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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 ...

Gichin Funakoshi

Gichin Funakoshi (1868-1957) was a renowned martial artist and the founder of Shotokan Karate, one of the most popular styles of karate today. He was born in Shuri, Okinawa, which ...

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 ...