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Sensei: Masters of Okinawan Karate S3 E1 Tatsunori Matsuda Preview & Series 3 Updates

Okinawan Spirit - 沖縄の心

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We're back! Here's the 6 minute preview to a full 45 minute interview with Okinawa Kenpo Karate Master Tatsunori Matsuda. After the preview there are updates on Series 3 and how you can help.

Sensei: Masters of Okinawan Karate is a documentary series about the amazing martial arts teachers living on Okinawa, the birthplace of karate. Supported by the international karate community, It is completely free to watch on YouTube, anywhere in the world!

Learn more about the project here and how you can become a sponsor / supporter here:

https://travel67.com/the-karate-maste...

GOALS OF THE SERIES
1. Document the stories of Okinawan karate masters and their philosophy on life and their martial arts practice.
2. Record in the highest quality possible. Ideally 4K or 8K, RAW, multi camera, multi audio
3. Store the original data as an archival record.
4. Transcribe and translate the recordings to spread knowledge of Okinawan martial arts, history and culture.
5. Make the videos available for free online via YouTube, and on Bujin.tv so that anyone, anywhere can see them.
The documentary series grew out of the Karate Masters Portrait Project which began in 2012. The portrait project allowed amazing access to the sensei, but it was only Chris Willson and James Pankiewicz who got to hear their stories. The documentary series is a way for us to share that unique knowledge with the international karate community, and to archive aspects of Okinawan culture before they disappear.

If you can help sponsor or support this series like the awesome people listed below please get in touch!
Series 3 Sponsors and Supporters (as of July 7th 2025)

Series 3 Sponsors
Martin Pinto - Essex Goju Ryu Karate

Series 3 Supporters
Artur Carballo
Justin Sheehy
Olaf Steinbrecher
Masaru Hoshi

18 Comments

@Fuzboy 1 year ago

Loved the previous series, and was ecstatic to see this preview! Looking forward to learn about the different masters and their styles! Cheers!

@roloduarte33 1 year ago

Awesome channel.

@NakmuayLee 1 year ago

Well done. You’re video interviews are professionnel, simple and to the point. The images that you capture from these Okinawa’s Sensei in action are beautiful.

@yoshinorifurukawa728 9 months ago

うちなぁの宝ですね。
これを世界平和の力に生かして欲しいです。

@B.Inem_ 1 year ago

Amazing Interview!!thankyou!🥋🙏👍

@frederickrobert1 1 year ago

I will be back in Okinawa in a few weeks and look forward to visiting The Nago Dojo and learning from Matsuda Sensei and others there.

@pastlast158 1 year ago

Thanks a lot for these fantastic series.

@HH-pv9ex 1 year ago

Charming sensei 😊

@fredlesteros7668 1 year ago

Super ✨

@healthcop 1 year ago

Great stuff

@brianwilliams8033 1 year ago

I love all these videos, So much to learn

@ShhhhDigitalMedia 9 months ago (edited)

Wonderfully photographed and certainly an accurately grand portrait of Tatsunori Matsuda Hanshi. Given the world interest in the Goju Ryu tradition, along side its sister and brother martial arts through the world, how often and what process is involved when foreigners come to Okinawa to train and test under the founding dojo and school? I've personally known both students and instructors who've traveled there for evaluation when their rank exceeded that of local instructors in Canada. There must be many stories from all over the world of those who travel to the home dojo for testing or training, not to mention domestic Japanese classes in progress, illustrating the different levels of Kyu and their various curriculum. I saw weapons kata (Kama and Sai, though I'm sure that Bo, Jo and Bokken must be a part of the tradition as that was where I was exposed to such). It seems that the possibilities are as vast is the curriculum and exploration of the Goju Ryu Karate do. Great video sharing with us all such a tradition that needs to be preserved by students and instructors the world over, not to mention the connection between Goju Ryu and Chinese martial arts. My own instructors and other experts I've known throughout my life have always stated that Goju Ryu is the peace bond between Japanese and Chinese martial arts and culture. Progression through competition. Unity through cooperation. Happy Holidays to you all 🙇

@yoshinorifurukawa728 9 months ago

私は東京の御徒町で生まれて育ちました。
1960年に生まれた時に父は剛柔流空手の黒帯を受けておりました。
先日、実家を整理しているとヌンチャク、サイ、棒、鉄下駄、巻藁など沢山のモノが出てきました。
幼い頃の思い出は父が三戦をする姿。そして、中学生の時に悪さをした私に父が鉄下駄で殴ってきた事です。
左目の上に傷があります。
父は亡くなりましたが傷を観る度に深い愛を感じます。

@cheyennew811 1 year ago

If we were wanting to go to Okinawa and train with some of the masters in the interviews, how can we do that? My lineage runs through Taika Seiyu Oyata of Okinawa and through Mahato Karate in Japan. It's my understanding that the Mahato organization is only active at the university level anymore. So my hope is to connect with masters from Okinawa now.

@MauricioChalonsLazaro-e7c 1 month ago

Whats the name of the kata he is doing?

@bajuszpal172 1 year ago

Nice, but an intro on the style could help more, especially for the beginners to feel the difference between styles. Many thanks and Best regards. Paul. 70,

@draltar 1 year ago

After this series is complete, would be interesting to also make a Japanese Karate master series.

@MJRLHobbyStuff 4 months ago

Ah! I’ll be in Okinawa March of 2027 for a training camp with Shihan Toshihiro Oshiros dojo. Perhaps we can do a photo shoot with my family. What’s the photo shoot cost?