Kodokai Dojo

        Motobu Udundi History

To appreciate the history of Motobu Udundi you must first understand a bit about the historical circumstances that influenced its development.

First, a few words about the history of Okinawa.
Okinawa is a small island located several hundred miles south of the main Japanese islands and several hundred miles east of China. Located in the South China Sea and Pacific Ocean, it is relatively isolated. For centuries Okinawa was dotted with castles and the Shunten Dynasty began in 1187. Many skirmishes were fought for control over sections of the island. By 1314 the island was subdivided into three kingdoms; northern, central and southern kingdoms. This was a period of conflict.

In the year 1429, the three kingdoms were united. This was the beginning of the first Sho Dynasty of the "Kingdom of Ryukyu". This dynasty lasted for 64 years and was followed by a second Sho Dynasty which lasted 410 years.  The kingdom paid tribute to China but was an independent nation.

Meanwhile, after centuries of war on the main islands of Japan, the Tokugawa Shogunate had unified the Japanese nation. But he had concerns over the powerful Satsuma clan in southern Japan (of Last Samurai fame). To appease the Satsuma, he allowed them to take the Ryukyu Kingdom. In 1609, a flotilla of Satusuma samurai invaded the kingdom which quickly fell under their control. The Satsuma dominated Okinawa for over 200 years. They allowed the Kingdom to remain intact to avoid conflict with China, but exercised tremendous influence over the island (including the royal martial arts).

In 1879 Japan officially annexed Okinawa. The king was taken in exile for several years. This was followed with decades of Japanization. The Okinawan people were punished for speaking their own language, various cultural practices were banned, all to encourage the islanders to think of themselves as "Japanese". In the early 1900's, karate, which was previously an elitist practice, began to be taught openly. It was exported to the main islands of Japan in the 1920's. Throughout this period, the existence of the art of Motobu Udundi remained secret. 

As Japan prepared for World War II, the island was turned into a fortress. The American landing on Okinawa was prelude to the last battle of WWII. Almost one third of the island population perished. Historical buildings, temples and gardens were destroyed. The island remained under U.S. control until 1972. I (Branchaud) first arrived on Okinawa in 1978. This is when I began my study of karate under Shimabuku Eizo and later, Odo Seikichi.

Now, about Motobu Udundi.

Martial arts from China were brought to Okinawa as early as the 1500's. The royal family was required to send an envoy to China consisting of many ships loaded with gifts. In exchange for the tribute offering, China offered protection (which never appeared when the Satsuma invaded) as well as education in Buddhism, Confucianism, martial arts and other advances in Chinese culture. It is believed that the martial art now known as Motobu Udundi began to be formulated in the late 1500's. The son of the 27th king of Ryukyu, Sho Koshin (also called Motobu Chohei) is credited with formally organizing the art in the 1600's. Its existence was kept secret. It was taught only to the first-born son of the royal families.

The Motobu family was a family of noble status. They lived near Shuri castle (photo at the top corner of this page) in what was known as an "Udun", a compound of land and buildings housing royalty.

Seikichi Uehara taught until his death in 2004 at the age of 100. He taught our teacher, Taira Ryoshu, and the other teachers that we visit for training on Okinawa.

Seikichi Uehara was very protective of Motobu Udundi. Only in the 1970's did he readily accept students and in the 1990's he allowed a few foreigners to practice with his group. Taira sensei, Takamiyagi sensei and many others have shared generously with us. Taira sensei trained under Seikichi Uehara for thirty years and received menkyo kaiden (certificate of complete transmission). Takamiyagi sensei has gone to great lengths to provide us with a variety of training experiences. He brings us to train in private schools of Motobu Udundi that are off the beaten path. Though he is open to teaching us, there are several teachers who won't teach Americans- this style is still closely guarded. We, in fact, are often instructed to hide or modify techniques when people are watching and to not demonstrate certain things to those who are not our students.

Taira sensei and Takamiyagi sensei asked us to teach in America. Kodokai is the only school in the country entirely devoted to this unique martial art.