Takayoshi Nagamine

Takayoshi Nagamine (長嶺 高兆, Nagamine Takayoshi, August 12, 1945 – April 25, 2012) 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 as the son of Shoshin Nagamine, the founder ofMatsubayashi-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-ryu (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-doworld-wide, Takayoshi went to the United States at the age of 20, in the late 1960s, and opened adojo in Cincinnati, Ohio. Some of Takayoshi Nagamine's original students to achieve black belt in the United States included Jim Driggs, Rick Kemper, Al Rozier, Dave Williams and Steve Rafferty. Takayoshi also taught clinics and seminars in the Ohio region and around the United States until he returned to Okinawa in 1979.

Matsubayashi-ryū (松林流), is a style of Okinawan karate that was founded in 1947 by Shōshin Nagamine (1907–1997). Its curriculum includes 18 kata, seven two-man yakusoku kumite (prearranged sparring) routines, and kobudō (weapons) practice. Matsubayashi-ryu is one of the four main styles of karate on Okinawa today, and was one of the styles represented when the Okinawa Karate-do Federation was founded. It included the styles: Goju-ryu, Uechi-ryu, Shorin-ryu, and Matsubayashi-ryu.

Sensei Nagamine named his style in honor of the two masters whom he viewed as the most important masters that his teachings were based upon, Sōkon Matsumura of Shuri-te. and Kosaku Matsumora of Tomari-te. He chose to name the school using the first kanji characters from both master's names Matsu (松) and the style is pronounced in Japanese "Matsubayashi".

Shuri-te is divided into three styles, two are called Shorin-Ryu and a third is called Matsubayashi-Ryu. Matsubayashi-Ryu is a style of Shorin-Ryu and the terms Matsubayashi-Ryu and Shorin-Ryu can be used interchangeably. Normally, the style is referred to as Shorin-Ryu but when a definite distinction is required between the other styles of the Shorin family (Kobayashi-Ryu & Shobayashi-Ryu) then it is called Matsubayashi-Ryu.

Shoshin Nagamine also credited Motobu Chōki as the teacher who inspired his seven Yakusoku kumite forms.

Today, the official Matsubayashi-ryū organization is run by Shōshin Nagamine's son, Takayoshi Nagamine, though there are many schools teaching Matsubayashi-ryū that are separately affiliated with the Nagamine dojo. A new kata, Fukyugata San, was developed in 1960 by Ueshiro sensei and is performed in his association's schools.