Today is International Women’s Day! One of the most famous women in Karate history was Tsuru Yonamine.
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When Tsuru Yonamine was around 16 or 17 years old, a bad person tried to steal from her. This information comes from what Gichin Funakoshi wrote.
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Fortunately, she managed to escape without being harmed but decided to learn martial arts.
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Accepted as an understudy to a famous teacher, Tsuru trained diligently and ultimately progressed to a level superior to many men.
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In fact, her sensei maintained that the only man in Okinawa she couldn’t defeat was Sokon Matsumura [1809-1899] who would later become known as the ”grandfather” of modern Karate.
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Hearing about her skills, Matsumura eventually challenged Tsuru in ”kake-damashi” (a traditional way of testing someone’s skills). Having great difficulty trying to control her, Matsumura was nearly thrown to the ground himself!
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As if that wasn't enough of a surprise, the final shock came when Tsuru clutched his hand and proposed marriage! As strong as Matsumura was, he stood speechless in front of his opponent, finding her irresistible.
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Ever since then, Tsuru became the most famous female martial artist in Ryukyu Kingdom
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Note: This photo is not of Tsuru Yonamine, but rather an Okinawan woman from the same era to illustrate what she might have looked like.