Dear WMKA Members,
The Covid-19 pandemic is still hurting many people around the world. I hope you are not affected too much by it and doing well in your daily life where you live.
Almost 24 years has passed from the time that Founder Shoshin Nagamine passed away. As is well known, O’Sensei Nagamine started Karate-do when he was 17 years old and was trained by Ankichi Arakaki Sensei at 19 years old, Chotoku Kyan Sensei at 26 years old and Choki Motobu Sensei at 31 years old. They were known as Grandmasters of Sui-di (Shuri-te) and Tumai-di (Tomari-te). In 1940, the Dainihon Butoku-kai conferred Okinawa’s first Karate-do Renshi to O’sensei Nagamine.
O’Sensei Shoshin Nagamine established WMKA at 1947 in order to promote and spread the credo and lessons preserved by Sokon Matsumura (Sui-di: Shuri-te) and Kosaku Matsumora (Tumai-di: Tomari-te). More than 25,000 people in more than 30 countries are practicing Matsubayashi-ryu Karate around the world. In addition, O’Sensei researched Okinawa Karate from historic and academic aspects, and published articles as a researcher worldwide. Therefore, he was known as a “Researcher of Okinawa Karate”.
Following the aftermath of WWII, due to O’Sensei’s contribution to Okinawa’s Karate-do organizations, he was inducted as Vice Chairperson of the Okinawa Karate-do Association in 1961 and subsequently the first Chairperson of Okinawa-ken Karate-do Federation in 1981.
In 1997, O’Sensei was recognized as Okinawa’s first Intangible Cultural Property Holder of “Okinawa’s Karate and Kobudo” by the Okinawa Prefectural Government. On Karate-day of October 2016, 3,945 Karate practitioners performed “Fukyugata Ichi” for a Guinness Record, The kata which is loved by many practitioners was created by O’Sensei and was certified by Okinawa-ken Karate-do Committee in 1941.
O’Sensei passed away on 2nd November 1997 with the words “まだ足らぬ 鍛えこなして あの世まで” in Japanese “Mada Taranu Kitae kona-shite Anoyo made”, which means “Not enough yet, continue training to the heaven”. The WMKA is planning to establish a special monument in honor of O’Sensei’s achievements and to preserve his legacy for future generations.
We hope that the new corona virus vaccination will bring the world back to our daily lives with peace of mind and we can meet in Okinawa at Commemorative Ceremony in due time. Thank you very much for your cooperation,
Sincerely Yours,
Yoshitaka Taira, President of WMKA
Chairperson of Executive Committee to establish monument for Shoshin Nagamine
Payment guidance of fundraising for Monument in honor of Founder Shoshin Nagamine
We humbly request the cooperation of WMKA Dojo owners around the world in helping to
fundraise from their dojo students and personally contribute if possible to this special monument and dedication of our Grandmaster O’Sensei Shoshin Nagamine.
- Donation: Minimum payment unit is Japanese 5,000 yen. Donors who contribute more than 50,000 yen will be engraved on the monument as a sizable donor. Please accept the burden of the transaction fee as an additional aspect of the donation. We are asking the donation only from the current WMKA members around the world.
２．Payment Methods:
A. To be available soon through PayPal–details to follow
B. Additional methods of payment to be announced.
3. Period of Fundraising: by September 30, 2021
4. Contact person; Tetsuo MAKISHI
1-5-6 Maejima Naha-City, Okinawa 900-0016 Japan
Email address: my_aaadidas@yahoo.co.jp