Nishihira Kosei

Nishihira Kosei

Historical photo of Nishihira Kosei
Born (1942-06-10)June 10, 1942
Okinawa
Died May 14, 2007(2007-05-14) (aged 64)
Nishihara, Okinawa
Style Shorin Ryu Matsumura Seitō Karate Kobudō
Teacher(s) Hohan Sōken
Notable students Giuseppe Meloni, Ricky Rose, Ted Lange

Kosei Nishihira (10 June 1942 — 14 May 2007) was an Okinawan martial arts master of Shōrin-ryū Matsumura Seitō Karate and Kobudō.

Biography

Kosei Nishihira was born on the 10th of June 1942 in a small village close to Yonabaru, south of Okinawa, in Japan. From the age of fifteen,[1] he studied the “orthodox” karate style known as Shōrinryū Matsumura Seitō Karate[2][3] with Master Hohan Sōken.[4][5]

The style Nishihira was taught was very difficult, and only handed down to a very few, carefully selected[6][7] “uchi-deshi” (internal students).[8][9] Some external students from Japan and United States of America were also taught but without some of the techniques and training considered too dangerous for general use.

At the age of thirty, he married the daughter of an Okinawan kobudō expert and had two sons. He opened a "bentoyasan" shop (lunch box caterer) in Nishihara, close to his “Sensei” Hohan Soken’s house and despite his busy working days, practiced karate with commitment and passion. His diligence and commitment led to a close relationship with his Master Soken, so much that Nishihira used to call him “Tan-mei” (little uncle).[6][7] Nishira remained close to Grand Master Soken right up until Soken’s death, taking care of him in his old age.

During his life, Nishihira often had to challenge much stronger opponents who he eventually managed to overcome thanks to his Grand Master Soken’s strict training. He was perfectly aware of the effectiveness of his techniques and had no need to create a different style.

Although he maintained a low profile for many years, Kosei Nishihira became a Grand Master, internationally recognized as the heir of Karate Matsumura Seito of Grand Master Soken.[10][11] Thanks to his humble and reserved behaviour,[12] he was faithful to his Master’s desire not to openly promote his style but rather to only hand the style down to the worthiest of students. His commitment to this paradigm was such that his neighbours were not aware he was a world-renowned karateka.

Nishihira Kosei Sensei continue training until May 14, 2007, when, at the age of 64, he died.

Several karate masters in the world now claim to have been Master Nishihira’s students but before dying, Master Nishihira only recognised a small handful of masters as his students, namely Giuseppe Meloni (representative for Europe), Ricky Rose (U.S.), Theodore Lange (Australia) and Richard Boyden. Both Ricky Rose and Theodore Lange were also students of Master Soken Hohan.[13]

Bibliography

References

  1. ↑ Paolo Vaccaro, "Shorin Ryu Matsumura Seito Karate – La vita dei maestri ieri e oggi", Gruppo Editoriale L'Espresso Spa, 2011 - page 66
  2. ↑ Shoshin Nagamine, "Tales of Okinawa's Great Masters", ed. Tuttle Publishing, 2000
  3. ↑ Mark Bishop, "Okinawan Karate: Teachers, Styles and Secret Techniques", ed. Tuttle Publishing, 1990
  4. ↑ Ronald L. Lindsey, "Okinawa no bushi no te", ed. R R Enterprises, 2011 - page 168
  5. ↑ Tetsuhiro Hokama, "Karate Site Guidance", ed. Budovideos, 2003 - page 23
  6. 1 2 Paolo Vaccaro, "Shorin Ryu Matsumura Seito Karate – La vita dei maestri ieri e oggi", Gruppo Editoriale L'Espresso Spa, 2011 - page 68
  7. 1 2 http://suikenbugeikai.com/dojo.htm Suiken Bugei Kai - search for "Kosei Nishihira" in "History"
  8. ↑ Hohan Soken's notable student
  9. ↑ Ronald L. Lindsey, "Okinawa no bushi no te", ed. R R Enterprises, 2011 - page 169
  10. ↑ Paolo Vaccaro, "Shorin Ryu Matsumura Seito Karate – La vita dei maestri ieri e oggi", Gruppo Editoriale L'Espresso Spa, 2011 - page 61 and 63
  11. ↑ http://www.worldbudokan.com/Articles/HohanSoken.htm Hohan Soken - The Life of a Grand Master
  12. ↑ http://suikenbugeikai.com/dojo.htm
  13. ↑ http://www.rogersheldon.com/Shinseido/Resource_pages/Pages%20on%20website/Shinseido%20and%20Shorin%20Ryu.htm About Shinseido Shorin Ryu: The Way Born of Truth and Reality
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