Martial Arts Of The World - Webs

Sensei Ty Yocham of the Texas Okinawan Gôjû Kai Federation deflects an upward cut of the sword with the eku
(boat oar). (Courtesy of Ron Mottern)
bushi of the Ryûkyûs, he be allowed to practice te before his death. His request
was granted, and he was released from his bonds, whereupon Jana
performed a series of te exercises. When he had completed his forms, two
executioners approached him to fulfill the death sentence, but before they
could bind him, Jana grabbed the guards and plunged into the vat of boiling
oil. The bodies of the men floated to the top of the vat and, resembling
three linked commas, began to swirl in a counterclockwise direction. The
linked comma symbol is known as the hidari gomon (outside karate systems,
this symbol is commonly labeled tomoemon or tomoe), and it was
adopted as the crest of the Ryûkyû royal family out of admiration for Jana
Ueekata’s act of loyalty to the king and devotion to Okinawa.
The close relationship between Ryûkyû royalty and the art of te is
also evidenced in the position of the Motobu Udun government as te instructors
of the royal court. The Motobu Udun lineage traces its roots to
Prince Shô Koshin, sixth son to King Shô Shitsu, who ruled under the Satsuma
from 1648 until 1668. Eleven successive generations of the Motobu
Udun inherited the art of te and passed that knowledge on to the Ryûkyû
royal line. Motobu Chôyû, who died in 1926, was the last in the Motobu
Udun line and te instructor of the Marquis Shô Ten. It is also interesting
to note that the epitome of te is contained in the Anji Kata no Me (Dance
Okinawa 365