The main style of karate taught at the Philippi Martial Arts Academy is Koyamakan Karate. It is a blend of Naha-te and Shorei-te karate styles from the Okinawan towns of Naha and Shorei. The Koyamakan karate style is structured to lead the student from simple tecniques and movements to more complex skills.
In the 14th century, the warlord leader of the Chuzan region of Okinawa, Sho Hashi, defeated and combined the other two regions into the kingdom of Okinawa. As part of his establishing his authority over the kingdom, he banned all weapons. This caused some development of the local fighting art called 'tode'.
In 1609, the Satsuma clan was exiled from the domains in Kyushu, Japan. They conquered the Okinawan kingdom and again banned the possession of weapons. This caused the advancement of the local fighting arts to protect themselves against the Satsuma samurai. This supposedly permitted the Okinawan to conduct a guerrilla type war against the Japanese occupiers which lasted into the late 1800's. Tode remained underground until it was introduced into the public school system in 1903 by Ankoh Itosu.
Much of the earliest history of karate has come down to present day as oral traditions. Most of the existing, written documentation was destroyed by American bombing of Okinawa during World War II. Oral tradition has it that a warrior by known as Matsu Higa was involved in a fight in 1735/6 with a Chinese warrior on the southern most island of the Okinawan chain of islands. Matsu Higa was defeated by the Chinese warrior, but survived. He was so impressed with the skill and weapon used to defeat him, that he sought out the warrior to teach him those skills. Three forms have been passed down to the present due to that fight. They are the Matsu Higa no Tonfa, the Matsu Higa no Kun, and the Matsu Higa no Sai. All other Okinawan weapon forms supposedly date from after Matsu Higa.
Takahara Peichin (1683-1760) is said to be the instuctor of 'Tode' Sakagawa Peichin (1733-1815). Sakagawa taught the famous instructor Sokon 'Bushi' Matsumura (1809-1901), Chinen Peichin, Chokun 'Bird Man' Makabe Peichin (1735-?) along withh several other famous instructors.
Sokon Matsumura taught his grandson, Nabe Matsumura (1860-1930), Yasutsune 'Anko' Itosu (1830-1915), Ankoh Asato (ca 1827-?), Tawata Peichin, among several students.
In 1879, Okinawa was annexed by Japan. In 1916, Gichin Funakoshi led a group of Okinawan karate practioners to Kyoto, Japan for the first public demonstration of karate outside of Okinawa.
Okinawan Master Gichin Funakoshi, the founder of Shotokan karate.
Okinawan Master Kenwa Mabuni, the founder of Shito-ryu karate.