"Karate ni sente nashi"

By Patrick Moriarty, Director
Pine Forest Karate Club

Shoshin Nagamine, the founder of Matsubayashi Shorin-Ryu, passed away on, November 2, 1997. He was 90 years old at the time of his death. Shoshin Nagamine devoted his life to the preservation and perpetuation of Okinawan Karate-Do.

In most of his speeches and writings he emphasized the idea of "Karate ni sente nashi" ("in Karate there is no first attack"). The maxim has been explained to mean infinitely more than simply not responding to an attack, -- "we must develop a spirit which allows us to win without fighting. The aim of Karate-Do is not to cultivate a fist which causes destruction, but rather a fist that gives life".

"No matter how you may excel in the art of Te and scholastic endeavors, nothing is more important than your behavior and your humanity as observed in daily life." (page 20 The Essence of Okinawan Karate-Do by Shoshin Nagamine)

With the passing of Nagamine Sensei, the fate of Matsubayashi Shorin-Ryu is in the hands of the next generation. We have the opportunity to practice his art, may we have the courage to live it. Domo Arigato Pat Moriarty