We have published an article on Higa sensei and the kata Passai Dai introduced in the Okinawa Times newspaper in 1969.
On May 19, the Okinawa Prefectural Board of Education (Director of Education, Kinjō Hiromasa) announced additional certified holders for the prefecture designated intangible cultural property “Okinawa karate and kobujutsu”. The newly recognized masters are:
Takara Shintoku (90 years old, Uechi-ryū)
Iha Seikichi (87 years old, Shōrin-ryū)
Nakahodo Tsutomu (86 years old, Uechi-ryū)
Iha Kōtarō (81 years old, Kobujutsu)
Maeshiro Morinobu (75 years old, Shōrin-ryū)
Kikugawa Masanari (74, Gōjū-ryū)
Related newspaper articles (In Japanese):
As you may already know, the request for suspension of business activities in the Okinawa Prefecture was canceled on May 14, and the Okinawa Karate Kaikan and our Information Center have reopened.
Also, to prevent the spread of the infection, the Okinawa Prefecture Government requested that karate dōjō be closed until May 20. However, on the condition of the following of guidelines for infection prevention, it is now possible to reopen karate dōjō after Thursday, May 14.
The Okinawa Prefecture Government has launched a campaign to support karate dōjō owners within the prefecture. For more, check the information of the Japanese page using the top page language button.
On April 23, Okinawa Prefecture Governor Tamaki Denny has announced some emergency measures to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus.
Under the new coronavirus special measures law, the Okinawa Prefecture Government requested seven types of facilities such as recreation facilities, universities / study facilities, and exercise / amusement facilities to be closed.
On May 5, the Okinawa Prefecture Government requested an extension of the suspension of use for karate dōjō.
Therefore, karate dōjō in the prefecture remain temporarily closed.
The request period is from Thursday, April 23 to Wednesday, May 20, 2020.
For other information, please check the dedicated website (in Japanese).