Farewell message from former chairman Sakae Uechi
Four terms and eight years have passed in the blink of an eye. Thank you.
On May 17, 2026, the association held its 29th Annual General Meeting in the presence of our Chief Master, Tsutomu Nakahodo. I became chairman at the general meeting of 2018. Since then I have been supported by an excellent leadership team and executive board, and thanks to the cooperation of all our members, the association’s activities have gone ahead without interruption. I would like to express my deepest respect and gratitude.
Looking back on these eight years, our three main annual events took place every year: the Memorial Demonstration for the War Dead in Itoman in October, the Boys and Girls Karate Championship in the autumn, and the dedication demonstration in front of the statue of Kanbun Uechi at the Motobu Cherry Blossom Festival in the new year. Many distinctive activities were added to them.
Among them were a new green necktie with “Uechi-ryu” in English letters, evoking the environment; patches designed with the dragon, tiger and crane to support the rebuilding of Shuri Castle and refugees from Ukraine; calendars; and T-shirts marking 80 years since the end of the war. Through these unique efforts we have spread the message of karate as a martial art of peace and contributed to society. These activities are part of what makes our association special, and I hope they will continue as far as possible. Looking at the new board, a vice chairman now comes from outside Okinawa and the head of external relations from Latvia, which gives me great hope.
The association was founded in May 1998, and in 2018 it erected the statue of Kanbun Uechi, the founder of Uechi-ryu. In 2028 the association will celebrate its 30th anniversary, and the statue its 10th. Over the next two years, I believe we need to work on the maintenance of the statue and on events for both anniversaries.
The association is made up of 45 dojos, and keeping everyone informed is no easy task. I hope that the new chairman, Mitsuo Namihira, the leadership team, the secretariat and the directors will work as one, and I wish the association continued growth. With this, I say farewell. Thank you very much.
May 2026
Sakae Uechi, former chairman