KaraTe Do Sanka

The music that you can start by clicking on the audio start button at top right of this site, under the about me section, is called the KaraTe Do Sanka. That is Nihon Go = Japanese language, for the karate song. It was written by the late Grand Master, Soshin Nagamine who founded the MatsuBayashi ShoRin Ryu style. An interesting note on Nagamine, is that he, along with GoJu Ryu founder Grand Master Chojun Miyagi, created the GekiSai kata. The two of them were in the process of introducing KaraTe into the Okinawa public school system, and developed the form in order for the young students to have an initial rudimentary set of moves that they could easily understand. Of course Miyagi later developed the GekiSai Dai Ni kata, and much later began developing the GekiSai Dai San, which he unfortunately passed away before completing. Fortunately, GekiSai Dai San was completed by his student, the late Grand Master, Seikichi Toguchi, founder of ShoreiKan GoJu Ryu. We practice Gekisai Dai San in my ShobuDo GoJu Jitsu system, as taught to me by Dai Sensei, Kow Loon "Kayo" Ong, founder of Chi I Do.

THE ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF THE SONG:

Ah, beautiful islands of sunlight,

And the color of the sea,

The proud fighting spirit of the Islanders

and the empty handed Sword of Justice.

Training spirit and training body

Ah, this is Okinawan Karate-do!

O, but if an enemy should happen to attack us,

and the method of courtesy prove to no avail,

if he should cut our flesh with his iron weapon,

even then we will punch through to his bones.

Courtesy and defense together

This is Okinawan Karate-do!

O! Ever since the mythical ancestry of Japan,

the bell of peace has been ringing continually in Okinawa.

The way of courtesy and the five bodily weapons of Karate together,

to make a straight character and good Etiquette,

This is Okinawan Karate-do!