Choyu Motobu
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| Choyu Motobu | |
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| Born | 1857 Akahira Village, Shuri,  Ryūkyū Kingdom |
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| Died | 1928 Shuri, Okinawa, Japan |
| Martial art practiced | Shuri-te, Motobu-ryu |
| Teacher(s) | Sokon Matsumura |
Choyu Motobu (1857-1928) was an Okinawan Karate master and elder brother of karateka Choki Motobu.
Choyu Motobu was born in Akahira village in Shuri, Okinawa. His father, Anji (Lord) Motobu Choshin was a descendent of Prince Sho Koshin (1655-1687), the sixth son of Okinawan King Sho Shitsu (1629-1668). [1]
Choyu first learned the art of Te (the precursor to modern Karate), which was passed down within the Sho royal clan from father to eldest son. [2] He then studied Shuri-te Karate and koryu ("old school") Japanese martial arts under the legendary karateka Sokon Matsumura. [3] He later combined all these arts he had learned to create the Motobu-ryu style of Karate. In his final years, he was the head martial arts instructor to the last king of the Ryukyu Kingdom, Sho Tai (r. 1848-1879), succeeding Matsumura in that position. [4]
