| There's going to be a lot of opinions on who was | | | | Motobu eventually made his way to Japan, where |
| the toughest Master of Karate, but Motobu | | | | some Karate instructors were earning a living |
| certainly deserves consideration. He was one of | | | | teaching. Motobu being a rough character, and not |
| the first instructors to teach that martial art | | | | succeeding at business, signed up to fight in a |
| outside of Okinawa, and he is responsible for the | | | | 'Judo v Boxing' match. He was fifty-two years old |
| fame and notoriety that resulted in the spread of | | | | the night he stepped into the prize fight ring, and |
| Karate through Japan. Interestingly, this 'George | | | | he was about to change Karate for all time. |
| Washington' of Karate is not a commonly known | | | | His opponent is said to have been a Russian |
| figure. | | | | strongman. Strong or not, Motobu is said to have |
| Motobu was born in 1870, and descended from | | | | closed with one single punch, and put the fellow |
| the royal lineage of Okinawa. As the third son, he | | | | down for the count. People were astounded at |
| was actually not supposed to study the | | | | this feat, and newspapers gave the event |
| combative arts, but that seemed to make him | | | | coverage, and here is where the story gets |
| want to study all the more. He spent much time | | | | interesting. |
| hitting the makiwara, lifting heavy objects, and | | | | The newspapers didn't have a picture of the |
| training however he could. | | | | winner, so they published the only image they did |
| Eventually, because of his tremendous agility, he | | | | have, which was of a young fellow name of |
| became known as Motobu the Monkey. He also | | | | Gichin Funokoshi. That's right, 'The Monkey' |
| gained a reputation as a fierce, though unschooled | | | | knocked the strongman out, but his fellow |
| (savage?) street fighter. Though he was looked | | | | countryman, and competitor, Gichin Funokoshi, got |
| down upon for his street fighting, instructors took | | | | the credit. Thus, Shotokan was spread around the |
| him on as a student, presumably because of his | | | | world, and our hero went home. |
| royal birth. | | | | Motobu, brawler and roughneck, is responsible for |
| His instructors read like a Who's Who of early | | | | the spread of Karate throughout the world. He |
| Naha Te. Among his many instructors were Anko | | | | was a karateka of tremendous punching power, |
| Itosu, Sokon Matsumura, Sakuma Pechin, Kosaku | | | | and he founded the Motobu Ryu Karate system. |
| Matsumora, and Tokumine Pechin. This would be | | | | People may have forgotten about him, but they |
| like somebody who studied under Gichin | | | | shouldn't, for he is definitely in the running for |
| Funakoshi, Morihei Uyeshiba, Bruce Lee and Ed | | | | toughest Karate Master of all time. |
| Parker. | | | | |