GOJU-RYU KARATE KENSHIKAI


HISTORICAL PILLS


HOKAMA TETSUHIRO (1944) is among the most sought-after traditionalist masters worldwide, thanks to his extensive knowledge of multiple lines (ryu-ha) of karate and Okinawan kobudo .

Born to Okinawan parents, he began practicing karate in 1952 under his grandfather, Seiken Tokuyama, learning the Shuri-te and family koudo that he will preserve throughout his life. At sixteen, at the Naha Commercial High School Karate Club, he began studying Goju-ryu under Chiyokutani Irashi. At the same time he met the legendary Seiko Higa Sensei and began frequenting his dojo.

It was at the Higa dojo that he was also fortunate enough to meet the famous Shinpō Matayoshi Sensei and begin studying his kobudo under him, as well as Kingai-ryu (see) and the Hakutsuru-ken.

In 1966, with the passing of Higa Sensei, he continued the study of Goju-ryu under Seiko Fukuchi, who was one of Higa's "top students" and his assistant instructor, and continued the study of Matayoshi kobudo.

During the same period he also trained under Yoshitomi Kojo in his Kojo-ryu (see).

Over the years Hokama Sensei delved into the research/study of various forms of Okinawan and Chinese ryu-ha, for example it is well known that he often went to Hohan Soken Sensei to learn about the techniques and strategies of Matsumura Seito Shorin-ryu, this allowed him to achieve a vast technical culture regarding Okinawan karate and its roots.

In 1974 he became director of the Okinawan High School Karate-do Association, bringing together various karate dojos, so three years later Shihan was promoted. Over the following years he held the role of technical advisor of the All Japan Karate.do Kenkyukai, and secretary of the All Okinawa Karate-do Association.

In 1979 he opened a dojo in Yonashiro-cho, while in January 1987 he inaugurated his current dojo in Nishihara-cho, which is also home to his Okinawa Prefecture Karate-do wa Kobudo Museum, the first Okinawan karate and kobudo museum in the world. There he founded the Okinawa Gojuryu Karate-do Kobudo Kenshikai Association and the International Karate-do Kobudo Kenshikai Organization (IKO), of which he held the role of president.

Hokama Sensei is a very refined professional calligrapher, and he is also a shiatsu instructor, he is 10th Dan Hanshi in karate and kobudo, and has written many books and produced several DVDs over the years. He is expert in the study of the famous Bubishi manual. Thanks to his commitment to the dissemination of karate, as a discipline with high educational value, he received an honorary degree in physical education from IOND University in the USA in 2002, and in 2004 from the University of Mindanao in the Philippines.

In his career he has received various awards, recognitions and honorary degrees, including:

  • 1971 appointed Member of the Prefectural High School Physical Education Association
  • 1991 honorary appointment as Kobudo Researcher by the Government of Okinawa
  • 1999 nomination for Intangible Cultural Treasure of Okinawa Prefecture
  • from 1993 to 2004 he received a series of awards from: US Congress, Canada Karate Federation, World Kobudo Federation, Okinawa Culture Association, Nishihara Culture Association, Chuo University of Japan, Finland Army
  • 2005 honorary appointment as 10th Dan Hanshi by the All Okinawa Karate Kobudo Federation of the Philippines.

Thanks to his humble and cheerful character, his personal vision on the practice and teaching of karate, and obviously his great technical experience regarding old style karate, Hokama Sensei is hosted in various foreign countries to hold technical seminars, and the his dojo is a mecca for hundreds of practitioners from all over the world, in fact his IKO organization has national branches all over the world: Italy, Germany, Australia, USA, South Africa, Philippines, Japan, etc.

On June 24, 2016 he received the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award from the Okinawa Prefectural Assembly.



Hokama Sensei at the IKO honbu
Hokama Sensei at the IKO honbu
Hokama Sensei with Matayoshi Sensei (dx)

OVERVIEW

Hokama Sensei's Goju-ryu fully reflects the "hard-soft" concept that generally characterizes this style of karate, with a special emphasis on zoomorphic techniques and in particular on the White Crane.
He teaches all the classical kata of Goju-ryu.
Hokama Sensei's karate is imbued with all his vast experience in other lines as well. Hokama Sensei is a specialist in bunkai and real applications in combat, thanks to which his Goju-ryu is free of mechanical repetitions and futile superstructures, but lends itself fully to a study of real self defense.
Hokama Sensei has been a scholar of the famous Bubishi manual for many years, of which he keeps an original copy in his museum; he has translated it from Chinese to Japanese and has researched and studied all the instructions, both those concerning history and Chinese medicine, and those relating to fighting. His instructions, in training, are particularly linked to the instructions contained in the Bubishi, which is why his teachings are extremely interesting and useful for fighting purposes.
In relation to kobudo he teaches the family method as well as the repertoire connected with the Matayoshi line, which he studied for many years under Shinpo Matayoshi Sensei himself.

Prof Bonanno met Hokama Sensei for the first time in 2014 and has been studying Goju-ryu under him since then.

Hokama Sensei testing prof. Bonanno