Also known as

Description

Okinawan martial arts master (1860-1930), grandson and student of Matsumura Sōkon who continued the Matsumura family style of Shorin-ryu karate; his only student was his nephew Hohan Sōken, to whom he passed his menkyo kaiden.

Teachers (1)

• 
  Matsumura Sōkon

  linkShuri-te 3

  Confirmed

  EN Wikipedia states Nabe Matsumura was the grandson of Matsumura Sōkon and was privileged to extremely thorough training from his grandfather in the family style; corroborated by Soken's own 1978 interview (primary: Sokon left the 'hands' of his teachings to Nabe) and the Moerfelden lineage page (Nabe as successor and heir)

  expand_morefact_checkassessed by FSMverified

  Frederico Muñoz

  Researcher, Martialis

  3 sources

  fact_check

  EN Wikipedia states Nabe Matsumura was the grandson of Matsumura Sōkon and was privileged to extremely thorough training from his grandfather in the family style; corroborated by Soken's own 1978 interview (primary: Sokon left the 'hands' of his teachings to Nabe) and the Moerfelden lineage page (Nabe as successor and heir)

  assessed by FSMverified

  Frederico Muñoz

  Researcher, Martialis

  "Being related to Sōkon meant that Nabe was privileged to extremely thorough training from his grandfather in the family's style, as well as the secret White Crane system that was only taught to immediate family members."

  — Nabe Matsumura - Wikipedia (EN). Wikipedia (English)linkinfo

  "When Bushi Matsumura died he left the "hands" of his teachings to my uncle, who was his grandson, Matsumura Nabe... My uncle only learned from Bushi Matsumura and only taught me what he had learned."

  — Estrada, Ernie. (1978). Interview with Hohan Soken: The Last of the Great Old-Time Karate Warriors, Part 1. FightingArts.com linkinfo

  "One of his best and closest was his grandson Nabe Matsumura (1860-1930), who is also considered the successor of Bushi Matsumura and thus heir to the Matsumura Shorin Ryu... For that reason his nephew Hohan Soken was probably his only long-time student."

  — Lineage of the Masters - Okinawa Karate Moerfelden linkinfo

Students (1)

• 
  Soken Hōhan

  linkShorin-ryu 3

  Confirmed

  EN Wikipedia states Soken was the nephew of Nabe Matsumura and began karate training at 13 under his uncle; corroborated by Soken's own 1978 interview with Ernie Estrada (student from around 1902-1903) and the Alexander article (age 13, 1902, his uncle's only student)

  (1902)

  expand_morefact_checkassessed by FSMverified

  Frederico Muñoz

  Researcher, Martialis

  4 sources

  fact_check

  EN Wikipedia states Soken was the nephew of Nabe Matsumura and began karate training at 13 under his uncle; corroborated by Soken's own 1978 interview with Ernie Estrada (student from around 1902-1903) and the Alexander article (age 13, 1902, his uncle's only student)

  assessed by FSMverified

  Frederico Muñoz

  Researcher, Martialis

  "He was the nephew of Nabe Matsumura... He began karate training at 13 under his uncle. Matsumura taught him several kata... and finally at age 23, Hakutsuru."

  — Hohan Sōken - Wikipedia (EN). Wikipedia (English) linkinfo

  "I became a student of my uncle around 1902 or 1903 and learned the original methods of Uchinan Sui-di, as it was then called... When Bushi Matsumura died he left the "hands" of his teachings to my uncle, who was his grandson, Matsumura Nabe. My mother was Nabe-tanmei's sister."

  — Estrada, Ernie. (1978). Interview with Hohan Soken: The Last of the Great Old-Time Karate Warriors, Part 1. FightingArts.com linkinfo

  "Master Soken began training in karate at age thirteen in 1902 under his Uncle Nabe Matsumura... My uncle had only one student, and that was me."

  — Alexander, George W.. Hohan Soken: The Life of a Grand Masterlinkinfo

  "祖堅方範は12歳頃より母の兄で伯父であるナビータンメー（翁）に唐手（現・空手）を師事した。"

  — 祖堅方範 - Wikipedia (JA). Wikipedia (Japanese) linkinfo

Sources