Karate — a personal series

This is an ongoing series of articles on my practice of Matsubayashi-ryū karate and kobudō. The pieces are both reference-oriented (kata attribution, terminology, training structure) and reflective (teachers, lineage, how the practice connects to the rest of life). The series grows as I work through my own understanding, so some pieces will appear before their companions.

I practice at Karate Sunnyvale under Sensei Jordan Du Val, with Sensei Stephen Trombley in the broader line. My training dates to 2008; the writing here is the longer-term attempt to understand what I’ve been doing.

Part 1 — Origin and foundations

  • How I came to karate (forthcoming)
  • What is Matsubayashi-ryū? (forthcoming)

Part 2 — The kata

Part 3 — Kobudō

Part 4 — Training life

Part 5 — Teachers and lineage

  • My teachers (later)
  • Chōtoku Omine — a portrait (later)
  • The makiwara (later)

Part 6 — Reflections

  • Why I study Japanese (post-test)
  • The 2023 Okinawa trip that didn’t happen (post-test)
  • The injury and the long road back (post-test)

Part 7 — Comparative

  • Martial arts beyond Matsubayashi — a reading and watching list (later)
  • Reflections across traditions — Kalaripayattu, silambam, HEMA, judo, tai chi (long-term, post-test)

A note on sources

Where I cite Nagamine, I mean The Essence of Okinawan Karate-Dō (Charles E. Tuttle, 1976), translated by Shinzato Katsuhiko. Where I cite historical karate research, I mean Andreas Quast’s A Stroll Along Ryukyu Martial Arts History and related work, and Patrick McCarthy’s Bubishi and Tales of Okinawa’s Great Masters (the latter his translation of Nagamine’s second book). Where I cite my teachers, I draw on seminar teaching, email exchanges, and personal instruction over the years.

Anything that looks mistaken is mine. Corrections are welcome.

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