enormous size and great physical strength. Growing into a strong and powerful lad himself, Sakuma’s size rivaled that of his hero and role model, and, so too, did he try to develop his own skills in the image of the great Makabe Chaan. Because of Sakuma’s long arms and legs, and light but powerful body, he, like Makabe, was able to develop great leaping skills.
LAW AND ORDER IN THE CASTLE TOWN OF OLD SHURI
The Satsuma overlords maintained island tranquillity by force. This was accomplished by ensuring that local territorial administrators adhered to severe routine policies. Moreover, the Satsuma rearranged the class system in an effort to control the family lineages of the kemochi, and established an official department to record such information. However, together with the cumulative effects of feudalism, their efforts proved ineffective. It was during this time that King Shoko composed his satirical poem.
Poem:
Kamishimuya tsumete nakaya kuratatete
ubaitoru uchiyu usamigurisha
Shoko-O (King Shoko, 1787-1833)
Translation:
How poor and frugal both the upper and lower classes are now, in spite of a flourishing middle class. Ruling, during these unstable times, is so difficult.
Interpretation:
Kamishimuya refers to both the upper- and lower-classes of Okinawan people, while nakaya refers to the middle class. Composed by King Shoko, the poem aptly describes the dwindling condition of the kingdom, and his melancholy.
Responsible for the economic supervision of his own estate, Makabe Chaan was very familiar with the actual financial management of the upper class. It is said that because of Makabe’s shrewd business talent his family was able to survive and prosper, in spite of the government’s unstable financial circumstances. Yet, in the midst of a dwindling economy, Makabe Chaan was still known as the most outstanding bushi of his time. It is even said that the Satsuma bureaucrats recognized Makabe Chaan as Okinawa’s foremost bushi.
Although the old castle town of Shuri seemed to be a relatively peaceful place in which to travel, Satsuma magistrates often had stones hurled at them, and were sometimes attacked in the dark of night. Every time an incident of this nature occurred, the finger of blame was pointed towards men like Makabe. For even though he may not have been the actual culprit, Satsuma officials suspected that anyone brave enough to attempt such a thing must have been trained by someone like Makabe.
In spite of his innocence, Makabe was discouraged and told his family: “The purpose of bujutsu is not to compete with other people, but for training all aspects of oneself. I regret having competed with so many people in the past just to prove a point. As a man sows, so shall he also reap.” It is said that from that time forth, Makabe never took on another student.
According to his official resume, when Makabe was between forty and fifty years old he journeyed once to Fuzhou, China, and twice to Edo (the old name for Tokyo), on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It was expected that men like Makabe Chaan, “the scholar/warrior/diplomat,” would one day become powerful leaders for the Ryukyu government. However, Makabe Chaan passed away during the reign of Shoko-O, at the relatively young age of fifty-five years.
Shoko-O, the nineteenth century reclusive composer king, is perhaps better remembered for the artistic masterpieces he left behind than for his political ambivalence. Because of his reclusive preoccupation with music and poetry within the walls of the royal sanctuary, Shoko-O later became known as “Boochi-usuu,” the monk king.
Foreign ships appeared with increasing frequency in Okinawan waters during the reign of Shoko-O. Such sights indicated the beginning of the end of the Ryukyu Kingdom. The poem written by Shoko-O appears to reflect his anxiety over the turbulent changing social conditions of his time.
Since olden times in the Ryukyu Kingdom, Okinawans have adhered to the spiritual ritual of washing the bones of departed family members and airing out the O-hakka (family tomb) three and seven years after a death. In the case of Makabe Choken, we know that the date, October, 1829, indicating one of the dates his bones were washed, is inscribed on the vessel which contains his remains. Since the washing of bones is a custom performed three and seven years after one’s death, one might safely conclude that Makabe died in either 1823 or 1827. Living until the age of fifty-five, it is further reasoned that he was born in either 1769 or 1773. If these calculations are correct, then it would seem that Makabe lived about two centuries ago.
In 1772, during the ongoing Satsuma oppression, an enormous tsunami (tidal wave) hit Miyako and Yaeyama in the Ryukyu Archipelago, taking the lives of many people. Yet, in spite of this terrifying act of God, and the taxing circumstances under the iron hand of the Satsuma, the soul of the Ryukyu people never diminished.
It was during this period of great social adversity that the spirit of the Ryukyu bushi, now referred to as “karate spirit,” was profoundly embraced, further cultivated, and vigorously perpetuated. Surfacing as the most celebrated bushi of that burdensome era was “Tobitori” (the flying bird) Makabe Chaan, the first hero in the annals of Okinawan karate-do.
Chapter 2
TO-TE SAKUGAWA KANGA:
THE GENERAL OF GREAT LEARNING,
WISDOM, AND COURAGE
TRAVEL TO CHINA, DETENTION IN BEIJING
To-te Sakugawa’s birth name was Teruya Chikudon Peichin Kanga. He was born in Shuri in 1782. After examining the old island records of Yaeyama’s judicial office, Nagamine Shoshu, a Ryukyu historian living in Shuri’s Kanagusuku district, imparted the following information to me. When Kanga was fifty-four years old, he became an official in Yaeyama by the order of the Ryukyu Kingdom, and was given the name of Sakugawa because of his great achievements. According to the family lineage survey carried out by Sakugawa Kantei, a descendant of the great master, To-te Sakugawa was a ninth-generation descendent of Urazoe Uekata Kuan’an, and came from the Eki Clan.
To-te Sakugawa.
Alternative suppositions suggest that Sakugawa was first sent to Yaeyama while still in his thirties to became the chief registrar of the island. This theory maintains that because of his accomplishments in Yaeyama, he received the name “Sakugawa of Nakagusuku District.” If this were true, then it would seem that Teruya changed his family name to Sakugawa in his thirties rather than in his fifties. However, I feel more secure supporting the evidence from the official records of Yaeyama, than trusting folklore.
Sakugawa Kantei’s information also revealed that Kanga was born across the lane from Kougibo Sokuhoku’s home, the residence which once faced Osumiza Street, in Shuri, between Torihori and Akata. However, all that remains of that district these days is an empty space used as a parking lot.
The birthplace of To-te Sakugawa.
Shortly before the Americans returned control of Okinawa to Japan, I heard about an old man from Shuri’s Ishimine district by the name of Sakugawa who knew many stories about To-te Sakugawa. One day, together with my student, Shinjo Kiyoshi, I visited Sakugawa’s house.
Old man Sakugawa described To-te Sakugawa as an exceptionally strong and remarkably talented bujin who had trained since childhood. He also said that Sakugawa was intelligent and, much like Makabe Choken, had been expected since youth to advance as an important statesman for the Ryukyu Kingdom. However, it wasn’t until he was in his thirties that the Ryukyu Kingdom sent Sakugawa to China as a ryugakusei to enhance his physical and intellectual properties.
Having a basic understanding of Okinawa’s changing social matrix can improve a reader’s ability to evaluate the pressure of the Satsuma during the lifetime of To-te Sakugawa. In 1844, the French Warship, Alcmene, arrived in Okinawa, bringing a Catholic missionary named Forcade. Its appearance indicated that the Kingdom was beginning to yield to the demands of the outside world in spite of strict Satsuma