, was an Okinawan martial arts

Okinawan martial arts

Okinawan martial arts refers to the martial arts which originated among the indigenous people of Okinawa Island in Japan, most notably karate, tegumi, and Okinawan kobudō....

 master who helped to continue the Matsumura family style of Shōrin-ryū

Shorin-Ryu

is one of the major modern Okinawan martial arts. It was founded by Choshin Chibana in 1933. Shōrin-ryū combines elements of the traditional Okinawan fighting styles of Shuri-te.-History:Chosin Chibana was a top student of the great master of shuri-te, Anko Itosu...

 karate-do.

History

Nabe Mastsumura, born 1860, was the grandson of Matsumura Sōkon, who founded the Shōrin-ryū style of karate

Karate

is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was developed from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks,...

. Being related to Sōkon meant that Nabe was privileged to extremely thorough training from his grandfather in the family's style, as well as the secret White Crane system that was only taught to immediate family members.

In his martial arts

Martial arts

Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....

 career as a sensei

Sensei

' is a Japanese word that basically means "person born before another." In general usage, it means "master" or "teacher," and the word is used as a title to refer to or address teachers, professors, professionals such as lawyers, CPA and doctors, politicians, clergymen, and other figures of authority...

, Nabe had only one student: his nephew

Nephew

Nephew is a son of one's sibling or sibling-in-law, and niece is a daughter of one's sibling or a sibling-in-law. Sons and daughters of siblings-in-law are also informally referred to as nephews and nieces respectively, even though there is no blood relation...

, Hohan Sōken

Hohan Sōken

was an Okinawan martial arts master who founded the Shōrin-ryū Matsumura Seito Okinawa Karate Kobudo Association.He was born May 25, 1889 in Nishihara, Okinawa. He died November 30, 1982 in Nishihara, Okinawa.He was the nephew of Nabe Matsumura...

. Upon his death in 1930, he passed his Menkyo Kaiden to Hohan Sōken, who continued the Matsumura family tradition by solidifying the Shōrin-ryū style of Matsumura Seito karate-do.