Kenichi Yamashiro – World Ryukyu Kobudo Championships | TRAVEL 67 : Chris Willson Photography

On Sunday December 3rd 2023 the World Ryukyu Kobudo Championships were held at the Karate Kaikan in Okinawa. It was particularly good to see Kenichi Yamashiro competing with so much power and technique at 76 years old.

Kenichi Yamashiro 9th dan Matayoshi Kobudo (age 76) competing at World Ryukyu Kobudo Championships

Yamashiro Sensei didn’t win, but his student Hiroshi Kawakami took 1st place in both sai and bo, so I’m sure he was pleased overall.

Hiroshi Kawakami, Student of Keichi Yamashiro & Hidetada Ishiki at the Workld Ryukyu Kobudo Championships – 1st place in Sai and Bo kata.

I photographed Yamashiro Sensei for the Karate Masters Portrait Project back in 2019 so I was pleased to be able to say hello.

Kenichi Yamashiro, 9th dan Matayoshi Kobudo,. Photographed March 1st 2019 at the Komesu Yamashiro Dojo

Kenichi Yamashiro was one of the key student of Matayoshi Shimpo Sensei. I’d love to interview Yamashiro Sensei in the future. Another key student of Matayoshi Shimpo was Hidetada Ishiki who I’ve also photographed and we interviewed for Series Two of Sensei: Masters of Okinawan Karate.