Home

Are You Passionate About Martial Arts!
History and Culture?
If so, you’re in the Right Place!

Gert Corfitzen Jürgensen

Hi, I’m Gert Corfitzen Jürgensen

Martial Arts Researcher
Author and Blogger

Jissen Karate

The 36 Clans of the Min-People

The families from Min, known as the 36 families from Min (閩人三十六姓), were sent to the Ryukyu Islands (modern-day Okinawa) under the orders of the Ming Chinese Emperor. These families ...

Ball- or heel turn in karate

Now and then, I get this question from a student: "Which part of the foot should we use as a pivoting point when we turn? Should we pivot on the ...

How karate lost its grappling techniques

Tracing the transformation of karate from a grappling art to a kicking and punching discipline. Itosu Anko and Funakoshi's vision. In the early 1900s, Itosu Anko embarked on a revolutionary ...