TOMARI-TE: THE PLACE OF THE OLD TODE

Fernando Portela Camara

The history of the Tomari-te

            Tomari-te is not a school or a style, but a tradition where the old Okinawa Tode-jutsu was preserved. Tomari was a place in the border of Naha area and was a sort of trade way to Shuri. Some katas originally found in Tomari area was adapted and introduced in Shorin and Goju styles. Our Association (Shoreijikan) has also a strong Tomari-te influence, because our master, Moritoshi Nakaema, is a descending from the grand Tomari-te master Seikichi Nakaema (1866-1932). Sensei Camara is he ichiban disciple of master Nakaema since 1965. Nakaema sensei has passed on his family system to sensei Camara and asked to him use the Nakaema-ha Tomari-te seal.

Many of the information for this article was obtained by oral tradition in my old dojo. Some oral tradition regards the mystical meaning of Tomari, hermetic symbols, magic banners and spells will be not mentioned here because they are private subject of my conversations with Sensei Nakaema. The master has his believes, especially about a curse cast on Tomari-te practitioners, the reason why he don’t teaches this karate to the public (I was his only private disciple in this modality). Master Nakaema teaches Okinawan karate to the public. Well, although I have a rational and positive education, I prefer taught Tomari-te also privately to some chosen students, as says the dictum “pero que las hay, las hay”.

Karate originated from Tode-jutsu, name that the Chinese Quan Fa took when it was introduced in Okinawa in the late 18^th or earlier 19^th Centuries. This Chinese martial art was introduced by Chinese merchants that settled down in Okinawa, by Chinese officials in diplomatic missions, and by the shizoku, youngs of wealthy families that went to China to improve their studies, culture, and also learn some martial arts, that in that times took part of education of noble Ryukyu class. These cultural exchanges continued until the last half of the 19^th Century.  

            Tode-jutsu was developed particularly in the cities of Shuri, old capital of the Ryukyu Kingdom, Naha, the current capital, and Tomari. Actually, what was practiced in Okinawa until the beginning of the 20^th was Chinese Quan Fa (Kung Fu). The modern karate began with a movement promoted by Itosu Ankoh to prepare physical and psychologically the students of the Junior and High Schools to serve the Japanese army. Tode-jutsu was strongly modified for this purpose, that is, to be teaching in large groups as physical and sporting practice, being removed all lethal aspects of this fighting method. Itosu followed the example of Jigoro Kano's modification of Ju-jutsu in Ju-do, and Tode-jutsu began to be called Karate-jutsu for emphasize that this new art was now Okinawan, and not Chinese. Later, when Karate/Tode was introduced into Japan, it started to integrate the disciplines of Budo and was known officially as Karate-Do. 

            With Itosu and Higashionna, karate become a civilian art of self-defense. The fall of the feudal structure of Okinawa and the unemployement of the chikundun Peichin class, leave these men to seek resources to their survival, and they become to teaching Tode or to work as body-guards.

            In the beginning of the 20^th century there was no styles in karate, so, the division of this martial arts in Shuri-te, Naha-te and Tomari-te was just geographical, to homage local masters.  

            The most famous masters from Tomari area were the chikundun peikin Kosaku Matsumora and Kokan Oyadomari. They were students from the masters Kishin Teruya (1804-1864) and Giko Uku (1800-1850). Teruya based his teachings on Passai, Rohai, and Wanshu, and Uku on Naifanchi. Tradition teaches us also that Matsumora and Oyadomari also learn Quan Fa from the Chinese masters Annan, a refugee hosted in Tomari. He said also that Matsumora was an expert in Jigen-ryu Jo-jutsu.

Matsumora and Oyadomari were close friends, and by this reason he exchanged kata and techniques, and each one ordered its students to workout with the another, so Tomari-te become a unique system.

            In that time Tode was an art for self-defense used also to maintain the good physical condition and to preserve health. In fact, this was the main reason for which the parents ordered their children to workout with a master. The masters taught in his house (there are not dojo in that age) by payment or friendship. There was not open class to the public, because fighting was forbidden as measure of keep the public order. The masters choose carefully their students because they were responsible for any problems that their students could cause to the people. In this way, Tode was taught in secrecy, and not too rarely a young feeling expert in Tode fighting, die or kill someone during a challenge in the street.  

            Tode-jutsu was part of the training of the imperial guard's members, but it was also spread among the civilians, particularly those of the nobleman and merchant classes that could pay to have instructions with a master. These were generally the chikundun peichin, persons entrusted of maintaining the public order and the law in the small kingdom of Ryukyu. With the extinction of the Okinawa’s Kingdom and its annexation to Japan as a prefecture, an unemployment crisis and poverty took care of Okinawa and some of these chikundun peichin began to teach Tode-jutsu to any people to get some money. The purpose continued being the same: self-defense, health, and philosophy, according to the Chinese tradition. 

The creation of the modern karate...

            With the end of feudal age Okinawa entered in a new society structure with mechanized armies and the modern polices. The old martial arts were no more necessary in this new world. Tode-jutsu, a secretive art that taught as to kill or mutilate with empty hands, was no more acceptable among the modern Okinawa citizens.

            Itosu and Higaonna substituted the old Tode-jutsu by a stylized physical education practice that would be known as Karate, a physical education method for recreation based in fighting imitation to promote the health, will discipline and the physical development. These two men knew the spirit of Meiji Age, which changed the feudal Japan in a modern and competitive society. The Jutsu was substituted by the Do.  

The lineage of the Tomari-te

            The masters of the Tomari-te best known in the century XIX was Kosaku Matsumora (1829-1898), Kokan Oyadomari (1827-1905), Gikei Yamazato (1835-1905), Gusukuma, Kinjo, Yamada, and Nakazato. All this masters taught a similar style because all of them trained into the same tradition. Tomari-te is based on the basic katas Naifanchi (I & II), Wanshu (or Semun), Rohai (or Lohan), and old Passai (know as Oyadomari-no-Passai). All these kata is based in lateral sliding, differing from Shorin style in this particular. Others katas are Seisan, Juma (a sort of Sanchin in ten steps), Chinto, Jitte, Chinpei, Chinsu, Uenibu and some others. Original Rohai is not the current “Matsumura-Rohai”, but a kata very similar to the Itosu version known as “Rohai Shodan”.  

            Matsumora was the master of Toguchi "one eyed", Kama Higa, Maeda "Peichin" and Kodatsu Higa. Kokan Oyadomari passed the system to his two  sons, Kotsu and Konin, and to Seikichi Nakaema, besides many others. From the school of these two grand masters, came Chojin Kuba, Seiyu Nakazone, Gisei Maeda, Seikichi Hokama, Giki Yamazato (1866-1946), son of Gikei Yamazato, Koho Kuba (1870-1928), Ankichi Aragaki (1900-1928), Chotoku Kyan, and Kodatsu Iha (1873-1928). Gichin Funakoshi was exposed to Tomari-te, too. He was designed to be a school teachers in Tomari for some years, and there he would get his Wanshu (Enpi), Rohai (Meikkyo) and Seisan (Hangetsu). Motobu Choki was also associated to Tomari-te tradition and the first master to reveal the katas Rohai and Wanshu.

            A very well-known history in Okinawa confirmed by several sources teaches that the successor of Annan was Kosaku Matsumora. A little before coming back to China, Anan gave to Matsumora a parchment with a drawing of a woman in a fighting posture holding a pine tree branch in one of the hands. According this tradition, that symbol resume the secret of the Tomari-te school.  Now, this symbol attests a transmission from master to disciple, a succession, being a type of diploma. But, what means this symbol, what does it transmit? The woman means lightness, cunning, an agility, that is a light style, full of esquives and feints. She is the spirit of the school and represents the Yin principle that must balance the Yang masculine power. The pine tree branch represents the transmission of the knowledge through generations, and symbolizes full knowledge and ability in the style. 

Tomari-te Principles and Style

The principles:

1. Our bodies as given us by our parents and it are kept by the Mercy. We must respect this gift keeping our bodies healthy and this is the first purpose of Tode practice. 

2. There are 108 big stars in the sky, so there are an equal number of steps found at the 36 wazas. (NOTE: in the old Chinese/Japanese stellar map there were 108 stars of alpha-magnitude).

3. The Moon visit 28 houses when she travels around the 12 countries of heaven, and in each house she awake a warrior, and each warrior kill a type of demon and heal a type of hurt according the time.

4. To be between Ten (the heaven) and Chi (the Earth) you need touch the ground just with one leg (ippondachi), like the Wind.

5. All that have a body is building from cinnabar, oil and salt. If you know how to keep these three together, you can restore your body with Tode. If you know how separate the cinnabar, you will have the lethal secret of Tode.

The style:

1. You cannot to learn Tomari-te if you don’t know how put your center of mass on the correct position and build a correct posture. If your center is not stable, your Tode is weak.

2. The training stance is Hachimonji-dachi and Naifanchi-dachi. This later were trained on a thick tree’s trunk laid own on the ground. Students learn to fight side to side on this trunk to get balance and stability.   

3. Old kata versions were light, quick and acrobatic. 

4. The current seiken, with the all turned fist, was not used because it exposes the back of the hand that is very vulnerable (a Uraken in this area is very painful and cause palsy). The characteristic punch of Tode-jutsu was vertical, in a posture naturally aligned with the opponent's center. (NOTE: Apparently this style of punching was preserved by Shimabukuro Tatsuo, the founder of Isshim-ryu, a Tomari-te derivative style.)

5. Never left the adversary attack you directly, jump to the side and counter-attack at the same time. Train “jump of the live coal” to strengthen your legs and get “feet’s wings” and maser the one leg stance.

6. Search as open the opponent's attack with age to destroy his center. 

7. Never left our center unprotected, and when attacking do it closing your center.

8. Makiwara is the secret to get power (atifa), at same time the regular makiwara practice will be the better medicine to keep the health, strengthen the will, and cure debilitated youngs.

END