| Kanga Sakugawa 佐久川 寛賀 | |
|---|---|
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| Born | 1786 Akata village, Shuri, Ryūkyū Kingdom |
| Died | 1867 (aged 80–81) |
| Other names | Sakugawa Satunushi, Tode Sakugawa |
| Style | Te |
| Teacher(s) | Kūsankū, Kangi Sakugawa |
| Notable students | Sōkon Matsumura, Bushi Tachimura |
Kanga Sakugawa (佐久川 寛賀, Sakugawa Kanga, 1786 - 1867), also Sakugawa Satunushi and Tode Sakugawa, was a Ryūkyūan martial arts master and major contributor to the development of Te, the precursor to modern Karate.
Karate-do
Kanga "Tode" Sakugawa trained under his father Kangi Sakugawa. Kangi Sakugawa began his training as a student of a Ryūkyūan monk, Peichin Takahara. After six years of training, Takahara suggested that Kangi Sakugawa train under Kusanku, a Chinese master in Ch'uan Fa. Kangi Sakugawa spent six years training with Kusanku, and began to teach his son Kanga. Kanga became such an expert that people gave him the nickname Tōde ("Chinese Hand"). Kanga Sakugawa then spread what he learned to Ryūkyū in the 1810s. Kanga Sakugawa's most famous student, Matsumura Sōkon, went on to develop the Shuri-te which later develop into a number of karate styles including Shotokan, Shito-ryu, and Shōrin-ryū.
Meeting with Kusanku
Oral tradition describes Sakugawa as a mischievous youth, some stories say that he was walking near a river one day when he saw an older Chinese gentleman gazing upon the water. As a prank, he went to push the man into the river and instead was grabbed by that man in an iron grip. The man turned out to be the Chinese martial artist Kusanku. Kusanku chastised the youth but then a student of Kusanku introduced him to Tode Sakugawa, then Kusanku offered to instruct him further in Chinese martial arts. Sakugawa consulted with his instructor at the time, Takahara, who encouraged him to learn from the Chinese master.
Influences on modern Karate
Kanga Sakugawa's most famous student, Matsumura Sōkon, went on to develop Shuri-te which later develop into a number of karate styles including Shotokan, Shito-ryu, and Shōrin-ryū.
Kanga Sakugawa might have also taught another Bujin by the name Tachimura, he like Matsumura worked for the king. Bushi Tachimura went on to teach Kishimoto Soko who taught Higa Seitoku who founded the Bugeikan in Okinawa. Bushi Tachimura passed on his version of Naihanchi, Passai and Kusanku to Kishimoto. Bushi Tachimura's shuri te remains preserved at the Bugeikan and contains many techniques that are not found in modern systems. Bushi Tachimura's most famous story was of his "island incident". While he was on a mission to inspect a village's worth, he was attacked by 20 of the village males. Eye witnesses recalled Tachimura fighting them off and that occasionally his leg would sweep up and scuff his attackers head, the attacker would run away clutching his head in an attempt to cover up a flap of hair and scalp. This story has been passed down orally via Higa Seitoku and featured in Mark Bishops book "Okinawan Karate: Teachers, Styles and Secret Techniques"
References
- ^ Okinawan Karate, Second Edition, by Mark Bishop, Tuttle Publishing, p. 53, ISBN 0-8048-3205-6
- "Satunushi "Tode" Sakugawa". newsfinder.org. Archived from the original on 30 June 2019.
- "Evolution of Shito-Ryu". genbu-kai.com. Archived from the original on 16 July 2007.
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