Chinen Masami

知念正美
Japan
Born 1898, Okinawa Prefecture
Died 1976, Okinawa City
12.4

Also known as

Masami Chinen · ちねん まさみ

Description

Okinawan martial arts master (1898-1976), a former policeman who formed the Yamani-ryu bojutsu school and taught bojutsu privately at his home in Tobaru, Shuri; possibly studied karate under Chōjun Miyagi; students included Chōgi Kishaba and Chōkei Kishaba.

Teachers (2)

  • Chinen Sanra
    sports_martial_artsOkinawan Kobudō Probable
    Probable
    EN Wikipedia states Chinen formed Yamani-ryu and named it after Sanra Chinen, also a teacher of bojutsu - implying Sanra was his teacher; Motobu Naoki's article confirms Sanra as the Yamane-ryu founder and Masami (his grandson) as head of the family after the war.
    The evidence favours the claim and nothing credible contradicts it, but it falls short of establishing it.
    fact_checkassessed by FSMverified
    Frederico Muñoz
    Researcher, Martialis
    3 sources expand_more
    fact_check
    EN Wikipedia states Chinen formed Yamani-ryu and named it after Sanra Chinen, also a teacher of bojutsu - implying Sanra was his teacher; Motobu Naoki's article confirms Sanra as the Yamane-ryu founder and Masami (his grandson) as head of the family after the war.
    “Chinen named the style after his father Sanra Chinen who was also a teacher of Bōjutsu and known as Yamani Usumei and Yamane Tanmei.”
    — Masami Chinen - Wikipedia (EN). Wikipedia (English) link history info
    “知念翁は棒術の達人として名高い知念三良（ちねんさんら）のことである。[...]知念三良の棒術流派は山根流と呼ばれている。戦後は孫の知念正美が家元を務めていた。”
    — Motobu, Naoki. (2023). Forgotten Masters of Karate - Motobu Naoki (note.com)link info
    “Masami Chinen was the last member of the Chinen family to teach the art. Upon the death of Masami Chinen, the Chinen family passed the title of Soke [...] to his student, Chogi Kishaba”
    — Yamanni Chinen Ryu Kobujutsu - Houston Karate link history info
  • Miyagi Chōjun
    sports_martial_artsGoju-ryu Possible
    Possible
    Single hedged mention in the Haff interview with Toshihiro Oshiro ("studied Shuri style karate, I believe, and also some under Sensei Miyagi") - a step below a generic mention and retractable
    Some evidence points to the claim, but it is thin, indirect, or in unresolved conflict with other evidence.
    fact_checkassessed by FSMverified
    Frederico Muñoz
    Researcher, Martialis
    1 source expand_more
    fact_check
    Single hedged mention in the Haff interview with Toshihiro Oshiro ("studied Shuri style karate, I believe, and also some under Sensei Miyagi") - a step below a generic mention and retractable
    “My bo teacher was a direct student of Chojun Miyagi, the founder of Goju-Ryu. And his teacher, Masami Chinen, studied Shuri style karate, I believe, and also some under Sensei Miyagito understand stances, maybe footwork”
    — Haff, William H.. (2008). Interview with Sensei Toshihiro Oshiro: Yamanni Ryu - Bo-Jutsu of Okinawa. Oshiro Dojolink history info

Students (2)

  • Nakazato Shūgorō
    sports_martial_artsOkinawan Kobudō Probable
    Probable
    EN Wikipedia states Nakazato resumed bojutsu training in 1955 under Masami Chinen, with whom he stayed until 1958
    The evidence favours the claim and nothing credible contradicts it, but it falls short of establishing it.
    (1955–1958)
    fact_checkassessed by FSMverified
    Frederico Muñoz
    Researcher, Martialis
    1 source expand_more
    fact_check
    EN Wikipedia states Nakazato resumed bojutsu training in 1955 under Masami Chinen, with whom he stayed until 1958
    “In the same year, Nakazato resumed bojutsu training, this time under Seiro Tonaki's teacher's son, Masami Chinen, with whom he stayed until 1958.”
    — Shūgorō Nakazato - Wikipedia (EN). Wikipedia (English)link history info
  • Kishaba Chōgi
    sports_martial_artsOkinawan Kobudō Confirmed
    Confirmed
    EN Wikipedia article on Masami Chinen names Chōgi Kishaba as one of Chinen's students, the Haff interview with Toshihiro Oshiro independently calls him a direct student of Masami Chinen, and the Houston Karate page states the family passed the Soke title to him upon Chinen's death
    The evidence establishes the claim: it is sufficient and consistent, and any conflicting evidence is resolved.
    fact_checkassessed by FSMverified
    Frederico Muñoz
    Researcher, Martialis
    4 sources expand_more
    fact_check
    EN Wikipedia article on Masami Chinen names Chōgi Kishaba as one of Chinen's students, the Haff interview with Toshihiro Oshiro independently calls him a direct student of Masami Chinen, and the Houston Karate page states the family passed the Soke title to him upon Chinen's death
    “Another student of Chinen's, Chōgi Kishaba and his student Toshihiro Ōshiro also privately practised Yamani Ryu katas.”
    — Masami Chinen - Wikipedia (EN). Wikipedia (English) link history info
    “his brother, Chogi Kishaba, who was a direct student of Masami Chinen and is the only active instructor for Yamanni-Chinen Ryu bojutsu still teaching in Okinawa.”
    — Haff, William H.. (2008). Interview with Sensei Toshihiro Oshiro: Yamanni Ryu - Bo-Jutsu of Okinawa. Oshiro Dojolink history info
    “I believe there were other Yamanni-ryu instructors. They learned from Masami Chinen or his grandfather Sanda but I heard that only Kishaba sensei knows all the Yamanni-ryu katas.”
    — Tran, Dong. (2008). Oshiro Toshihiro: The Way of Yamanni-ryu. Oshiro Dojolink history info
    “Masami Chinen was the last member of the Chinen family to teach the art. Upon the death of Masami Chinen, the Chinen family passed the title of Soke [...] to his student, Chogi Kishaba, who had begun training with Chinen as a teenager and remained with him as a student until his death.”
    — Yamanni Chinen Ryu Kobujutsu - Houston Karate link history info

Sources

Masami Chinen - Wikipedia (EN). Wikipedia (English)link history info
Haff, William H.. (2008). Interview with Sensei Toshihiro Oshiro: Yamanni Ryu - Bo-Jutsu of Okinawa. Oshiro Dojolink history info
Masami Chinen - IKKF Masters Photo Gallerylink history info
Motobu, Naoki. (2023). Forgotten Masters of Karate - Motobu Naoki (note.com)link info
Yamanni Chinen Ryu Kobujutsu - Houston Karatelink history info

Identifiers

https://martial.is/entity/01KZBVW8NFCS8PS3RR0PDQ1936
Wikidata

Cite and reuse

CC BY-SA 4.0expand_more
Plain text
Muñoz, Frederico (YEAR_PLACEHOLDER). Chinen Masami. In Martialis: Martial Arts Lineage Database. https://martial.is/entity/01KZBVW8NFCS8PS3RR0PDQ1936 - CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed ACCESSED_DATE_PLACEHOLDER.
BibTeX
@incollection{martialis_01KZBVW8NFCS8PS3RR0PDQ1936, author = {Muñoz, Frederico}, title = {Chinen Masami}, booktitle = {Martialis: Martial Arts Lineage Database}, year = {YEAR_PLACEHOLDER}, url = {https://martial.is/entity/01KZBVW8NFCS8PS3RR0PDQ1936}, urldate = {ACCESSED_DATE_PLACEHOLDER}, note = {CC BY-SA 4.0} }
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