George Mattson
The teaching of Pangainoon Karate, which would later become Uechi-Ryu, was initially reserved for the people of Okinawa and then opened to the Japanese starting in 1932.
A further step was taken when Ryuko Tomoyose (the son of Ryuyu Tomoyose, the first disciple of Kanbun) invited one of his friends, a young American soldier, one evening to show him what this martial art, which many people were talking about in Okinawa : Karate.
Accompanied by another Sempai (Kinjo-san), Ryuko Tomoyose demonstrated the Sanchin kata and body conditioning to George Mattson.
The young American was fascinated by this martial art and needed to show his friend “Tommy” that he had no bad intentions and that he would practice Karate in an ethical manner, as we would describe it today.
George quickly became Tomoyose Sensei’s dedicated student, and also his very first student. George and Ryuko trained together every day, and on Saturdays, they would go to Kanei Uechi’s dojo.
Initially, the reception was somewhat cold toward the young American (remember that the island was under American occupation at the time), but over the course of the lessons, the other students saw that George was sincere and committed to his practice, and he soon became a student just like the others.
George and his teacher spent not only their long evenings training, but also working on building a project aimed at harmonizing Uechi-Ryu (at the time, the dojos did not all follow the same teachings, even within the same style).
When this project was fully developed, Tommy and George presented it to Kanei Uechi. The sensei found the idea interesting and invited other masters from the island to discuss it.
This conversation eventually led to the foundation of the Uechi-Ryu Karate-Do Kyokai (the Uechi-Ryu Karate Association), which still exists today.
On June 15, 1958, George Mattson was summoned with his teacher to Kanei Uechi’s dojo. It was time for him to take his Shodan (first dan) exam. George passed the exam, becoming the first foreigner to earn a black belt in Okinawa.
At the end of the young man’s military service, Kanei Uechi and his disciples asked him to spread and popularize their art in the United States.
Upon returning to the U.S., George Mattson introduced Uechi-Ryu Karate by opening his first dojo in Boston.
He also wrote the first book in English about Karate, titled “The Way of Karate”, followed by numerous other works dedicated to martial arts.
George is considered one of the pioneers of Karate in the USA. He continued to strengthen the ties between the United States and Okinawa, maintaining close connections with Kanei Uechi and his teacher Ryuko Tomoyose.
Since the early 1980s, George has organized two annual events focused on Uechi-Ryu: Winterfest and Summerfest. Kanei Uechi and later his son Kanmei Uechi were invited to these events several times, along with some of their students.
In agreement with the Uechi family, George founded the International Uechi-Ryu Karate Federation (IUKF), which has a strong presence in English-speaking countries and Latin America.
Now over 80 years old, George continues to pass on the values of Uechi-Ryu from Okinawa at the Mattson Academy, the first Western school of Uechi-Ryu.
Transmission
George Mattson remains Lionel Reynaud’s teacher and has been a strong influence in encouraging Lionel to teach and pass on the teachings he received from Tomoyose Sensei. This approach is what George refers to as “The Old Way,” which Tomoyose Sensei called the “Shushiwa Way”.
In addition to the Institute, the French Oryukan Program, the Uechi-Ryu Oryukai Community of Practice, Lionel has been serving as an instructor at the Mattson Academy since 2020, managing online students from the USA, Europe, and Japan. He also teaches classes in France at the Toulouse Shubukan.
