First Oki-no-gū Karate Festival
On October 25th, in commemoration of the Karate Day, the “First Oki-no-gū Karate Festival” was held at Oki-no-gū, one of the Eight Ryūkyū Shrines located in Onoyama Park. This is where stands the Funakoshi Gichin Monument. Under the Mt. Tentōzan, a Shintō ceremony, karate demonstrations and a concert were held under the direction of Uechi Ichirō, head priest of Oki-no-gū and a Shōrin-ryū 6th dan who’s wishes to make this site the sacred place of karate.
In addition, a gold statue of Busā-ganashī, the martial art deity is now enshrined in the Kangondō shrine located below the shrine.
Head priest Uechi Ichirō Hokama sensei speaking about karate
Gōjū-ryū Yahi Ippei sensei Kobudō Iha Mitsutada sensei
Okinawa Kenpō Yamashiro Yoshitomo sensei and Kobudō Yogi Kiyoshi sensei
Busā-ganashī
Commemorative clear file on sale at the shrine
