• FOUNDERS / BIOGRAPHY
TOMOYOSE RYURYU
Tomoyose Ryuryu was born on Okinawa in 1874. As many Okinawans at that time he immigrated in 1923 to mainland Japan, to Wakayama near Osaka, because of the economic situation. He got a job in the factory for cotton refinement "Shitaku." There he met (1924) Uechi Kanbun. Very soon the two of them became good friends, very often visited each other and had discussions on an inexhaustible Martial Arts theme.
Uechi Kanbun officially started to teach Tomoyose Ryuryu in January 1925. Ryuryu was a devoted practitioner under Kanbun sensei and proved to be highly talented and studious.
Considering that their relationship was much more then that between a sensei and a student, Tomoyose Ryuryu reassured Kanbun that it would be a loss if his Martial Art vanished with him and asked Kanbun sensei to accept as students some of other Okinawans. Uechi Kanbun sensei was accepted this idea and founded his own DOJO in November 1926.
Tomoyose Ryuryu was promoted to the title of SHIHAN on 14 January 1940 by Uechi Kanbun sensei. Five years later (on 14 January 1945) Kanbun sensei promoted Tomoyose Ryuryu to the title of HANSHI (to the rank of 10 DAN).
When Kanbun sensei returned to Okinawa, Tomoyose Ryuryu continued to run his DOJO in Wakayama. He had several students and among them was Koto Sanki.
About a year before his death (on 11 June 1959), Tomoyose Ryury sensei promoted Uechi Kanei (the oldest Kanbun’s son) to the title of HANSHI.
Tomoyose Ryuryu died in 1960.
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