In Memory of Soke Nagamine Takayoshi
Hanshi 10th Dan
August 12, 1945 - April 25, 2012
Soke Nagamine Takayoshi was a prominent Okinawan karate master and also at times a Naha City Councilman and a Criminal Investigator for the United States Marine Corps.
Takayoshi was born in Naha Okinawa, the son of O'Sensei Nagamine Shoshin, founder of Matsubayashi-ryu Karate-do. He commenced training in Matsubayashi-ryu Karate-do under his father's tutelage at the age of six years old.
Takayoshi was the second generation headmaster and successor (Sōke) to the World Matsubayashi Shorin Ryu Karate do Association (WMKA) and the Matsubayashi-ryu system as founded by his father, Shoshin Nagamine. He was also the Chief Instructor of the Kodokan Nagamine Karate Dojo located in Kumoji, Naha, Okinawa, Japan from 1997 to 2012.
At the direction of his father, and in order to help the development of Matsubayashi-ryu Karate-do world-wide, Takayoshi went to the United States at the age of 20, in the late 1960s, and opened a dojo in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Takayoshi returned to Okinawa in order to assist his father, Shoshin Nagamine with the running of the World Hombu Dojo In 1991, Shoshin Nagamine retired from running the Matsubayashi-ryu organisation and in a speech passed the leadership on to his son, Takayoshi.