Does any one have any information on Ryuyu Tomoyose? There is not alot out there. Its as if he has been erased from Uechi history. Being Kanbun's first student, it is surprising so little is written about him. Also, how much if any, did his son Ryuko Tomoyose trained with his father. Any info will be helpful.
Sal.
Tomoyose
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f.Channell
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The most I have seen is in Alan Dollars book.
A must have for a Uechi guy anyway.
F.
A must have for a Uechi guy anyway.
F.
Sans Peur Ne Obliviscaris
www.hinghamkarate.com
www.hinghamkarate.com
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Bill Glasheen
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Sal
Good to hear from you. I hope all is going well.
George would be your best bet for Tomoyose Ryuko's relationship with his father, and how much father-son knowledge transfer happened. The only thing I have heard in that regard are stories that David Finkelstein told me since he too was close to "Tommy." In that regard it seems that his father's last karate interaction with his son was one essentially to take him down a notch. He sparred briefly with his son in street clothes, and spent the whole time getting inside and uprooting him with a double rising hajiki uke.
I suspect that the lack of information on Tomoyose Ryuyu had less to do with poor documentation of his significance as Kanbun's first student, and maybe more to do with him not having an extensive teaching resume. As such, he wouldn't have legions of students recording and expressing his legacy. Given that there was no video at the time, we don't have the film record of how he practiced and interpreted Kanbun's style. The best we have of Kanbun's early efforts is the film of practitioners from the Wakayama dojo long after Kanbun had left. And given how unusual that practice appears to our "modern Uechi Ryu" eyes, it's debatable whether said practice was even representative of what Kanbun would have been teaching at the time.
Keep digging, Sal, and let us know what you find. Understanding Tomoyose Ryuyu and his martial arts would tell us a lot about whether and how Kanbun evolved his art over time. Some would have us believe that there was a high fidelity transfer of specific material by Kanbun from teacher to students. I for one wonder how much Kanbun absorbed, mixed, and evolved the 3 or more styles he learned through his lifetime. Ryuyu's practice would be one snapshot in time which might help us understand some of that evolution.
- Bill
Good to hear from you. I hope all is going well.
George would be your best bet for Tomoyose Ryuko's relationship with his father, and how much father-son knowledge transfer happened. The only thing I have heard in that regard are stories that David Finkelstein told me since he too was close to "Tommy." In that regard it seems that his father's last karate interaction with his son was one essentially to take him down a notch. He sparred briefly with his son in street clothes, and spent the whole time getting inside and uprooting him with a double rising hajiki uke.
I suspect that the lack of information on Tomoyose Ryuyu had less to do with poor documentation of his significance as Kanbun's first student, and maybe more to do with him not having an extensive teaching resume. As such, he wouldn't have legions of students recording and expressing his legacy. Given that there was no video at the time, we don't have the film record of how he practiced and interpreted Kanbun's style. The best we have of Kanbun's early efforts is the film of practitioners from the Wakayama dojo long after Kanbun had left. And given how unusual that practice appears to our "modern Uechi Ryu" eyes, it's debatable whether said practice was even representative of what Kanbun would have been teaching at the time.
Keep digging, Sal, and let us know what you find. Understanding Tomoyose Ryuyu and his martial arts would tell us a lot about whether and how Kanbun evolved his art over time. Some would have us believe that there was a high fidelity transfer of specific material by Kanbun from teacher to students. I for one wonder how much Kanbun absorbed, mixed, and evolved the 3 or more styles he learned through his lifetime. Ryuyu's practice would be one snapshot in time which might help us understand some of that evolution.
- Bill
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maxwell ainley
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Kanbun left Ryuryu in charge of the dojo ,so he must have been no 2 after Kanbun regardless of what we think ,and he was possibly head of the system after Kanbun's death.
Remember Kanei was down below Ryu ryu in seniority etc, also lots of Kanbuns seniors did not enter into his new association ,that we know as uechi-ryu .
The Wakayama film does portray a different flavor of uechi ,but strip away the belt and gi from the modern practioner and lets have a better look at posture etc , you would be mildly surprised how you look in the mirror [is that me]? .
Ryu ryu apparently only studied two kata seisan and sanchin ,his fighting knowledge is more in tune with the fight ,with is all in one motion ,plus the arm rubbing etc, is more fight orientated .
Remember Kanei was down below Ryu ryu in seniority etc, also lots of Kanbuns seniors did not enter into his new association ,that we know as uechi-ryu .
The Wakayama film does portray a different flavor of uechi ,but strip away the belt and gi from the modern practioner and lets have a better look at posture etc , you would be mildly surprised how you look in the mirror [is that me]? .
Ryu ryu apparently only studied two kata seisan and sanchin ,his fighting knowledge is more in tune with the fight ,with is all in one motion ,plus the arm rubbing etc, is more fight orientated .
max ainley
