![]() All challengers of karate were defeated by Konishi Sensei and Ohtsuka Sensei as Funakoshi's senior students.Īfter a challenge had been met, Funakoshi Sensei would explain karate-jutsu, and highlight the mental and spiritual benefits of the style. If the challenger defeats the Master, he can take the dojo sign as a trophy - a very embarrassing situation for the defeated dojo and one never experienced by Ryobu-Kan. If the challenger defeats the senior student, then he can challenge the Master. A challenge is first issued to the senior student. However, under Japanese budo, one does not initially challenge the Master of a particular school or style. Groups that practiced a pure form of jujitsu did not think highly of karate, and challenged Funakoshi Sensei. As yet, no names were applied to the emerging styles. Karate-jutsu was born when Funakoshi Sensei added karate to this mix. Konishi Sensei continued to instruct a curriculum consisting of kendo, jujitsu, and western boxing at the Ryobu-Kan. Konishi Sensei, Funakoshi Sensei, and Ohtsuka Sensei were the principal instructors. With Konishi Sensei's help, Funakoshi established a To-te practice club at Keio University (the first university karate club in Japan). He remembered the kata demonstrated during his university days by Arakaki and he agreed to Funakoshi Sensei's request. Konishi Sensei, however, was a visionary in the sense that he saw value in cross-training. Such a request would be considered a "challenge" to the dojo. During this era, it was unheard of for one martial arts school to allow a martial arts teacher from another system to teach in their dojo. ![]() Funakoshi asked if it would be possible to use the training hall to practice Ryukyu Kempo To-te jutsu. They approached Konishi Sensei with a letter of introduction from Professor Kasuya of Keio University. In September 1924, Hironishi Ohtsuka, the founder of the Wado-Ryu style of karate, and Gichin Funakoshi, the founder of Shotokan karate, came to the kendo training hall at Keio University. With encouragement from his wife, he quit his job and opened his own martial arts center in 1923 and called it the Ryobu-Kan ("The House of Martial Arts Excellence"). Though Arakaki was in no way a master of "Te", Konishi Sensei found the system to be very intriguing.Īfter graduating from the University, he became a salary man however, he was not completely satisfied with his occupation. Konishi Sensei found the techniques of "Te" (as referred to by Arakaki) very similar to those of Takeuchi Ryu jujitsu. Konishi Sensei's first exposure to "Te" (which later developed into karate) was through a fellow classmate at Keio University, Tsuneshige Arakaki of Okinawa. He was Keio University's kendo team captain and continued coaching the university's kendo club after his graduation. While the average tenure at a university is four years, Konishi Sensei remained at Keio University for eight years because of his love for kendo and jujitsu. In 1915, he commenced studies at Keio University in Tokyo. At age 13, Konishi Sensei began studying kendo as well. This particular jujitsu style is known for its strong kicks and punches, very similar to karate. When he entered the equivalent of a western high school, he began training in Takenouchi Ryu jujitsu. Konishi Sensei began his martial arts training at age 6 in Muso Ryu Jujitsu. He feels a strong personal commitment to maintaining a close organization and offering his logical, practical system of karate to anyone who is interested in what it has to offer.Yasuhiro Konishi was born in 1893 in Takamatsu, Kagawa, Japan. Today Kancho Ninomiya is the Grandmaster of Enshin Karate and its growing network of schools throughout the United States and the world. Because he felt that his training for the All-Japan helped him grow stronger both physically and mentally, Ninomiya wants to offer this opportunity to martial artists of all ages. In an effort to bring authentic fighting karate to the United States, Ninomiya established the Sabaki Challenge, which has become this country’s premier karate-tournament. In 1988, Ninomiya started his own style, Enshin Karate. and rededicated himself to his art, developing and teaching the strategy and technique he believed in. As one of Japan’s most popular champions, he realized that his life in karate was leading him beyond the mat of tournament competition. From the days in his youth when he first began training, Ninomiya wanted to bring the spirit and technique of real karate to this country.Īfter devoting himself for many years to reaching the top in competitive karate, Ninomiya won the All-Japan Tournament in 1978. Long before Kancho Ninomiya arrived in the United States in 1974, he had a dream.
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