Martial Artists of Ryukyu: A Legacy by Motobu Choki (Ryukyu Bugei)

The text translated here originally appeared in the book Watakushi no Karatejutsu (My Art and Skill of Karate) by Motobu Choki, 1932. Choki was born into the Motobu Udun – descendants of a royal prince – and raised as a traditional Bushi. After a long warrior pilgrimage, in which he put practical martial arts to the test whenever and with whomever possible, Choki became both the most celebrated and the most notorious Okinawan fighter ever. Here Choki, in vivid details, reports what he has had been bequeathed by the elders about the martial artists and their special skills of the royal capital of Shuri and elsewhere. What was martial arts back in Okinawa? The answer might be right in front of you.