子甕 zushigame ) have been confirmed. From the inscription engraved on the bone containers made of limestone in the center of the inner ledge, it is surmised that the remains of Prince Motobu Chōhei, the founder of the House of Motobu, and his wife are enshrined here. The private road that remained on the north side of the graveyard entrance is not straight but bends at right angles at about every ten meters, and according to
774-575: The boxer fought very sluggishly. Taking advantage of this, after a few rounds, according to the account, Motobu moved in on the taller, larger boxer and knocked him out with a single hand strike to the head. Motobu was then 52 years old. The King article detailed Motobu's surprising victory, although the illustrations clearly show Funakoshi Gichin as the Okinawan fighter in question. The two were often at odds in their opinions about how karate ought to be taught and used. The popularity generated by this unexpected victory propelled both Motobu and karate to
817-475: The city area until now. The front of the burial chamber is laid out in cut-stone masonry (相方積み aikata-zumi ), a method of stacking stones by carving them so that they mesh with each other while utilizing the natural shape of the stones. Its left and right sleeve stones (袖石 sudi-ishi ) are made of two layers of “cloth piling” (布積み nunozumi ), in which rows of stones are horizontally laid on top of one another, so called because they resemble woven fabric ( nuno ), and
860-441: The course of their career. A nanori , which was given when the person reached adulthood, consisted of two kanji. The first character, called nanori-gashira , was shared by all the male members of a lineage. In other words, the "given name", not the "house name", effectively indicated the person's lineage. The king's order of 1691, mentioned above, also designated Chō (朝) as the Shō family's nanori-gashira . The character Chō (朝)
903-439: The diplomatic letter to Japan. However, the rulers during this period were referred to "kings" ( 王 , ō ) in their Ishizushi [ ja ] ( 石厨子 ) inscriptions in the family mausoleum Tamaudun . The title King of Chūzan was also remained in the diplomatic letter to China, concealing its vassalage to Satsuma. In 1712, Satsuma changed the policy and allowed the ruler to style himself King of Chūzan . In 1872,
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#1732863125258946-533: The divine name of Hachiman-aji in response to his victory. Corroborating this was the discovery of a wooden coffin inscribed with a mitsudomoe and the year 1500 found in the Momojana tombs in Northern Okinawa. Motobu Ch%C5%8Dki 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
989-508: The fall of 1941 and returned to Osaka. In June 1942 he taught karate briefly at the Tottori Agriculture High School (present-day Tottori University Faculty of Agriculture). After moving to mainland Japan, Motobu occasionally returned to Okinawa for short periods of time. In late 1926 and 1927, Motobu returned briefly to Okinawa. On January 7, 1927, Motobu demonstrated wood-board breaking and kumite in front of Kanō Jigorō ,
1032-555: The fight from a 1925 King magazine article, Motobu is said to have entered into a challenge match with a tall, burly foreign boxer called George. Motobu, on the other hand, recalls that the boxer was John "somebody." According to research by Charles. G. Goodin, director of the Hawaii Karate Museum , the boxer was likely to be the Estonian Jaan Kentel . Early rounds involved evasion by the smaller man. Motobu recalls
1075-643: The founder of judo, who was visiting Okinawa. He was introduced as "Okinawa's Number One" in kumite and was greatly admired by Kanō. In late 1936, Motobu returned briefly to Okinawa again and attended a roundtable discussion of karate masters in Naha on October 25. In November, he also attended a roundtable discussion organized by young Okinawan karate practitioners. Motobu was invited as the most practical karate master. In late 1942, Motobu returned to Okinawa, hoping to die in his hometown. He died in April 1944. Motobu Chōki's third son, Chōsei Motobu (1925- ), still teaches
1118-578: The kata: Motobu trained many students who went on to become noteworthy practitioners of karate in their own right, including: The family tomb is the Motobu Udun Tomb in Ganeko, Ginowan. On February 25, 2021, the Motobu Udun Tomb was designated a cultural property historical site by Ginowan City in recognition of its high value as a material that unravels the relationship between Ginowan District and royal descendants at that time. It has since become
1161-557: The king's younger brother is referred to as Nakijin Chōfu, not Shō Hitsu. The second Shō family adopted as its mon or family crest the mitsudomoe, which is otherwise closely associated with the Shinto deity Hachiman and Hachiman shrines in Japan. It was called hidari gomon ( 左御紋 ) in Okinawa. Since it was the royal family's crest, its usage was once severely restricted in Okinawa. Because of this, Okinawans who visited Japan shortly after
1204-526: The late 19th and early 20th century. Second Sh%C5%8D dynasty The Second Shō dynasty ( 第二尚氏王朝 , daini Shō-shi ōchō ) was the last dynasty of the Ryukyu Kingdom from 1469 to 1879, ruled by the Second Shō family ( 第二尚氏 , daini Shō-shi ) under the title of King of Chūzan . This family took the family name from the earlier rulers of the kingdom, the first Shō family , even though
1247-514: The location on Google Maps ). Ginowan City advises visitors to not use the passage from Prefectural Route 34 and the area around the grave, since these are private properties. Instead, to enter the Motobu Udun Tomb, walk along the street at Shiinomi Nursery School and follow the two blue and white road signs that say “Motobu-udun Tomb.” Among the family members best known today are Motobu Chōyū and his younger brother Motobu Chōki . Both are well known for their activities in Okinawan martial arts of
1290-438: The new royal family has no blood relation to the previous one. Until the abolition of Japanese peerage in 1947, the head of the family was given the rank of marquess while several cadet branches held the title of baron. The second Shō family claims Izena Island to be its ancestral home. Born on the small island lying off the northwestern coast of Okinawa Island , its founder Kanemaru traveled to Shuri in 1441, and became
1333-566: 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. Motobu Chōki was born in 1870 in Shuri Akahira, the capital of
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1376-477: The rank of baron. The son of the last regent Ie Chōchoku , who was from a cadet branch of the Shō family, was also given the rank of baron. The Chinese-style surname ( sei ) was used for diplomatic relations with China. The second Shō family took the surname Shō from the first Shō family only to disguise the coup d'état as a normal succession. Domestically, direct references to the king's personal name were avoided because they were considered rude. The royal surname
1419-510: The reign of the third king Shō Shin . With the approval of the Tokugawa shogunate , the Satsuma Domain conquered Ryūkyū in 1609. The Tokugawa shogunate decided to keep the small polity as a separate entity, with intent to make it work as a broker in the shogunate's failed attempt to establish diplomatic relations with China. After several twists and turns, Ryūkyū's position within the shogunate
1462-535: The relationship between the royal family and the Ginowan District of the time, the construction of ancient turtleback tombs, and their transformations. On February 25, 2021, the Motobu Udun Tomb was designated as a Cultural Property of Ginowan City in the category of historical sites. It is a recognition of its high value as a material that unravels the relationship between Ginowan District and royal descendants at that time. The designation criteria are described in
1505-509: The second Shō family to the Minamoto clan through Shunten. Under the modern Japanese naming regulation, a person has only two name components, a family name and a given name. Only the last king Shō Tai and his children chose the Chinese-style surname Shō (and accordingly, Chinese-style given names for males). The other members of the family chose the combinations of kamei and nanori . Hence,
1548-536: The style that his father passed on to him. As a point of reference, it is important to distinguish between the " Motobu-ryū " which Chōsei teaches, and "Motobu Udundi", the unique style of the Motobu family, which bears a resemblance to aikijutsu . Now Chōsei Motobu is the second Sōke of Motobu-ryū and the 14th Sōke of Motobu Udundi. Motobu's karate is characterized by its emphasis on kumite as well as kata. He learned kakidi ( kakede in Japanese), an ancient form of kumite from Sakuma and Kōsaku Matsumora, and it
1591-602: The time he was over 20 years old, he was confident that he could defeat his brother in kumite. From the age of 19 or 20, Motobu, along with his older brother Chōyū and his friend Kentsū Yabu , began studying under Kōsaku Matsumora. He was taught by Matsumora, especially irikumi , an ancient form of kumite, and Matsumora praised him as being very talented in the martial arts. Yabu was a good friend of Motobu's and they practiced karate together throughout their lives. Motobu famously emphasized Naihanchi kata, but also taught Seisan , Passai , and Shirokuma (White Bear). There
1634-422: The tradition handed down in the family, the grave site was about 6,600 m, so the cemetery area was quite large at the time of construction, and the above-mentioned private road was originally located within the cemetery area. Therefore, it is thought that the approach to the tomb had the function of repelling evil spirits (ヤナムンゲーシ yanamungēshi ). The Motobu Udun Tomb is considered extremely valuable for research on
1677-430: The turtleback of the upper part of the tomb is also entirely covered with stones. In addition, curb stones are arranged so as to surround the entire tomb, and the top part is further paved with stones. The graveyard is divided into an inner (first) yard and an outer (second) yard. The inner (first) yard is the open area in front of the entrance to the burial chamber and is elevated from the outer yard by about of 1 m, which
1720-456: The “Guidelines for Criteria for the Designation and Accreditation of Cultural Properties of Ginowan City” (Ginowan City Board of Education, Directive No. 6). It defines “Criteria for the designation as a city-designated historic site, place of scenic beauty, or natural monument,” and includes “Tombs and stone monuments bearing an inscription” among the “”Historic Sites” which are “indispensable for
1763-521: Was chosen to indicate an affinity to Minamoto no Tametomo (源為 朝 ), who by that time had been considered to be the father of Shunten , the legendary king of Chūzan. While the Chūzan Seikan (1650) only presented a wishful speculation that Shō En's father might have descended from a former king, Sai On's edition of the Chūzan Seifu (1725) explicitly referred to Gihon as a possible ancestor, connecting
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1806-468: Was finalized in 1634. Ryūkyū, with its kokudaka assessed as 123,700 koku , was recognized as part of the Satsuma Domain, though it was excluded from the omotedaka ( 表高 , lit. "face value of kokudaka ") . In 1635, Satsuma Domain ordered Ryūkyū's rulers to use the title of kokushi ( 国司 , lit. "provincial governor") instead of "king". After that, the Ryukyuan ruler signed "Ryūkyū kokushi " in
1849-445: Was managed in a rather Japanese-like manner. With some exceptions, only the immediate family members of the king were allowed to take the surname Shō (尚). Cadet branches used different surnames. In 1691, the king ordered all the cadet branches to assume the surname Shō (向), no matter how distant they were from the king. This new surname was pronounced the same as the king's one but had a different kanji with fewer strokes (an example of
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