| Seishō Arakaki 新垣 世璋 | |
|---|---|
 Historical drawn portrait of Arakaki Seishō | |
| Born | 1840 Okinawa,Ryūkyū Kingdom |
| Died | 1918 (aged 77–78) Naha, Okinawa, Japan |
| Other names | Arakaki Ou, Mayā Arakaki, Arakaki Kamadeunchu, Aragaki Tsuji Pechin Seisho |
| Style | Tōde |
| Teacher | Wai Xinxian |
| Other information | |
| Notable students | Chitose Tsuyoshi,Funakoshi Gichin,Higaonna Kanryō,Uechi Kanbun,Kanken Tōyama,Mabuni Kenwa |
Arakaki Seishō (新垣 世璋; 1840–1918) was a prominentOkinawan martial artist and master ofTōde who influenced the development of several majorkarate styles.[1][2][3] He was known by many other names, includingAragaki Tsuji Pechin Seisho.[4]
Arakaki was born in 1840 in eitherKumemura, onOkinawa Island, or on the nearby island ofSesoko.[3] He was an official in the royal court ofRyūkyū, and as such held the title ofChikudonPeichin,[2] which denoted a status similar to that of thesamurai in Japan.[1] On 24 March 1867, he demonstrated Okinawan martial arts inShuri, then capital of the Ryūkyū Kingdom, before a visiting Chinese ambassador; this was a notable event, since experts such asAnkō Asato,Ankō Itosu, andMatsumura Sōkon were still active at that time.[1] Arakaki served as aChinese language interpreter, and travelled to Beijing in September 1870.[2][3] His only recorded martial arts instructor from this period wasWai Xinxian fromFuzhou, a city in theFujian province ofQing dynasty China.[1][2][3] Arakaki died in 1918.[2][3]
Arakaki was famous for teaching thekata (patterns)Unshu,Seisan,Shihohai,Sōchin,Niseishi,Shisōchin andSanchin (which were later incorporated into different styles of karate), and weaponskata Arakaki-no-kun, Arakaki-no-sai, and Sesoku-no-kun.[3]
While Arakaki did not develop any specific styles himself, his techniques andkata are obvious throughout a number of modern karate andkobudo styles.[1][3] His students includedHigaonna Kanryō, founder ofNaha-te;Chōjun Miyagi (宮城 長順), founder ofGōjū-ryū;Funakoshi Gichin, founder ofShotokan;Uechi Kanbun, founder ofUechi-ryū;Kanken Tōyama, founder ofShūdōkan;Mabuni Kenwa, founder ofShitō-ryū; andChitose Tsuyoshi, founder ofChitō-ryū.[1][2]
Some consider Chitō-ryū the closest existing style to Arakaki's martial arts,[3] while others have noted that Arakaki's descendants are mostly involved withGōjū-ryū.[1]