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Motobu Chōsei: Headmaster of Motobu Kenpō and Motobu Udundī
A biographical article about my father, Motobu Chōsei, was recently featured on the website of Monthly Hiden, Japan’s leading martial arts magazine, in the section titled Masters and Legendary Teachers.
Although the article is written in Japanese, it provides a concise overview of his life and accomplishments, so I would like to introduce it here in English.
Motobu Chōsei was born on July 24, 1925 (Taishō 14), in Osaka Prefecture, as the third son of Motobu Chōki, who was known as a “master of practical karate.” Around the age of twelve, in 1938 (Shōwa 13), he began learning karate under his father. This training continued until 1942 (Shōwa 17), when his father returned to Okinawa. During that period, while his father was away in Tokyo, he practiced with his second eldest brother, Chōso, and also learned kata from karate practitioners living nearby in Osaka. After the Second World War, he also received instruction from his cousin Motobu Chōmei, the head of the Motobu Udun household and the eldest son of his father’s elder brother, Motobu Chōyū.
After losing his eldest brother Chōkō, his second brother Chōso, and his father…
