Taira Shinken

Taira Shinken

Taira Shinken was born in 1897 on Kume Island in Okinawa. As a young man, Taira Sensei worked in the Sulfur mines in Minamijima. He suffered a badly broken leg when he was trapped in a mine shaft collapse. His leg was permanently damaged and pained him the rest of his life. In 1922 he was introduced to Funakoshi Ginchin, a fellow Okinawan and Karate instructor. In 1929, Taira Sensei began his studies of Ryukyu Kobudo under Yabiku Moden Sensei. In 1932 Taira Sensei began to teach Karatedo and Kobudo. In 1933, Taira Sensei was introduced by Funakoshi Sensei to Mabuni Kenwa and became one of his students. In 1955 he established the Ryukyu Kobudo Hozon Shinkokai, to promote the Ancient Okinawan Martial Arts as passed down to him by so many great masters. Taira Shinken Sensei is credited with bringing together many of the Okinawan's oldest and most prominent weapons traditions into one comprehensive system of weaponry training. Taira Shinken died in 1970.