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Portrait of Makabe

Makabe Choken was born the fourth son of Makabe Aji Chougi (whose Chinese name was Jigenho), during the time of King Shoboku. Choken’s childhood name was Umijiru and his Chinese name was Koubunbin. He grew quite large during his youth and by the age of fifteen or sixteen, he developed into an enormous man of muscle.

Coming from a family of wealth and position, Makabe received a good education which, during Okinawa’s Ryukyu Kingdom, was referred to as Teshimi Gakumun: te means “hand” but implies martial arts, shimi means “calligraphy” but implies a scholarly pursuit (i.e., the study of Confucianism), and gakumun means “to study.” Together, they represent the principles of bun bu ryo dō: the significance of balancing physical training with philosophical study. In addition, Makabe also became familiar with Japanese academic pursuits.

In spite of Makabe’s well-known reputation as a bujin, who trained him and in what tradition remains the subject of intense curiosity. Notwithstanding, it would seem that whoever was responsible for his education did a remarkable job.