Читать книгу Okinawa Sai-jutsu - Jamal Measara - Страница 11

Fig. 1: Donn F. Draeger.

In each of my previous books – Okinawa Dento Karate-do, Karate Kata no Rekishi and Okinawan Bo-jutsu – my autobiographical notice is rather long, so I want to make it short in this one.

I was born in July, 1949, in Malaysia. I was brought up in a middle class family. At a very young age, I started learning the Indian martial arts of Silambam and Vajramushti. Later, I was taught “Western” boxing at the British army camp with which my father was associated.

After Malaysia’s independence from the British, I started weight training, and soon, got into karate. Due to circumstances, I was forced to change styles. I trained Shitō-ryū, Shōtōkan, Keishinkan, Budōkan, Gōjū-ryū, and a mix-up of the Malaysian Shōrin-ryū Seibukan Karate. I later changed the latter style to the “orthodox” Okinawan Shōrin-ryū Seibukan under the tutelage of Shimabukuro Zenpo Sensei. It is to this style that I still belong.

Fig. 2: Jamal Measara and Kanei Katsuyoshi.

Fig. 3: Jamal Measara with Sai and Shimabukuro Zenpo with Bō.

Later on, I also studied Kobudō, which was an equally mixed up mess in Malaysia; until I met Donn F. Draeger Sensei, who taught me the art of classical Kobujutsu. After he passed away in 1982, I studied Okinawan Kobujutsu under many sensei, such as Akamine and Matayoshi, until I met my sensei, Kanei Katsuyoshi, of Okinawan Jinbukan Kobudō. This is the style to which I still belong today.

I continued my Indian martial arts training, which I had stopped at a very young age back in the 1970 s, under Maha Guru Arumugam. I am still an advisor of his association.

During my Karate career, I participated in many semi-contact and full-contact tournaments. I was appointed National Coach of Malaysia until 1980, when I moved to Germany; which is where I still live now.