Motobu Chōki was an Okinawan karate master and founder of Motobu-ryū. He was born into a branch of the Ryukyuan royal family, and at the age of 12, he and his older brother Motobu Chōyū were invited by Ankō Itosu to be taught karate.
Motobu Chōki
Illustration depicting a match between Motobu Chōki and a foreign boxer
Motobu Chōki performing kakidi (1926)
Motobu Udun Tomb Inner Yard
Motobu-ryū (本部流) is a karate school founded in 1922 by Motobu Chōki from Okinawa. Its official name is Nihon Denryū Heihō Motobu Kenpō, or Motobu Kenpō for short. Motobu-ryū has the characteristics of koryū karate, the martial art known as tī or tōdī, which predates the birth of modern karate, and emphasizes kumite rather than kata.
Motobu-ryū in 1926.
Motobu Chōki performing kakidi (1926)
Students of Motobu Front row(l-r):Yamada, Ohtsuka, Konishi, Ueshima. (1938)