Books on Kojo-ryu – Part 1

For the next few posts I have translated a series of posts from the Okinawa Den Kojo-ryu Karate-do Rinsankai blog site run by Kachinparts. He has some interesting insights which I think readers will enjoy.

The current information on Kojo-ryu is based on the three books mentioned below, and Fujiwara Ryozo’s two interviews with the Kojo family. As I wrote last time, Mark Bishop, from overseas, and Ryozo Fujiwara in Japan, were only people who came to formally interview the Kojo family at the time (Kojo Yoshitomi). Other than that, no one else came to interview the family.

The History of Martial Arts
March 1, 1990.
Baseball Magazine, Inc.
Author, Ryozo Fujiwara

Conversations on the History of Modern Karate
October 20, 1986.
Baseball Magazine, Inc.
Editors, Shinkin Gima / Ryozo Fujiwara

Japanese Martial Arts Kuken Shosei-do Karate
October 20, 1983.
Publisher Katsuhisa Kato, Kodansha Ltd.
Author: Shinkin Gima / Ryozo Fujiwara / Toshikan Sumi / Eiichi Eriguchi

Not everything in the books are correct and there are quite a few mistakes. In ‘Japanese Martial Arts Kuken Shosei-do Karate’, there are a number of unknown kata listed in the Kojo family tradition: Nepai, Haufa, Undou, Nunfa, Paichu, Paishin, Pachin, Shipaa, Tanchin, Niju-ken, Soden-ken, Gogiho, Fusha-ken, Shiten-ken, Sui-ken, and Shimon ken (ネーパイ、ハウハァ、ウンドウ、ヌンファ、パイチュ、パイシン、パーチン、シーパア、タンチン、二十拳、祖伝拳、五技法、風車拳、四点拳、酔拳、四門拳).

These kata were neither handed down nor do they exist. The Naha-te lineage lists Cai Chang-wei’s (Seisho) disciple as Nakaima Kenri (Ryuei-ryu), yet there is no connection or interaction with the Ryuei-ryu and Kojo-ryu.

It says absurd things the ‘Liu family fist’ of Nakaima Kenri and the ‘Cai family fist’ of Kojo Isei. If someone were serious about his Karate practice, he wouldn’t write such nonsense.

Next time I’d like to write about Ryozo Fujiwara’s past visits.

Source: https://ameblo.jp/kachinaparts/entry-12603699673.html