Karate is not a sport, but a way of life; it is very important for people to understand this.
Masahiko Tokashiki
An advocate of Okinawan Karate, Masahiko Tokashiki, it’s a well respected master in Shprin Ryu Karate. He is known for having great control over his movements. He is also known for his great ability to teach students and pass on his considerable knowledge.
Masahiko Tokashiki was born in Naha City in 1948.
Growing up Tokashiki read a book on the legendary Bushi Sokon Matsumura, which greatly influenced him. Matsumura was the bodyguard of the Kings of Okinawa and was widely renowned for his martial prowess. The majority of Okinawan and Japanese styles of Karate can trace their roots back to him.
In 1964 Tokashiki began learning Matsubayashi-Ryu Shorin Ryu Karate under Shoshin Nagamine. A policeman and later mayor of Naha City, Nagamine had trained under many of the top Okinawan Karate masters, including Chotoku Kyan, Choku Motobu, and Teruo Hayashi.
Tokashiki’s training under Nagamine consisted mainly of basics from kata and makiwara training.
Training diligently under Nagamine, Tokashiki was promoted to 1st Dan in 1966. Three years later he was promoted to 2nd Dan. In 1974 he received his 3rd Dan.
Away from KarateTokashiki had established a landscaping business. In 1974 he had to stop formal training for a while due to running his business. However, he eventually returned to training under Nagamine.
In 1992 Tokashiki was graded to 4th Dan and was graded to 5th Dan in 1997 by Nagamine.
On 2 November 1997 Shoshin Nagamine died at the age of 90. By this time Tokashiki had been training under Nagamine for over 30 years.
Kensei Taba, another of Nagamine’s students, split from Matsubayashi-Ryu Shorin Ryu to form Shogen–Ryu Shorin-Ryu.
Tokashiki followed Taba to the new Shogen-Ryu association. He credits him with having a big influence on his Karate. He also became his assistant on courses he conducted around the world.
Taba eventually promoted Tokashiki to 6th and 7th Dan.
On 7 July 2012 Kensei Taba died two days after his 79th birthday.
Tokashiki was graded to 8th Dan in 2013 by Tsuyoshi Tamaki.
Tokashiki’s Naha dojo eventually became the Hombu in Okinawa for the Shogen Ryu Karatedo Association.
Tokashiki’s dojo is open to all, regardless of style. His primary aim is to teach the traditional Karate he learned from his teachers, Shosine Nagamine and Kensei Taba, to a new generation of students, thus preserving the knowledge of Okinawan Karate.
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