OUR HISTORY
The Origins of Beikoku Shidokan Karatedo Association
Okinawa is the birthplace of karatedo, a cultural treasure and oral tradition that has spread throughout the world and is practiced by millions. The Beikoku Shidokan story is only one of the many threads within the diverse and rich living tapestry of traditions encompassed by Okinawan karatedo. The following history chronicles some of the teachers and events that played key roles in the development of the Shidokan branch of Okinawan Shorin-ryu.
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Timeline
1429
Three states of Okinawa unify into the Ryukyu Kingdom under King Sho Hashi of Chuzan. Three styles develop which, much later in the 1900s, became known as Shuri-te (from Shuri, the capitol), Naha-te (from Naha City), and Tomari-te (from Tomari Village).The 14th to 16th centuries are often referred to as the "Golden Age of Trade" with much commerce between Okinawa and China. Okinawan te practitioners learned and incorporated techniques from Chinese, and other South East Asian fighting arts.
Sources
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"Okinawa Karate Kobudo Graph," Okinawa Prefecture Board of Education, 1995
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Article by Morinobu Maeshiro commemorating Katsuya Miyahira's receipt of the 1989 Award for Distinguished Services from the Japan Martial Arts Council. Published in 1990 Masters Demonstration Program, "3rd Karate-do Bugeisai"
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Okinawa Karatedo History article by Seikichi Iha, published in the "20th Anniversary Beikoku Shidokan Shorin-ryu Celebration Program," 1996
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"Okinawan Karate," by Mark Bishop, Tuttle Publishing, 1999
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Katsuya Miyahira article, 1972
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Interviews and research by Ernest Estrada, 1985-1992
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"Karate-do History and Philosophy" by Takao Nakaya, 1986
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40th Anniversary Shido-kan Dojo, Okinawa Shorin-ryu Demonstration Program, 1992
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"All Okinawa Karate Federation," website: http://206.191.29.157/zokr/timeline.htm (link no longer exists), To-de Communications, 1997
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"The Techniques of Okinawa, Shorin-ryu Karate," by Latino H. Gonzales, 1965
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"Kuden no Waza ni Semare," Gekkan Karatedo, June 2000, Tokyo: Fukushodo, pp. 3-7, 20-37
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"The First Appearance of Karate in Okinawa's School System," Michihara S. and Yen Y., originally presented at the International Seminar of Physical Education and Sports History, 26-30 September, 1978 in Tokyo
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"Tales of Okinawa's Great Masters," by Shoshin Nagamine, Tuttle Publishing, 2000
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Interviews with Seikichi Iha by Mark McCloud and Marian Reiter, October 2000 to May 2001
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"Koden Ryukyu Karatejutsu," by Iwai T., 1992, Tokyo: Airyudo. *Published on Iha Dojo Web site: ihadojo.com