Nabe Matsumura brought the old Shorin Ryu secrets into the modern age.
His name does not appear in many karate lineage charts. According to
Soken Hohan, Nabe Matsumura is credited for having the purest teaching of
Matsumura's Shorin Ryu karate style.
He
received training in the family style of Matsumura Shorin-Ryu, which also
included the secret techniques of the White Crane. The White Crane system
was reputed to be a family secret style that was only taught to immediate
family members.
In
his later years he was often referred to as Nabe Tanme, or "old man Nabe".
He was known to be a stern and disciplined instructor. Nabe Matsumura had
only one student, Soken Hohan, 1889-1982. It is said that he was one of
the best karate instructors of his time. He then passed on his "Menkyo
Kaiden" to his nephew, Soken Hohan
*
from Kodenkan