Taira Shinken was the best known student of Yabiku Moden. Yabiku was also a karate student of Itosu Anko, and may have learned some rudimentary kobujutsu from him. Taira Shinken was born in 1898 on the small island of Kukijima. Taira first learned karate from Funakoshi Gichin, before the latter left Okinawa for mainland Japan.
He then entered Yabiku's dojo and devoted himself to learning all the weapons arts he could. Besides Yabiku, Taira trained with whoever would teach him. This led to an amassing of kata knowledge unequaled at the time. Taira also devised several forms of his own.
He was a great innovator and devised many new ways to practice the art. Practical-minded, Taira experimented with full contact gear, much as the early karate-ka in Tokyo had with karate sparring. Taira also tried several weapons improvisations, with the aim of making safer models specifically for sparring practice.
Later, Taira moved to Japan proper himself. There he helped a number of Okinawan karate men to get established while working with them in kobujutsu. His original intention on moving to mainland Japan was much the same as that of many Okinawans during those days—to find a better life.
In 1922, he moved to Tokyo where he was spurred towards self-improvement and became a student of Funakoshi Gichin. Through Funakoshi, Taira met Mabuni Kenwa, and from the founder of Shito-Ryu, he continued his study of karate and kobudo.
Courtesy of RKAGB
Copyright Shuriway
All rights reserved.
Use of this website is governed by the Terms of Use.