Shinso (Ciso) and Nukite training

Last night Charles Murray was at our class to train. I took the time to pick his brain about the nukite he used when I originally was training with him back in 1978 and 1979. His reminiscences were the same as he told me then.

When he entered the USAF for his first tour of duty he was to be stationed in Okinawa, this was during the Vietnam War. He was promoted to Sho Dan by Mr, Lewis just before he left. While on Okinawa as much as he could he trained at the Agena dojo, but in 1971 there were mostly Okinawan’s training there and only a few Americans, as the Marines then had their own school on their base. Much of his tour he was stationed on an off island radar base and could fly in monthly, but when on the main island he almost trained there every day.

He is the first to admit that he isn’t the expert of their training there, but there came from his experiences. While Master Shimabuku didn’t use much English for most of his time there Ciso (Shinso) who was a teacher on an off island, was home and training. He often saw him at a special makiwara there, striking into it with his nukite strike. It was a 4 sided box topped with a piece of inner tube (Who remembers inner tubes?) and he would strike it continually, His fingers were somewhat open and seemed to be almost the same length. (Whether from genetics or training he couldn’t say).

One night they were out to dinner together after training, Ciso was explaining one time when he was young an other kid pulled out kamas and threatened him. He explained he assumed a neko-ashi dachi and held his nukite (his fingers splayed open) before his chest and told the guy he would use it. Then he saw Charles face, which displayed ‘O’ Sure you would) Charles said something like “I bet you could do that.”

Ciso then demonstrated on Charles what he could do. His nukite struck him in the inside of his leg, deadening it. Then he delivered a second strike to his shoulder. Lots of pain, Charles became a believer at what he could do with his nukite. He asked “How could do that?” Cisco responded “Chinkuchi.” The next day Ciso began training him in Chinkuchi.

Besides the fingers being splayed open, he was to strike simultaneously with the first 3 finger tips. To do that he had to learn to bend his fingers so they would strike at the same time.

This video I have of Charles performing Sunsu for Chinkuchi training, while he was on Okinawa, although hard to see, barely shows those strikes,