Uechi Postcard

[Glenn]

I came across this interesting listing on E-bay, a Japanese postcard with a picture from a Uechi dojo:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... RK:MEWA:IT
I think the person kicking is Kiyohide Shinjo, but I'm not certain.

[Bill Glasheen]

Yes, that is Kiyohide back when he had a head of hair. It's a rather famous publicity photo.



A few givaways: 1) he's a giant compared to his Okinawan peers, 2) very flexible kicking ability, done more with legs than hips 3) doing a "vanilla" karate sparring technique, and 4) he's got his dad's Shinjo gaze.

You can almost hear him grinding his teeth... (A Shinjo-ism)

That is Nakahodo Sensei standing to the left. And one of those seated folks (closer to Nakahodo Sensei) looks like Takamiyagi Sensei, but I'm not sure of that. He generally swims in a different school of fish. IF that's him, then it was done strictly for the length of time it took to take the photo.

- Bill

[John Cowan]

I believe the photo shows a part of the interior of Master Nakahodo Tsutomu Sensei's Naha dojo. Nakahodo is called "Popeye" because of his strong forearm and wrist development. He bends nails and bottlecaps between his fingers. The Naha dojo was located in a seven story shopping mall called the "ginza" between 1974 and 1986. Thousands of Japanese and other tourists were introduced to Uechi-Ryu kata and conditioning through demonstrations. After 1986 I believe Uechi demonstrations continued at the Okinawan Folk Village, and Peter Kellog originally from Sarasota, Florida and an Okinawan resident was one of the demonstrators. The ginza dojo had regular day and evening classes in addition to the demonstrations. The school of fish ( to use Bill Glasheen's term included Nakahodo, Yoshitsune Senaga, Minoru Miyagi, Kiyohide Shinjo and Shinyu Gushi. Note the pair of chi ishi at the wall in the arc under Shinjo Kiyohide Sensei's extended leg. You can see the sweat stains low down on the red oak handles. Many Uechi and Gojo Ryu dojo use the power stones as supplemental conditioning tools for arm, back and shoulder development, for thrusting technique as in using the bo, for pummeling the stomach and for slapping for iron palm and hand development. A Uechi student by the name of Guy Gentry gave GEM a video of Martin Ric Sensei and his students training in the Naha ginza dojo and in those of other Uechi masters circa the mid 1980's.

[Bill Glasheen]

Darn!!! It's hard to believe I only recognized two of four gentlemen I've actually had the pleasure to work out with. Yes... I spent quite a bit of time with Miyagi Sensei on Thompson Island I believe. What an incredibly nice man!!!! I knew he looked familiar, but couldn't place him.

I absolutely don't recognize Shinyu Gushi there. He's too clean cut!!!! The man I worked out with a year ago looks like quite the hippie martial artist. Meanwhile, Kiyohide sports the Yule Brenner look! Go figure...

All of them are fantastic martial artists.

- Bill

[Glenn]

So how old is this picture, as in does anyone know offhand what year the picture was taken in?

[Bill Glasheen]

When I met and worked out with Shinjo Kiyohide in the mid to latter 1980s, he was beginning to lose his hair. So it's got to be before then.

I first met Nakahodo Sensei I believe in 1984, and he looked similar to the picture here. But he is a man who has changed little with time. He was still in great shape when I saw him in Atlanta in the latter 1990s.

Note that Nakahodo is only a renshi in this photo.

- Bill

[Guest]

The kicker Shinjo Kiyohide sensei is creasing the throat of Senega Yoshitsune sensei, now 9th dan in Shohei Ryu. Nakahodo sensei as pointed out previously is llking on at the left. Seated at the wall in an unidentified onlooker obscured by Nakahodo sensei's leg. Next seated as B G identified is Takamiyagi Sensei. Next to him is Miyagi Minoru sensei, who maintains a dojo in a small village north of Kadena.

Senega had been a student of Shinjo Seiyu sensei, thus his relationship with Kiyohide. Guishi Shinu sensei is not in this photo. He was a high school classmate of Senega and was also a student of Shinjo Seiyu sensei. Master Senega visited dojo in Michigan, Connecticut and Florida two years ago with a few of his senior students. He is also 7th dan in kobudo and superior in several bo kata.

john

[Bill Glasheen]

Thanks, John. This all makes sense now.

- Bill