That
more than anything made me aware of the existence of other styles of karate.
However at tournaments you only saw what you saw. My major other source of
information came from the various karate magazines I read. None of which are
completely reliable sources of information (as I gradually came to learn).
I
was interested in almost everything, which also included Goju because of
Isshinryu links to that art. In those magazines I learned of the existence of
the most advanced Goju form, Suparimpe. But I never saw that form (or many
advanced Goju forms) at those tournaments. I got the impression those outside
of Goju were not to see them? Correct of not, that is what I observed over
those years.
But
the existence of that form still reverberated in my existence. There was a
Shorin Group that used a form Super Empi (truly), which seemed to be a jazzed
up version of Empi (but I wondered of the name was also cashing in on the Goju
name (not an impossible thought).
That
was also the time period I was training with many people, and learning
impossibly complex Chinese forms too. So I built a fantasy version of Suparimpe
in my head. Not based on reality just supposition and perhaps a bit influenced
at all those Chinese forms I was studying.
Don
Warner came out with a self published book on Goju forms. I sent away for it,
but it did not show Suparimpe and I set it aside. I trained a bit with the Goju
instructor at Ithica College, Ed Savage, and he did show me a number of forms,
through Shisochin, But our time together was limited, because of distance. It
never went beyond that level.
A
decade later Panther came out with a Morio Hiagonna series on Goju kata. I sent
away and purchased the Suparimpe VHS tape.
When
it came I finally saw Suparimpe for the first time. Of course I was nothing
like I had imagined. No reason my imagining should have anything to do with
reality.
It
was what it was, nothing less, nothing more.
I
learned a very real lesson, it is better, far better, to see for yourself what
is real than to imagine what it might be.
Of
course since that time I have seen the form innumerable times. After all with
YouTube how could you not find so many versions.
Right
after that time in the 1980’s there seemed to be an explosion of Goju material
now available. Nothing hidden.
But
perhaps the past was more interesting, when there was wonder at what was.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foShuqYrbuw
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