SENSEI: Masters of Okinawan Karate Series Two #5 - Morio Higaonna 沖縄空手 剛柔流 東恩納 盛男

Morio Higaonna, 東恩納 盛男, head of the Traditional Okinawa Goju Ryu Karate Do Federation (TOGKF), and an Intangible Cultural Asset Holder in the Field of Okinawan Karate and Martial Arts with Weaponry.

Once described as "the most dangerous man in Japan in a real fight" he is known for his extremely tough training and body conditioning. He is one of the elder statesmen of karate, and is pushing for Okinawan karate to be recognized by UNESCO. The interview took place at his dojo in Okinawa, Japan a couple of days before his 84th birthday with footage also recorded at the TOGKF Budosai in August 2023.

Video Notes
1) At the start of the interview he says in Japanese his age is 73, but he meant 83.

2) @13.54 the word he uses is yojinbukai (prudent) not yojinbo (bodyguard) Thanks Miguel da Luz for spotting this.

3) The additional story about the murder of his senpai Sutayacchi because of yakuza connections was unexpected. After the main interview had finished and we'd started taking down the equipment, he began to talk again. This is why you see a change in video style for the final conversation.

Enjoy the video and let us know in the comments what's your favorite piece of wisdom from the interview.

Sensei: Masters of Okinawan Karate is a documentary series about the amazing martial arts teachers living on Okinawa, the birthplace of karate. It is completely free to watch on YouTube, anywhere in the world! Series One has more than 1,000,000 views and a fan community of 30,000+ on Facebook.

Learn more about the project here and how you can help here:

https://travel67.com/the-karate-maste...

GOALS OF THE SERIES
1. Document the stories of Okinawan karate masters and their philosophy on life and their martial arts practice.
2. Record in the highest quality possible. Ideally 4K or 8K, RAW, multi camera, multi audio
3. Store the original data as an archival record.
4. Transcribe and translate the recordings to spread knowledge of Okinawan martial arts, history and culture.
5. Make the videos available for free online via YouTube, and on Bujin.tv so that anyone, anywhere can see them.
The documentary series grew out of the Karate Masters Portrait Project which began in 2012. The portrait project allowed amazing access to the sensei, but it was only Chris Willson and James Pankiewicz who got to hear their stories. The documentary series is a way for us to share that unique knowledge with the international karate community, and to archive aspects of Okinawan culture before they disappear.

If you can help sponsor or support this series like the awesome people listed below please get in touch!

SERIES TWO SPONSORS

Martin Pinto - Essex Goju Ryu Karate

Doug Perry - Okinawa Shorinryu Karate

Cezar Borkowski - Northern Karate Schools

NOVA Okinawan Karate Dojo

Seikichi Iha, Okinawa Prefectural Intangible Cultural Asset - Beikoku Shidokan Karatedo Association

Neil Stolsmark - Authentic Ancient Arts
Okinawa Kobudo Doushi Rensei Kai & Shorin- Ryu Shorinkan.

Zensekai Karate Kobujitsu Renmei / Oyata Preservation Foundation

Series Two - Key Supporters

Ervin Tong - Shin Shi Kan
Fred Mansfield Jr. - Beikoku Shidokan / RBKD
Robert Roberto Curtis - Beikoku Shidokan / Virginia Dojo
琉球大学国際地域創造学部 ウェルネス研究分野 (荒川研究室)
Mark Spear - Black Bear Dojo


Series Supporters

Ari Nuutinen
Justin Sheehy
David Deinert
Fred Speece
Andreas Sticht
Danny Smith
Olaf Steinbrecher
Jonathan Lapomardo
Shelley Cormier
Gerry Campbell
Marian Reiter
Joel Castasus
Åke Mora Temnerud
Victoria Kirkup
Robin Ross
Thomas Podzelny
Andy Morris
Darren Xiberras
James Hatch
John J. Strangeway