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4/1/2008

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31 Comments

puffyjacket45

4/3/2008

FIRRRST

2 Wheeled Bagua Express

4/4/2008

Good luck, guys, and enjoy yourselves.

2 Wheeled Bagua Express

4/4/2008

BTW..... bet can't guess who this is (joking).

danny

4/5/2008

danny

4/5/2008

i will be talking to you when i get back from porta plata have a fun time and train hard

Karen link

4/5/2008

Have a safe flight and look forward to reading about your exploits. You can call me ANYTIME if any problems arise (don't worry if I sound cranky)

Suzie

4/6/2008

seems very interesting. will be checking up on the updates. learn learn learn & have fun.

McGregor

4/6/2008

Sorry I did not make it out Saturday night...Saturday was out of control with work....lets hear more about those new sweats you bought. Look forward to seeing some photos soon.

Cindy

4/6/2008

Hey,

Hope you were able to use that amazing ability of yours to fall asleep prior to take-off (I know the kids have been interfering the last few flights)... everything here is great... have fun!!!

R&T

4/7/2008

Good luck and have fun.

Marco

4/7/2008

Hey Josh,

During your off times, maybe you could ask some questions about the Chinese teacher that our lineage started with. His name was Zhou Zhi He (1874-1926)

Only if you have time.

Here’s a bit of the history blurb.

A younger image of
Kanbun Uechi

Uechi-ryu karate is one of the most recent imports to the Ryukyus in terms of fighting arts and was founded by Uechi Kanbun (1877-1948). Kanbun grew-up on the Motobu peninsula of Okinawa under the watchful eye of his father. Although his family was 'shizoku' (noble family), they worked as farmers. During Uechi Kanbun's teenage years, it was a fashion of that era to perform "karate and bo dances" accompanied to the music of the shamisen (Kinjo, 1999). More than likely Uechi Kanbun was familiar with these dances and they may have served as a means to inspire his martial studies (Kinjo, 1999).

Kanbun gained some formal training in karate and bo techniques from a man named Touichi 'Tanmei' (lit. 'old man'; a term of respect). But his resolve to study the fighting arts in China was inspired by stories of Chinese masters told to him by a martial artist named Toyama. So, in March 1897, at the age of nineteen, Uechi Kanbun left Okinawa for Southern China.

Kanbun Uechi left Okinawa by sea to travel to the city of Fuzhou (right, Ca. 1870s) in Fujian Province in China. This coastal trade city is located on the mainland of South China.

Off shore lies the island that is known today as Taiwan. Traveling the East China Sea can be tricky. It is racked by storms and high seas. Typical craft plying the trade routes to China from Naha, Okinawa were small sailing craft as pictured here. Kanbun could have traveled on such a craft.

Kanbun arrived in Fuzhou City, Fujian province, Southern China and like many Okinawans before him (Higashionna, Kinjo, Nakaima, etc.) Kanbun reportedly settled in at the Ryukyukan (Kinjo, 1999), a Okinawan enclave of buildings including a boarding house, homes and businesses established for those who visited and lived in the area including migrant workers who came to Fujian seeking employment. Uechi Kanbun started working at a variety of different jobs and began practicing at the Kojo dojo, run by the Kojo family located next to the Ryukyukan (Kinjo, 1999).

Unfortunately, it has never been ascertained exactly what form of boxing was taught at the Kojo dojo during that era. Kanbun trained as hard as he could until one eventful day when the head instructor of the Kojo dojo reportedly called him "Uechi no wada buta gwa" ('little fool'). Slighted by the insult, Kanbun decided to leave the Kojo dojo and the Ryukyukan to find his studies elsewhere.

Uechi's martial studies can be documented with some degree of accuracy up to the time he left the Kojo dojo. After he left, however, it becomes somewhat difficult to determine which direction his martial studies took. Oral tradition states that Uechi eventually became the student of Zhou Zhi He to further his studies of Chinese boxing, but it is not known how it came about. Reportedly, after Kanbun left the Kojo dojo he entered the Fujian / Fuzhou central Buddhist temple. And it was there that Uechi was introduced to Zhou who was reportedly the 36th generation head of the temple (Kinjo, 1999). However, according to research conducted by the Uechi-ryu Karate-do Kyoukai several years ago, there was no such temple (Kinjo, 1999). Where then did Uechi meet Zhou? Unfortunately, no definitive conclusions can be made and this is still the source of much speculation.

Kanbun Uechi’s Chinese teacher Shu Shi Wa also known as Zhou Zhi He.

Uechi's teacher, Zhou Zhi He (1874-1926) (more commonly referred to in Japanese as Shu Shi Wa), was a bit of an enigmatic figure and there is little factual evidence about him. It is known that Zhou originated from Minhou, Fujian and was a civil boxing teacher (McCarthy, 1999). He reportedly studied martial arts under Li Zhao Bei and Ke Xi Di and was proficient in a variety of quan'fa. Still other sources state that Zhou learned from Chou Pei and Ko Hsi Ti (Cook, 1999).

Zhou reportedly practiced Crane and Tiger boxing, in addition to hard and soft qi gong (also spelled chi kung -- the study and practice of internal energy) and was noted for his iron palm technique. Besides Uechi Kanbun, his students included Jin Shi Tian, Wang Di Di and Zhou Zheng Qun (McCarthy, 1999). It has also been speculated that Wu Hien Kui (Jap. Gokenki) was also a student of Zhou. In contrast to this Zhou has also been described as a Taoist priest and a master of Chinese boxing, who taught among other styles his family system of quan'fa (Breyette, 1999).

Be that as it may, Kanbun reportedly studied every day for ten years, but it is unclear exactly what style he was taught. We do know that Uechi brought bac

John

4/7/2008

It's 2:30 Monday afternoon so you are probably somwhere over the Pacific.

Have a cool trip. Do some networking to make some contacts so we can open a branch office.

jill

4/7/2008

Hey Joshy,
Let us know how the first day went and what you ate.

alice

4/7/2008

Let us know how you're getting along
Mom

Isaac

4/7/2008

Hi,

I want to know things about your trip. What are you doing there? Talk to you soon. Love you!

bad part of day - when I missed work

good part of the day - when I missed work and stayed home

Isaac

Warren

4/7/2008

Remeber what I said about the chicken and you`ll have a great trip.

jill

4/8/2008

glad you made it, hope the hamstring heals, have fun and keep us posted

Office

4/8/2008

Are you wearing white socks with black sandles? If so you should stop that...

Karen

4/8/2008

I am so excited for you. The photos are terrific. The blog is a great idea. Hope the hamstring settles quickly..where are you eating?

Cindy

4/8/2008

Any other comments about the new espadrilles Josh?

Cindy

ian

4/8/2008

Twenty Firrrst!
hey fellas. I hope the air is clean enough to practice without getting too winded... It's been a nice couple of cloud-less days here at home, and the temperature was somewhere near 10 degrees today. Lots of people running and biking, and I saw quite a few people raking their lawns in t-shirts! Spring looks like it has arrived so hopefully you'll be coming home to a warm reception.

ian

jill

4/8/2008

I want to know what you've been eating?

Barb Gordon

4/9/2008

Hi Guys,

So glad to read that you arrived and seem to be settling nicely into your training...sounds tough but exhilarating and I think that you both must be having a blast. Hopefully your leg is much better Josh and doesn't impede your progress...knowing the determination that follows the both of you, somehow I feel sure that by now you've likely overcome that hurdle. Andrew, have you been able to get some sleep? Hope so.
The pictures are lovely...such a beautiful place. Looks like it is warm there.
Spring is reluctantly dragging its heels into Halifax and today must have been given a gentle push by Mother Nature because it is a beautiful day.
Take care, thinking of you, have some fun.

Mom (Barb)

jilly

4/9/2008

still waiting to hear what you are eating, or maybe you are both so tired you don't know what you're eating.
Jilly

Alex and Stevie

4/10/2008

Hello Gentleman,
Well done. Keep up the hard work and great training. The pics are great and bring back a lot of great memories. Andrew you tell Wang we will see him soon and we certainly are still training. We were out last night and trained well. Best of luck guys. Tell Chris and Yan I will see them soon in Guysborough!
Jia YO!

jilly

4/10/2008

Josh-glad to hear you are making new and special friends! Can't wait to hear all the details.

Chris

4/11/2008

Mmmmmm.... special friends... ah yes indeed... Josh has made a few of those so far.... he had a crowd of nice (ahem) young men around him again at training today... ;)

john

4/11/2008

Why is it you are not sleeping?Can you blog some action videos? Sounds really fun.

jilly

4/12/2008

I'm glad Andrew is sleeping. The food sounds like something I would like.
Looking forward to the next installment.
Jilly

danny

4/13/2008

is it everything you hoped it would be?just got home from the dominicon,that was fun but no training,just relaxing

DANNY

4/14/2008

how was training today?hows your hamstring

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