Shorin-Kan Karate
A Brief History of Matsubayashi-Ryu in Canada
Matsubayashi-Ryu was introduced to Canada in 1967 by Frank Baehr and Quai Wong.
Frank Baehr, originally an instructor at the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre (Toronto) under Mr. Masami Tsuruoka, went to Okinawa in 1965 to study Matsubayashi-Ryu under Grandmaster Shoshin Nagamine. When he returned to Canada in February of 1967, he first started teaching this style at the JCCC again, but two months later decided to start his own club and thus the new Shorin Karate Club in Scarborough (Eglinton Ave. and Kennedy Rd.) became the first school in Canada to teach Matsubayashi-Ryu.
The first Matsubayashi-Ryu school in Canada
Quai Wong already had established schools when he decided to study Matsubayashi-Ryu in Okinawa under Grandmaster Shoshin Nagamine in 1967. When he returned to Canada in September of 1967, he switched his schools to Matsubayashi-Ryu.
Although both men had been fellow students under Mr. Masami Tsuruoka and knew each other, they came to Matsubayashi-Ryu by separate paths and did not know about the other’s involvement in the style until 1967. Both Mr. Wong and Mr. Baehr have been teaching this style continuously since that time, are still active, and have affiliated schools in various areas of Canada.
Grandmaster Nagamine visited Canada in 1969 to teach at Mr. Wong’s two schools and Mr. Baehr’s school. His visit was reported at the time in the Toronto Telegram on Feb. 24, 1967. Both men have been featured in various newspaper and magazine articles over the years.
Some of their students left their teachers over the years and are still teaching the style in their own schools, many of which are recognised by Master Takayoshi Nagamine (son of founder Shoshin Nagamine and the current Master of the style) and the WMKA and are therefore also legitimate schools teaching this style. Others have no longer kept their affiliation with either their teachers, or Master T. Nagamine, and are not recognised. Although they may be teaching good Matsubayashi-Ryu also, their ranks would not be recognised by the World association (see "Is My School "Legitimate"?).
Thus, all students now practising Matsubayashi-Ryu in Canada can (if they wish to) ultimately trace their lineage back to one, or both, of these two men.
Three Canadians were involved in the English translation of Grandmaster Nagamine’s book "The Essence of Okinawan Karate". Frank Baehr helped with the initial translation in 1969, while Judy and Don Sampson (both students under F. Baehr) helped with the final manuscript in 1972, while they were living in Okinawa. Their contributions were acknowledged by Grandmaster Nagamine in the preface of the book.
Frank Baehr working on the first draft of "The Essence of Okinawan Karate"
with Grandmaster Shoshin Nagamine and Mr. Chotoku Omine
(March 1969)
In November of 1975, the Matsubayashi-Ryu schools affiliated with Mr. Baehr formed the Canadian Shorin-Ryu Karate-Do Association (CSKF) to deal with uniquely Canadian issues. In June of 1997 the CSKF hosted the World seminar for all schools in the WMKA, bringing almost 200 Matsubayashi-Ryu students from all over the world to Toronto.
After the seminar a number of schools left the CSKF to form their own organisation, the Canadian Matsubayashi-Ryu Karate-Do Association (CMKA), headed by Mr. Vernon Tilley (5th Dan), a former student of Mr. Wong. Both are recognised by Master Takayoshi Nagamine and sponsor regular seminars by Master Nagamine in Canada, as well as promoting other joint activities between their members.
There are now more than 40 schools teaching this style in various parts of Canada.
