Masami Chinen

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Masami Chinen
Born知念 正美 (Chinen Masami)[1][2]
1898
Okinawa, Japan
Died1976
Okinawa, Japan
StyleShōrin-ryū, Yamani Ryu or Yamane Ryu
Teacher(s)Sanra Chinen,[1] Chinen- PECHIN (Yamagusuku Andaya), Shichiyanaka Chinen[3]
Notable studentsChokei Kishaba,[3] Shūgorō Nakazato[4]

Masami Chinen (知念 正美, Chinen Masami, 1898-1976)[1][2] was an Okinawan martial arts master who formed Yamani ryu. He taught Bōjutsu privately at his home in the village of Tobaru, in Shuri, Okinawa.

Life[edit]

Like many martial arts masters Chinen had been a policeman. During the Second World War he lived with the martial arts master Horoku Ishikawa in Tainan, Taiwan.[5] He also worked at the Shuri City Hall in Shuri, Okinawa.[6]

Yamani Ryu Bōjutsu[edit]

Chinen named the style after his father Sanra Chinen who was also a teacher of Bōjutsu[2] and known as Yamani Usumei and Yamane Tanmei.[3][7]

Legacy[edit]

Although the style ceased to exist after his death, some of his katas were preserved by Seitoku Higa of the Bugeikan and Shūgorō Nakazato of Shōrin-ryū.[3] Another student of Chinen's, Chōgi Kishaba and his student Toshihiro Ōshiro also privately practised Yamani Ryu katas. Ōshiro teaches Bōjutsu today,[8] and so does Chinen's grandnephew Teruo Chinen.[6]

See also[edit]

Okinawan martial arts

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c With family tree diagram of master and students, starting with Chinen Sanra. "Yamane-ryū, Yanmani-ryū" (in Japanese). Motoburyu. 2017-02-17. Retrieved May 21, 2018.
  2. ^ a b c Originally published on Okinawa Taimusu (ja) on November 21, 1961 and translated into English. "Article 4 (Part 2) Chinen Masami (63) – Sakugawa no kon. : Onko Chishin series: Kaneshima Shinsuke and Chinen Masami". Okinawa Traditional Karate Bureau. December 15, 2014. Archived from the original on February 17, 2015. Retrieved May 21, 2018.
  3. ^ a b c d Bishop 1999, p. 120.
  4. ^ Bishop 1999, p. 101.
  5. ^ Bishop 1999, p. 121.
  6. ^ a b Interview with Teruo Chinen on May 31, 1997 (Masami Chinen's grandnephew). Dong Tran. "Teruo Chinen : Bridging Past and Future". Retrieved May 21, 2018.
  7. ^ In Okinawan dialect of Naha area, when referring to a man older than you, usumē/usumei was used for a commoner meaning uncle, grandpa or old man. Originally, an older person from a family with traditional Ryukyu Kingdom rank had been called tanmē/tanmei, which has been applied as a honorific meaning sir or grandpa mainly on Okinawa island. "Shuri/Naha Hogen gaisetsu" [Outline of dialect in Shuri/Naha area]. Okinawa Center of Language Study, University of the Ryukyus. Archived from the original on April 13, 2001. Retrieved May 21, 2018.
  8. ^ Bishop 1999, p. 122.

Further reading[edit]

External links[edit]