History of Uechi-Ryu

Uechi-Ryu Karate (pronounced waychee-roo) has been developed from the Chinese martial arts by the Karate Masters Uechi Kanbun and his son Kanei, into one of the worlds most powerful forms of self defense.

Uechi Kanbun was born on 5th May 1877 on Okinawa (an island south west of Japan). After leaving Okinawa for China in 1897, he studied a style referred to as "Pangai-Noon" (half hard-soft) under Master Chou Tzu-Ho (or Sushiwa) in the Central Temple in the Chinese province of Fukien. Eventually opening his own Dojo (Karate school) in 1908 in the province of Nansoue.

Uechi Kanbun returned to Okinawa in 1910 where he took up farming and married.

In 1924, Uechi Kanbun left for Japan and started teaching Karate in Wakayama prefecture near Osaka; his first student was Ryuyu Tomoyose, later to be a leading Karate teacher.

By 1947, Uechi Kanbun was living on Ishima, an island off Okinawa, and was teaching a small group of students. On 25th November 1948 Uechi Kanbun died at the age of 71.

To honour his father, Kanei (born 26th June 1911) renamed the style Uechi-Ryu and continued the work of developing the style into the form we know today.

 

Kanei had started his Karate training in 1930, eventually opening his own Dojo in Osaka in 1940. In 1942 Kanei returned to Okinawa, married, and like his father took up farming. He then resumed teaching Karate in 1945, opening a Dojo in Futenma.

From its official start in Okinawa in 1948, Uechi-Ryu has risen to become one of the major styles of Karate on the island, from where it spread throughout the world. Uechi-Ryu now has strong foundations in Britain, America and France. With its beginnings in the classical Chinese fighting arts, Uechi-Ryu is renowned for its

authenticity, toughness and high standards.