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Welcome! The Hawaii Karate Seinenkai was established in 1933 by Karate supporters from Hawaii's Okinawan community. The first instructors of the Seinenkai were Mizuho Mutsu, Kamesuke Higashionna, Seishin Uehara and Thomas Shigeru Miyashiro. Mutsu and Higashionna were visiting from Tokyo. Uehara was an Okinawan immigrant and Miyashiro was an Okinawan nisei.

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Miyashiro was originally trained in Karate by Kuniyoshi Sensei. He then trained with Kentsu Yabu (Yabu Gunso) in 1927 and Choki Motobu (Motobu No Saru) in 1932. He had a particularly strong connection to Motobu, who had been detained by Immigration officials in Hawaii and denied entry. Miyashiro trained with Motobu for about one month at the Honolulu detention center. It appears that Motobu had asked Mutsu and Higashionna to continue Miyashiro's training.

Karate classed were established in various locations on Oahu. After Mutsu and Higashionna returned to Japan, Uehara and Miyashiro continued to teach. Members of the Seinenkai also trained with Chojun Miyagi, the founder of Goju-Ryu, during his visit in 1934. Karate classes were discontinued during World War Two. The Seinenkai continued to exist for a few years after the War. It gave a demonstration at the first Okinawan Sumo tournament held after the War. This was in 1948 at the Japanese Consulate in Nuuanu.

For over 50 years, the Seinenaki ceased to exist. As a tribute to its original founders, it was reestablished on January 1, 2001 by Karate instructor and historian Charles C. Goodin of the Hikari Dojo. Goodin had been working on a book about Hawaii's Karate pioneers and had consulted with many of the surviving Karate pioneers and the earliest teacher's relatives. The first Seinenkai president, Mr. Katsumi Hokama, and the wives of Uehara Sensei and Miyashiro Sensei, kindly consented to the reestablishment of the Seinenkai.
Miyashiro, Azama,
Higashionna & Uehara
Honolulu, 1933

Karate Thoughts Blog


Mizuho Mutsu
circa 1930
In the early days, Karate was not separated into styles and dan ranking did not even exisit. The sayings were "Character first" and "There is no first attack in Karate." A student was very fortunate to find a Sensei who was willing to accept him. Usually, a person the Sensei respected would have to vouch for the student. Once training began, it was grueling and lasted many years. If the student eventually satisfied his Sensei, he might be permitted to teach... but not for money. In Hawaii, most of the early Sensei taught for free or a nominal amount to pay for the temple or church where classes were conducted.

Karate Sensei, like their counterparts in Judo, Kendo and other traditional arts, were respected members of the community. And they worked hard in their personal lives to deserve this respect. Quiet, dignified, strict, but kindhearted, these are the traits of the Sensei we remember... and should emulate.

spacerHawaii's Importance

Karate originated in Okinawa, with heavy influences from China (see Okinawa Prefecture's Karate and Kobudo website). The original characters for Karate meant "China Hand" and were pronouced "To-Te" or "Tu-Di". The first Okinawan immigrants to the United States arrived in Hawaii in 1900. This was even before Karate had been introduced to the Okinawan school system. The immigration would continue until by the mid-1920's, there were over 20,000 Okinawans living in Hawaii.

Okinawans naturally brought their martial arts with them. Karate and kobudo experts and students worked on the sugar plantations and occassionally demonstated their arts at cultural events, such a Bon Dances and weddings. Other plantation workers, and even gangs which preyed upon elderly immigrants, soon discovered the Okinawans' "secret" art of self-defense. Early Hawaii immigrants (issei), such as Seio Morikone, Chinzen Kinjo, Seiichi Urasaki, Chonin Sanra Arakaki, Watoku Higa, Kizo Teruya, Seishin Uehara, Shuichi Agena, and Ansei Ueshiro, were students of Itosu, Motobu and Kyan, among others. Many where familiar with the Naihanchi kata, but not the Pinan kata as the Pinan had not yet been introduced by Itosu before they left their homeland.

Some of the many senior Karate instructors who have visited Hawaii over the years include Kentsu Yabu (1927), Choki Motobu (1932), Mizuho Mutsu and Kamesuke Higashionna (1933), Chojun Miyagi (1934), Mas Oyama (1952), Hirokazu Kanazawa (1961), Tsuyoshi Chitose (1961), Kanki Izumigawa (1961), Akio Nozoe (1961), Shigenobu Nakano (1961), Hironori Otsuka (1962), Masataka Mori (1963), Gogen Yamaguchi (1966, 1969), Tetsuhiko Asai (1966), Shoshin Nagamine (1969, 1978, 1984, 1996), Seigi Nakamura (1978), Seikichi Odo (1982 - 2002), Chokei Kishaba (1985), Chosei Motobu (2001), Katsuhiko Shinzato (1985, 2003, 2005), Chosei Motobu (2001), Morio Higaonna (2004), and many others.


Kamesuke Higashionna
from Karate Kenpo, 1933


Polynesian Boxing, circa
1795. A Boxing-Match in
Hapaee, by John Webber
Other Martial Arts. Of course, Karate was not the first martial art to be practiced in Hawaii. Upon their arrival in Hawaii in 1885, a large group of Japanese contract workers gathered at Iolani Palace where they gave demonstrations of Kendo and Sumo! Ju Jitsu was taught in Hawaii before 1900. There was a strong Ju Jitsu group in Hilo, Hawaii. It was there that Henry Seishiro Okazaki (founder of Danzan-Ryu) learned Ju Jitsu and other arts, including Ryukyu Karate. He later taught on Maui and eventually settled on Oahu. Jigoro Kano, the founder of Judo, came to Hawaii in 1913 and September, 1932. See the History of Judo in Hawaii at the Judo Black Belt Association of Hawaii website. Morihei Ueshiba, the founder of Aikido, came to Hawaii in February, 1961. Koichi Tohei (founder of the Ki Society), who had come to Hawaii to teach in the 1950s, accompanied Ueshiba Sensei. See Aikido in Hawaii at the Aikido Hawaii website. One of their students in Hawaii was Sadao Yoshioka.

Combining elements of Karate and Ju Jitsu, Masayoshi James Mitose formulated Kempo Jiu-Jitsu, later popularized by instructors such as William K. S. Chow, as Kenpo Karate.

And Hawaiian warriors had their own armed and unarmed martial arts for hundreds of years. The Hawaiian art of hand-to-hand combat was known as Lua and continues to be taught in the Hawaiian community. See LUA: A Fighting Chance, by Betty Fullard-Leo, at the Coffee Times website.


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The goals of the new Hawaii Karate Seinenkai are as follows:

  • To encourage the practice of Karate by young people.
  • To foster peace and health through Karate training and education.
  • To encourage research and journalism about Karate.
  • To preserve the legacy of and salute Hawaii's Karate pioneers.
  • To establish the Hawaii Karate Museum.
  • To maintain the connection of Karate to the community.
  • To maintain the place of Karate as an important aspect of Okinawan culture.

Kuniyoshi & Miyashiro
Kapiolani Park, late 1920's


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Most Recent Karate Thoughts Blog Posts:     


Added January 21, 2012. Upcoming Lecture at the Univerity of Hawaii. Please let your friends know.

Karate in the Ryukyu Kingdom, Okinawa Prefecture, and Hawaii
How is Okinawan Culture Spread through Karate?

Click here for pdf version.

Added July 5, 2011. We are very happy to add the following interview by Graham Noble to our Articles Section:


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Added May 2, 2010 to the Hawaii Karate Museum Rare Book List:


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Added May 1, 2010 to the Articles Section:


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Added May 1, 2010 to the Hawaii Karate Museum Rare Book List:


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Added April 29, 2010 to the Hawaii Karate Museum Rare Book List:


Added April 28, 2010. We are very happy to add the following interview by Graham Noble to our Articles Section:


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Added February 13, 2010 to the Hawaii Karate Museum Rare Book List:


Added December 23, 2009. The Hawaii Karate Seinenkai salutes:


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December 22, 2009 to the Hawaii Karate Museum Rare Book List (just some of the books we've recently added to the collection):



Added December 18, 2009. The Hawaii Karate Museum Collection at the University of Hawaii is now accessible!

Added October 13, 2009. We are very sad to report the death of Sensei Kiyoshisa Hirano on October 1 2009. Information about Hirano Sensei can be found at the Japan International Karate Center website.

Added October 13, 2009. Stan Henning's Chinese Martial Studies Research page has been updated.

Added July 20, 2009. A YouTube video tour of the exhibit, Karate: From Okinawa to Hawaii, running from July 1st through August 28, 2009, at the Bridge Gallery of the Hamilton Library of the University of Hawaii:

Click here for the Full Sized YouTube Video

Added July 18, 2009. A Facebook video tour of the exhibit, Karate: From Okinawa to Hawaii, running from July 1st through August 28, 2009, at the Bridge Gallery of the Hamilton Library of the University of Hawaii:

Click here for the Full Sized Facebook Video


Added May 1, 2009. We are very happy to add the following interview by Graham Noble to our Articles Section:


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Added January 17, 2009 to the Hawaii Karate Museum Rare Book List:



Added October 12, 2008.

Added October 12, 2008. The Hawaii Karate Seinenkai salutes:

025c Added September 19, 2008 to the Hawaii Karate Museum Rare Book List:





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Added September 12, 2008 to the Hawaii Karate Museum Rare Book List:


spacerSeinenkai Salutes

The Hawaii Karate Seinenkai salutes the many Karateka who have come to Hawaii since the turn of the century (1900) to help establish and spread the art.

Hawaii's own Karateka also deserve recognition for their contributions to the art, as do their students, families and supporters. We are what we are because of all of them!

The Hawaii Karate Seinenkai salutes (click here for Alphabetical Listing):

Visitors to Hawaii Before WWII:
(lists sorted by birthdate):

An historic gathering of Okinawan Karate masters, 1937. Three of these masters came to Hawaii. Can you identify them?
Visitors to Hawaii After WWII:
Researchers:
Hawaii Karateka (and Supporters):

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The Hawaii Karate Seinenkai has supporters in Hawaii and around the world. We use the term "supporters" rather than members, because because it better describes the role of those who "support" our goals. Our supporters are not only Karate instructors and students. Writers, translators, artists, designers, investors, contractors, actors, physicians, priests and parents... support can take many forms.

The Seinenkai would like to thank the following for their invaluable guidance and assistance:

Okinawan Culture Experts:

  • June Arakawa
  • Takenobu Higa
  • Sensei Morio Higaonna
  • Ryokichi Higashionna
  • Prof. Mitsugu Sakihara (deceased)
  • Prof. Katsuhiko Shinzato

Japanese Translators:

  • June Arakawa
  • Kiko Asai Ferreira
  • Tomoe Misumi Goodin
  • Yukihiko Noda
  • Mark J. Tankosich



Yabu's students
Hawaii 1927
spacerHawaii Karate in the Media

History is only history when someone writes it down! Remarkably, very little was ever written in English about the early days of Karate in Hawaii. The groundbreaking work in documenting the subject was undertaken by Bruce A. Haines in his 1962 University of Hawaii master's thesis, Karate and Its Development in Hawaii to 1959. Haines later wrote Karate's History and Traditions (Charles E. Tuttle Company, 1968), a broader text which includes a chapter on Karate in the United States, including Hawaii.

The general lack of literature, however, has led many people to incorrectly assume that Karate was not present in Hawaii until after World War Two (when returning GIs brought back the art with them). This is incorrect. Karate students and teachers were present in Hawaii from the earliest days of Okinawan immigration (1900). In fact, one of the original twenty-six immigrants was a Karate student (and his son would later sponsor the visit of Miyagi Sensei in 1934)!
order

Click above for this article

The Hawaii Karate Seinenkai will work to encourage Karate journalism, particularly articles and features in various media about the history of Karate in Hawaii. See:


Exhibits:

In The Schools:

Videos:


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The Hawaii Karate Seinenkai is a division of the Hikari Institute, a Hawaii non-profit corporation and federally tax exempt organization under IRC 501(c)(3). We depend upon public support to fund our research and education programs. You are welcome to review our tax exempt documentation. There are two ways to make donations to the Hikari Institute:

A donation of any size would be greatly appreciated and we will send you a receipt for your tax records.

You can also support us by purchasing books, videos or other items from our online bookstore.


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Kentsu Yabu and students
Honolulu, 1927

Karate's roots in Hawaii should be preserved. By learning about our forefathers, we gain a better appreciation of this peaceful art and the rich Okinawan culture from which is arose. When we practice Karate, we can feel their eyes reaching across time to observe our technique and composure. If you believe this is worthwhile, please help us to accomplish our goals.

The Hawaii Karate Seinenkai can be contacted as follows:

Charles C. Goodin, President
Hawaii Karate Seinenkai
98-211 Pali Momi Street, Suite 640
Aiea, Hawaii 96701 USA		 tel: (808) 488-5773
fax: (808) 488-5773
e-mail: goodin@hawaii.rr.com
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The spirit of Karate is the Aloha spirit

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