About

What is this place?

I’ll tell you!

This site, KARATEbyJesse, acts as a sort of platform for ideas and articles written by me, Jesse. I write mainly about things related to Karate, Kobudo, Okinawa (or Japan in general) and a lot of other topics I can’t come to think of at the moment. Sometimes I perhaps throw in a little Sport Karate, MMA, Philosophy, Japanese and whatnot.

And I like video filming too.

Okay, that was some short and sweet info. Now if you really want to read a whole lot of name-dropping and more in depht information about my training and such, see below!

My Karate

The style of Karate that I practise is not easy to describe with one ”name” like Goju-ryu or Shotokan etc. Therefore, I will give you a brief explanation:

Inoue Motokatsu (1918-1993)

The style was founded by a Japanese man named Inoue Motokatsu (1918-1993). He was born to a wealthy family in Japan, being the grandson of the former prime minister, and was thus exposed to the martial arts from a very young age. He studied many things, including Ninjutsu, Kobujutsu, Aikido, Sumo and Karate

Inoue’s primary teacher in Karate was Konishi Yasuhiro, who was a direct student of Funakoshi Gichin, Mabuni Kenwa, Motobu Choki and Miyagi Chojun. This means that our “style” has very many kata, resembling an old-style mix of Shotokan-ryu, Shito-ryu and Goju-ryu. This is because they were taught before the modernisation of karate for the sport-scene, and thus haven’t been “mutated” like some kata you see nowadays - although sometimes labeled as “Classic Karate”.

The style was named Yuishinkai Karate-jutsu.

This, combined with the body mechanics, principles of movements and energy transfer from a school of Shito-ryu known as Tani-ha Shito-ryu Karate-do Kenpo Kofukan (that’s the official name) forms the style of Karate that I practise and (try to) teach.

My Karate Training

I started Karate from a very young age and my training has brought me to many countries, either for instructing, training or competing, including places like: France, Switzerland, Croatia, Holland, England, Ireland, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Italy, USA, Japan (Shimizu, Kyoto, Osaka, Tokyo, Okinawa), Finland, Austria and about every corner of Sweden (where I happen to live).

Sure, travelling is tough, but it is also a rewarding experience, and I have seen very much during my trips, and that helps me put other things I see in perspective. I mean, hey, the world is round, there is no need to be trapped in a square!

Studying Budo in so many places, and having such a big interest in this field has led me to meet and train with some “famous” (here we go…) people. Some of them include (in no particular order): Nakamoto Masahiro & Mamoru, Nishida Yukio, Konishi Takehiro (Yasuhiro), Isao Irei, Akamine Hiroshi, Hokama Tetsuhiro, Matayoshi Yasushi, Sakumoto Tsuguo, Yoshiaki Gakiya, Shiroma Seihan, Josei Yogi, Kyan Morikazu, Takara Sachiyoshi, Inoue Kisho, Kiyoshi Yamazaki, Ernesto “Mr. Perfect” Hoost, Shimabukuro Zenpo, Nakazato Joen, Higa Minoru, the Japanese national kata team (male and female), Luca Valdesi and many more.

And the best part?

All of them helped me improve.

In more ways than one.

Karate – One Step Further

To better understand Karate - especially the part that is nowadays referred to as bunkai – I have also had training in Ju-jutsu. Some of the styles include: Moto-ha Yoshin-ryu, Takenouchi-ryu, Koga-ryu Taijutsu, Kodokan Shin-ryu and Yagyu Shingan-ryu. I have also had instruction in the Chinese counterpart of seizing and grappling, Qin-Na (Chin-na).

And the training doesn’t stop here.

There is always something new to learn.

My Kobudo

The style of Kobudo I practise stems from a man named Taira Shinken. If you don’t know who this man is, you should really do your homework. Briefly, he was a pioneer who travelled the islands and villages around Okinawa and “collected” almost extinct weapons kata, to ultimately unify them into a system for “the preservation and promotion of the ancient weapon arts of the Ryukyu islands”.

The system is centered around nine weapons (bo, sai, tonfa, nunchaku, kama, tekko, tinbe/rochin, surujin, eiku) with some variations, making it fourteen weapons in total. There are forty-two kata preserved in total for these weapons.

A top disciple of Taira was Inoue Motokatsu, who eventually received the “title” of Menkyo Kaiden, “inheriting” the system. Inoue used the kata he had learnt as a base for his own masterplan, devising specific kihon and kumite for every weapon, (something that was non-existent at the time), using the Japanese koryu-bujutsu mold, making it a complete system. And at the same time incredibly hard to master…

My Kobudo Training

Just like my Karate training, my Kobudo training began at an early age. The younger you start, the less is the chance you’re going to hit yourself in the head, right?

Anyway, just like in my Karate training, I have studied different arts with weapons, including the Filipino, Chinese, Russian and the Japanese (mainland) arts. Although they on the surface look different, if you thoroughly study one system you will come to see that they all build on the same concept of distance, timing, control, body movement and so on. And when that is understood, you can use whatever you want as a weapon.

Or no weapon.

Because, in the end, the purpose of training with weapons is not to learn how to beat up people with a weapon, it is to learn how to defend aginst a weapon. Among other things.

Like Sun Tzu wrote in his “The Art of War” (6th century BC):

“It is said that if you know your enemies and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles; if you do not know your enemies but do know yourself, you will win one and lose one; if you do not know your enemies nor yourself, you will be imperiled in every single battle.”

And that pretty much sums it up.

Shurei no mon