Okinawa Prefecture Karate Museum2
----- The museum is where roots and spirit of Karate will be inherited by the next generation.
Okinawa, the birthplace and a Mecca of karate, invites so many karate enthusiasts from all over the world who are seeking for roots of karate.
Okinawa Prefecture Karate Museum was established in order to exhibit as many materials and documents as possible about the history of karate and kobudo and pass them down to posterity. There are various ancient weapons, tools and karate related materials displayed.
It will also offers from karate and weaponry experience classes and inspection of activities to historical tours of karate and Ryukyu Kingdom. It’s the place where anybody can feel free to ask for anything about karate. There have been so many visitors from all over the world. Currently more than 300 pieces are exhibited there. It is filled with documents and materials pertaining to karate and kobudo masters of various sects in the past as well as photos of current preeminent masters in their younger days. Many training tools, weapons, genealogy charts and so on can be enjoyed as well.
Mr. Hokama, curator of the museum and Ph. D. in karate, told that it was established not only by my own effort but also by the support of various masters, friends and acquaintances. Okinawa lost most of its historical data, information related to the past including karate in the World War II. In order to pass down the tradition of karate to the future he collected a lot of materials and wrote several books about karate and its history. He considers “Even a tiny spider web is once created it could be ready to grow up to the container like a huge vessel eventually by combining point to point, line to line.” He also mentioned “Okinawa as a Mecca is responsible for karate to the world. It is said the whole Okinawa Island, as the birthplace, is a museum itself. The monuments of the late masters, historical sites, residences, training places and even graves were researched and investigated and karate should be explained and understood together with the history of Ryukyu Kindom.” Thus he has a very strong confidence in the significance of the museum. As the birthplace as well as a tourism resource much larger museum should be constructed in the near future, he considers. Although there have been so many stories about karate and its history he will keep providing materials expecting the day when the renovated Karate Museum will be proudly opened to the world.
Location: 147-2 Uehara, Nishihara-cho, Okinawa prefecture 903-0125
Tel & Fax: 098-945-6148
Established on Jan 1st in 1987
Opening date & hours: 18:00-22:00 on every Tue. & Sat.
(Call in advance for a special request for its opening on the other days.)
Admission fee: JPY200 per person
