Memories of Moritoshi Nakaema, Hanshi (1)

Here I begin my memoirs about my good friend and sensei Moritoshi Nakaema (1938-2019).

I've been training karate since 1964, but I only received my 1st dan in 1973 when I joined Kyokushin, in SP (I'll talk about my memories about that period in due course) and represented it in the late 70's. At that time there was not yet a Karate Federation and we were part of the Associação Brasileira de Pugilismo, Karate Section, in Rio de Janeiro where I was living. There I also received 1st dan shotokan. In the late 70s I left kyokushi and joined definitely to ABK as a 2º dan in goju-ryu (at the time, ABK hosted the UKGB). There I trained with Nakaema until his death. Yao Yokote was also my master and transmitted the forms of the Bugeikan to me. ABK didn't have a specific style, it was from Akamine's lineage, a system close to Shito-ryu, but when the technical director teamed up with Gogen Yanaguchi's gojukai, there was a rift within the UKGB, and part of us broke away from the UKGB.

Nakaema created Sankakuichi-ryu ("Three Traditions In One", meaning the unification of Shuri, Tomari and Naha styles) to replace Shito-ryu, a name he thought inadequate. He started using Motobu's Naifanchi, made a small modification at the beginning of Seipai and another at the end of Naifanchi Sandan.