Nagamine was born in Tomari, in Naha City, Okinawa. He was a small and sickly child, and he contracted a gastroenteric disorder in 1926, his second year of high school. He began a self-imposed diet and took up karate under the watchful eye of his next-door neighbor, Chojin Kuba. Nagamine soon became a picture of good health, crediting his recovery to "hard work both at school and training of Karate." His health improved to such an extent that he became a leader of the school's karate club, and his friends dubbed him Chaippaii Matsu, a nickname meaning "tenacious pine tree".
Nagamine was born in Tomari, in Naha City, Okinawa. He was a small and sickly child, and he contracted a gastroenteric disorder in 1926, his second year of high school. He began a self-imposed diet and took up karate under the watchful eye of his next-door neighbor, Chojin Kuba. Nagamine soon became a picture of good health, crediting his recovery to "hard work both at school and training of Karate." His health improved to such an extent that he became a leader of the school's karate club, and his friends dubbed him Chaippaii Matsu, a nickname meaning "tenacious pine tree".