Sōke Kaichō Kinjō Takashi
Sōke Kaichō Kinjō Takashi is the founder of Kōburyū and the current president of the international Kōburyū association, Okinawa.Kōburyū Karatedō Kobudō Kōbukai. Kōburyū was established in the year 2000 by Sōke Kaichō Kinjō. However, the techniques of Kōburyū did not burst into existence in 2000. Sōke Kaichō Kinjō spent much of his karate career first studying Uechi Ryū under karate great, Seiki Itokazu. and then teaching in the Uechi Ryū family of Okinawan karate styles. After over 40 years of in-depth analysis, his movement and techniques had taken a path inherently different from that of Uechi Ryū.
The young Kinjō Takashi also became interested in the study of kobudō. Since kobudō at that time had never been a part of Uechi Ryū, Kinjō Takashi turned to Matayoshi Shimpō, then head of the Matayoshi family of kobudō, for kobudō training. Itokazu Seiki, Sōke Kaichō Kinjō’s Uechi Ryū sensei, himself never studied kobudō. Indeed, Itokazu told his young karate protégé that practicing weapons would harm his karate technique. Sōke Kaichō Kinjō persisted, studying with equal intensity both karate and kobudō. Indeed, in time he came to feel that karate and kobudō were inseparable, like two halves of the same coin. Therefore, in 1989, when Sōke Kaichō Kinjō established Kōnan Ryū (硬軟流), he included karatedō and Matayoshi kobudō under one organization. In the year 2000, when he created Kōburyū, he went one step further and included karatedō and kobudō as one unified style.
Sōke Kaichō Kinjō Takashi
Founder of Kōburyū
What’s In a Name?
How should we address Kinjō Takashi?
| Sōke | 宗家 | originator |
| Kaichō | 会長 | president |
| Sōke Kaichō | 宗家会長 |
As a sign of respect, we address Kinjō Takashi as Kinjō Kaichō. Kaichō is a title meaning president of a society, in this case the society is our international Kōburyū organization.
More accurately, Kinjō Kaichō is Sōke Kaichō Kinjō. Sōke Kaichō indicates that he is originator of the Kōburyū karatedō and kobudō style and current president of the Kōburyū organization.
What does the name, Takashi, mean?
| Kinjō Takashi | 金城 孝 |
| Kinjō | 金城 |
| Takashi | 孝 |
Kinjō Takashi is written in the Japanese manner, with family name first and given name second. Therefore, Takashi is Sōke Kaichō Kinjō’s given name. A man’s given name is written in Chinese characters called kanji. Kanji are used in everyday writing and have meaning. The kanji for Takashi means filial piety. The same kanji is also pronounced Kō. This is the kō from which Kōburyū gets its name.
What is filial piety?
The concept of filial piety comes from the teachings of Confucius. Filial piety is the prime virtue and the basis of all human relations. It is the means to achieve family and social harmony. Defined as a child’s respect for his parents, it includes any relationship of a person to his parents, elders, ancestors and country. The filial child must care for his parents, owing them not only respect but love, support, loyalty and reverence. Western societies also have a concept like filial piety that refers to a child’s obligation toward his or her parents, particularly adult children toward their elderly and needy parents.
Where does the kō of Kōburyū come from?
| Takashi | 孝 |
| Kō | 孝 |
Sōke Kaichō Kinjō’s given name is Takashi. In the Japanese language, kanji usuallly have two or more pronunciations. The kanji for Takashi is also pronounced kō. This is the kō from which Kōburyū gets its name.
Is the kō of Kōburyū the same as the ko of kobudō?
| kō | 孝 | filial piety |
| ko | 古 | ancient |
The kanji are quite different. The kō of Kōburyū means filial piety while the ko of kobudō means ancient. The kō of Kōburyū and the ko of kobudō are also pronounced subtly differently. The purpose of the bar over the letter o is to indicate a long o sound. Most of us in the US pronounce kobudō a bit incorrectly, giving it the long o sound. For that matter, we give the u a long u sound, too.
Biography
Childhood
Kinjō Takashi (given in the Japanese manner, surname Kinjō followed by given name Takashi) was born on August 24,1939, in Naha City, Okinawa, Japan. He had one brother and two sisters. In 1945, when Kinjō Takashi was just six, his father was killed in the Battle of Okinawa. This definitive battle of World War II is known as the “Typhoon of Steel” for the ferocity of the fighting. He is proud to point to his father’s name, 金城 牛, on the Cornerstone of Peace monument in Peace Memorial Park, Okinawa, engraved with the names of over 250,000 dead from all countries involved in the battle.
The young Kinjō Takashi was naturally athletic, participating in many school sporting events and excelling in track. He started his martial arts career while still in high school, bringing his natural athleticism to his karate training. However, he is quick to point out that, while athletically gifted, he also trained harder than anyone else.
Martial Arts Career
Karate
Sōke Kaichō Kinjō began his karate career in 1955, studying Matsubayashi Ryū (a style of Shōrin Ryū) under its founder, Nagamine Shōshin. However, in 1959, the young Takashi Kinjō turned to Uechi Ryū under Seiki Itokazu , another karate great and master of Uechi Ryū karate. Sōke Kaichō Kinjō’s lifelong study has been in the Uechi Ryū family of karate styles.
Sōke Kaichō Kinjō studied Uechi Ryū under Itokazu Seiki. Itokazu Seiki was a direct student of Kanbun Uechi and later of Kanei Uechi. Itokazu Seiki encouraged the young Kinjō Takashi, then godan (5th degree black belt) in Uechi Ryū, to teach Uechi Ryū. Sensei Kinjō opened his first dojo in 1965, called Hantagawa Shureikan, teaching and practicing full time.
In 1978, a group of eight dōjō (including Kinjō’s dōjō) led by Seiki Itokazu separated from Uechi Ryū and went back to the original style name, Pangainoon Ryū. The rift was healed relatively quickly, but Pangainoon Ryū remained separate from Uechi Ryū until very recently. Rather than return to Uechi Ryū, the sensei of the eight “renegade” dōjō continued to teach Pangainoon Ryū. Seiki Itokazu remained Sōke Kaichō Kinjō’s mentor, granting him hanshi kyūdan in Pangainoon Ryū in 1989.
The name, Pangainoon, is of Chinese origin. The kanji for Pangainoon are pronounced Hankōnan in Japanese. In 1989, Seiki Itokazu renamed Pangainoon Ryū, choosing to use the Japanese pronunciation. The first kanji, meaning “half,” was dropped to better indicate a balance between hard and soft. The resulting name, Kōnan Ryū, was adopted in 1989. More importantly, Kōnan Ryū, unlike Uechi Ryū or Pangainoon Ryū, included both karate and kobudō.
Sōke Kaichō Kinjō received hanshi kyūdan from Seiki Itokazu in 1989. He was later offered but refused to accept hanshi jūdan, not wanting to hold the same rank as his renowned sensei. Sadly, Itokazu Seiki’s mental health deteriorated before promoting Sōke Kaichō Kinjō to hanshi jūdan. Finally, in the year 2013, Sōke Kaichō Kinjō was granted hanshi jūdan by the Uechi Ryū Kei Rengō Kai, an association of the Uechi Ryū family of karate styles.
| Matsubayashi Ryū | 松林流 | “half hard soft” | 1955 |
| Uechi Ryū | 上地流 | “Uechi’s style” | 1959 |
| Pangainoon Ryū | 半硬軟流 | “half hard soft style” | 1978 |
| Kōnan Ryū | 硬軟流 | “hard soft style” | 1989 |
| Kōburyū | 孝武流 | “Ko’s fighting style” | 2000 |
Kobudō
Sōke Kaichō Kinjō was Matayoshi Shimpō’s number one student. He earn the first-ever kyōshi hachidan (8th degree black belt) ever granted by Matayoshi Shimpō. Matayoshi Shimpō and Sōke Kaichō Kinjō eventually were forced to part ways. Matayoshi Shimpo’s personal goal was to pass on Matayoshi family kobudō exactly as he was taught by his father, Matayoshi Shinkō. Sōke Kaichō Kinjō’s desire to analyze and improve the movements of kobudō was in direct opposition to Matayoshi Shinpō’s chosen life’s work. However, even after they parted ways, Matayoshi Shimpo would send students to Sōke Kaichō Kinjō if they had questions about how a particular technique could be applied. In the creation of Kōburyū, Sōke Kaichō Kinjō did not hesitate to modify traditional Matayoshi kobudō kata if he felt a movement was included just for show or had no possible application.
Celebrations in Okinawa
Sōke Kaichō Kinjō’s first dōjō was the Hantagawa Shureikan. Hantagawa is located in Naha City, Okinawa. Every five years Sōke Kaichō Kinjō holds a public demonstration celebrating the opening of this dōjō, which also marks the number of years he has been teaching karate and kobudō. Groups of students from the U.S. have travelled to Okinawa for seminars and demonstrations for Sōke Kaichō Kinjō’s 20th, 25th, and 50th year anniversary celebrations (1985, 1990, 1995). The celebration in the year 2000 was a special event for the unveiling of Kōburyū. Again, students and sensei from the US were honored to participate. The most recent trip to Okinawa, 2015, was in celebration of three noteworthy occasions:
- 50th year anniversary of the opening of Sōke Kaichō Kinjō’s first dōjō, the Hantagawa Shureikan (繁多川 守礼館).
- Promotion to Hanshi Jūdan (2013)
- 15 year anniversary of the introduction of Okinawa Kōburyū Karatedō Kobudō Kōbukai
Travel to the U.S.
In addition to sponsoring seminars in Okinawa, Sōke Kaichō Kinjō has travelled to the US 19 times to teach karate and kobudō. Unfortunately, in 2020, the 20th time was cancelled due to concerns about the covid virus. To continue training during the difficult covid years the U.S. students and sensei turned to on-line seminars via Zoom. These have offered a great learning experience for all participants.
Demonstrations
Sōke Kaichō Kinjō’s versatility, speed and skill were second to none. Truly a great showman, Sōke Kaichō Kinjō was asked to participate in many demonstrations over the years, performing both karate and kobudō. Sōke Kaichō Kinjō always presented more than just a flashy demo. He often chose to also show the meaning of the kata through bunkai with the timing and spirit of a true battle.
For many years Sōke Kaichō Kinjō invariably chose to demonstrate the karate kata, Sanseiryū. Sanseiryū is the most advanced kata in the Uechi Ryu family of karate styles. In later years, when demonstrating before a group of karate students he often chose to demonstrate Kanshiwa. He felt that the beginning students would better understand and appreciate the demonstration. He developed a great respect for Kanshiwa, believing the kata had much to teach karate students of all levels.
Sōke Kaichō Kinjō is renowned for his expertise in ieku, the oar. He has performed Tsuken Akachu no Ieku De and later his own version of the kata, Kōbu no Ieku, for many demonstrations through the years. Having viewed many video versions of Sōke Kaichō Kinjō’s performingf ieku kata, it is interesting to note that no two versions are exactly alike.