Kanga Sakugawa (1733-1815)

 

Known as "Karate Sakugawa" or "Toshu Sakugawa", he studied Hsing-I Quan and Kobudo under master Takahara Peichin and his teacher Hama Higa who was in turn taught by the Chinese master Wang Ji (Wansu as in the kata). Later he studied Taiji Quan under Wang Zong Yue and brought the poem Kung Hsien Kue to Okinawa and this is where the kata Kushanku gets its name.

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Sokon Matsumura (1798-1890)

 

Known as "Bushi Matsumura" he began his studies of Toshu Jutsu under Sakugawa and his friend Chatan Yara learning the forms Wansu and Kushanku. He then studied under several Chinese masters, including Anan (who taught him Chinto), Ason (who taught him Naihanchi) and Iwah who taught him the White Lion Boxing forms Seishan and Bassai Dai. Matsumura called his art Shuri Te and many of his students referred to it as Shorin Ryu.

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Seisho Aragaki (1840-1918) & Yasutsune Itosu (1831-1915)

 

Aragaki was the pioneer of forms like Unsu, Niseishi, Sochin and Wankan and Itosu was the pioneer of the Pinan forms. Aragaki was arguably the founding father of Naha Te, teaching Higaonna Kanryo and Itosu was the pioneer of Shorin Ryu in the Shuri area. He was also the primary teacher of many masters including Funakoshi, Mabuni and Kyan. Itosu was a pioneer of teaching Karate to a set syllabus, suitable for bigger classes

 

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Funakoshi Sensei took the art of Toshu Jutsu which he termed "Ryukyu Kempo Tode Jutsu" and introduced it to Japan as a new form of Budo called Karatedo. He worked closely with the founder of Judo to make Karate the worldwide pursuit it is today. He was awarded the title of Renshi by the Dai Nippon Butokukai. His students include masters Nakayama (Shotokan), Otsuka (Wado Ryu), Mochizuki (Yoseikan), Egami (Shotokai), Oyama (Kyokushinkai) and Taira (Kobudo).

The first student Funakoshi graded to black belt was Makoto Gima, a student of Itosu and Kentsu Yabu. 

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Kanken Toyama 10th Dan 

Kanken Toyama was a Karate Jutsu master who studied under masters Itosu, Yabu, Higaonna, Azato and Chibana. He was not only determined to unify Karate but he also sought out the old ways we he called Taka and Toshukuken - Taka was the Taiwanese name for Hakuda and Toshukuken is another word for Toshu Jutsu. His top students included Masanao Takazawa (who took Karate to Malaysia) and Hideo Tsuchiya the legendary Karate Jutsu master. Toyama also taught Shinken Gima, the first ever Shotokan black belt. He was born in 1888 and died in 1966. He never named a successor but he left a legacy.

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Our Karate lineage:

Following years of informal training and study of various martial arts Simon Keegan initially studied Karate under Sensei Stephen Bullough who himself had studied many different styles of Karate including:

- Yoseikan/Budokan/Shotokan

- Goju Ryu

- Wado Ryu and Shukokai

- Kickboxing and Muay Thai

Simon then trained with Sensei Robert Carruthers who himself studied many different styles including:

- Bujinkai and Wado Ryu

- Shobukan and Shotokan

Simon's final main Karate instructor was Reiner Parsons who had studied:

- Goju Ryu Karate

- Niseikai (Goju and White Crane)

- Shoto Ryu and Wado Ryu 

Of these styles Shotokan, Goju Ryu, Wado Ryu are well documented but some may require explanation.

Budokan (and subsequently Shobukan as taught by Shihan Phillip Handyside) were developed in Malaysia by Chew Choo Soot a student of Tomari te master Takazawa (a student of Kanken Toyama.)

Shoto Ryu is thought of as "original" Shotokan since its founder was Gichin Funakoshi's first student. But it more closely follows the Karate of kentsu Yabu and Kanken Toyama.

Kanken Toyama is a great inspiration to our school. 

In 1955, Master Toyama tested and ranked Takazawa to Hachidan (8th dan) and gave Takazawa one of the two dojos he had in Tokyo. He instructed Takazawa to name the dojo KEI SHIN KAN (respectful & humble, heart & soul/spirit, place of training). Takazawa was part of the "inner circle" of select people that Master Toyama accepted for personal training. Another of that group was Eizo Onishi (Koei-Kan). Master Takazawa was privileged to assist Grandmaster Toyama in the development of his katas: Jyuroku, Jyuhachi, and Nanajushi.