OKINAWAN KOBUDO

WE teach kobudo as taught to our instructors by Hokama Sensei.

Hokama Tetsuhiro 10th Dan Hanshi, President of the Okinawa Goju-Ryu Kenshi-kai Karate-do Kobudo Association and founder of the first Karate Kobudo museum in the World.

 Hanshi Hokama is one of the most knowledgeable Goju-Ryu Karate and Kobudo masters.  He has a deep understanding of the “Old Ways” of Karate.

Born in Taiwan in 1944 to Okinawan parents.  Hanshi Hokama began Karate as a child in 1952.  His grandfather Seiken Tokuyama taught him the fundamentals of Shuri-te Karate.  In 1961 his formal training began at the Naha Commercial High School Karate Club. That same year he began training with the legendary Seiko Higa (1898 – 1966) a student of Kanryo Higaonna (1853 – 1915) and Chojun Miyagi (1888 – 1953).  It was at Higa’s Dojo where he met Shinpo Matayoshi (1922 – 1997 Kobudo teacher) and began learning Kobudo, and Kingai-Ryu (a martial art that his father, Shinko Matayoshi 1888 – 1947 learned in Manchuria).  Upon the death of Seiko Higa in 1966 Hanshi Hokama continues his training with one of Higa’s top students Seiko Fukuchi (1919 – 1975) who was Seiko Higa’s assistant instructor.  It was both of these great masters that taught Hokama the Kakushite (hidden hand) referring to the secret techniques in Kata.