The History of the Development of Okinawan People in Hawaii (布哇沖繩県人発展史) – 1941

Actually, I was the first westener who probably read the book in whole detail and some important news will be soon published !!!!

I completely analyse the recent book, about Okinawan Immigration to Hawaii. And I found so many nice details. It’s time to complete the puzzle to publish the article in the near future.

But the big names are missed… also missed are names like „Kawakami“ and „Kawamae“ …

stay tuned !!!

(middle) Mr. Miyagi Chôjuns Hawaiian journey !!!

How expensive is historic Karate research?

Actually, I don’t keep track of the money I’ve spent on all my historic Karate books, as I’ve been collecting them for over 17 years. For example, the Okinawa Karate Kobudō Jiten is currently listed for ¥39,999 (without shipping) as of April 13, 2024. Also, consider the Uechi-ryū Blue book, which typically sells for around ¥100,000 (excluding shipping). These are just two examples; there are many more needed to gain a comprehensive understanding.

Visiting a library, such as the Okinawa Prefecture Library, is free of charge. However, each paper copy costs ¥10. While not prohibitively expensive, serious research requires substantial time beforehand to know what to copy. This preparation can consume a lot of time and detract from a regular vacation trip.

Interviews with Karate Masters are usually free, but transportation to reach them isn’t. If I stay in Naha and want to interview a Karate Master in Chatan or Okinawa City, I need a car or taxi. If I opt for a car, I must translate my overseas driver’s license into Japanese, which incurs both a cost and time investment.

In conclusion, conducting outstanding historic Karate research isn’t free. It requires a significant financial investment. It’s important to remember that when someone offers their time to share information, it should be met with respect. Real researchers invest considerable time and money to acquire the information.

Simply sitting on a chair and typing a few words on a smartphone shouldn’t be mistaken for genuine research; it essentially relies on someone else’s goodwill, without the individual investing their own money.

Back from Japan

I’ve been back since last Wednesday, back from my research trip to Japan.

Before, I went a lot to Japan, but this trip was something special for me. Our main topic this time was Karate research. It took us a lot of preparation before we started our trip – we prepared more than ten interviews, made a copy list for the prefecture library, and so on.

After we arrived in Okinawa, it took us a few days to prepare everything in more detail. With the help of „Skype,“ we fixed lose dates into fixed dates and started our interview series in Okinawa.

We hope to publish mostly each of them in the future.

My actual research trip !!!

After I published my first Karate article in „Gekkan Hiden“ magazine, I think it‘s time to announce my 2nd article. It‘s a continuation of the first article, and will describe a commonly unknown karate area in much more detail.

At the same time, I also collected a lot of information for a 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th article. And of course, with the help of my wife – I did a lot of interviews with Karate masters – each of them will deliver a lot of unknown information and they helped me already a lot in my understanding of Karate.

Okinawa 2024 !!!

The Year 2024 !!!

After finally publishing my first article (in Japanese) and also publishing my first book (in German), the year 2023 wasn’t so bad. I also luckily passed my next examination in Okinawa Kobudō. I hope that 2024 will be more successful (finger crossed) … up to 4 articles are in preparation, and at least two books about Japanese Martial Arts history in Germany are in the works … Let’s train, study, read and grow.