Kiyohide Shinjo
| On November 3,1951 Ie-jima
Island produced a modern day karate legend name Kiyohide Shinjo. He began
karate training, not by his own choice, when he was ten years old. Seiyu was a hard man concerning karate. He maintained the uncompromising, sometimes inhuman, standard of training established by Kanbun Uechi. |
Intoxicated servicemen often found their way into the dojo, challenging the Okinawans to fight, in those days. Seiyu Shinjo often ordered his son to fight the belligerent Americans. For many years the skinny young Okinawan was beaten by the challengers. As Kiyohide's size, strength, and karate ability increased, so did his dislike for American servicemen. In time Kiyohide won every fight with great pleasure.
Tournament History
In 1968, The Uechi Ryu Karate Shubukai held the first annual Uechi ryu
tournament. It included kata (forms) and kumite (sparring) competition for black
belts. Seiyu Shinjo was the organizer and tournament director. His son Kiyohide,
placed third in kata in the inaugural tournament.
At the third annual tournament in 1970, Kiyohide Shinjo won the championship in
both kata and kumite. He continued to do so for a record nine years. He became a
legend in Okinawa in the process and is often called "Okinawa's Superman"
In 1978, the eighth year of his championship reign, the first All Okinawa
Championship Tournament was held. The champion of this historic sparring event,
open to black belts of all karate styles, was Kiyohide Shinjo. He retired from
competition after the 1980 Uechi ryu tournament, due to the ill health of his
father.
The Uechi ryu tournament ran uninterrupted for twenty years until the break up
of the Uechi Ryu Association in 1988. The Kadena dojo won the championship in
fifteen of the twenty tournaments.
The Shinjo Dojo of Kadena, Okinawa is often
called upon by the Government to perform demonstrations in Okinawa and around
the world. Seiko Toyoma and Kiyohide Shinjo were given the honor of performing
karate for the President of the United States and other world leaders at the
G-Eight Summit in Okinawa in June 2000
The Shinjo family is one of vigorous strength who live by the code of Gosatu
Bokuto...
"Live life easy and peacefully, but when it is time to fight become ferocious."