Certainly, this is not the whole story of Isshinryu Karate, but I believe it does show the core of how that history occurred. To me Isshinryu is what occurs on the dojo floor, however this is also a large part of our history.
.jpg)
1.) By 1959, Master Shimabuku was keenly aware that Karate was on the verge of worldwide development and acceptance. The Japanese Karate association had already begun to pave the way with the formulation on sport rules and protocol, and with the introduction of "professional/commercial' Karate instruction.
2.) Master Shimabuku had already decided that it was his American students that would be the vehicle for the introduction of Isshinryu worldwide.
3.) That Isshinryu would be at the forefront of the international karate movement.
In 1959, Master Shimabuku referred to his organization as the "Ryukyu-American Karate Association" and issued certification of rank under that name. In 1961, he changed the name to the American Okinawan Karate Association and appointed Harold Mitchum President. By this time he had over 178 American servicemen training at his dojo making him the largest and most financially successful Karate instructor in Okinawa. Steve Armstrong had assured Master Shimabuku's success by procuring a contract for Master Shimabuku's services.
In 1964 and in 1966 Master Shimabuku travelled to the United States.
During the 1966 visit he promoted Don Nagle, Steve Armstrong, and Haorld Long to 8th Dan and appointed them co-representatives of the American Okinawan Karate Association in the U.S. Each was to "manage" their part of the country. Armstrong in the West, Nagle in the the East and Long in the South. Later, Willie Adams would be added as midwestern representative.
Until 1974, all legitimate black belt rank in Isshinryu passed through the AOKA and was approved by Master Shimabuku upon recommendation of his U.S. representatives.
In 1974, Kichero Shimabuku dismantled the AOKA and formed the Isshinryu World Karate Association. Needless to say, all of the American Karate pioneers starting with Harold Long walked . . .
Long formed the International Isshinryu Karate Association and Steve Armstrong and Don Nagle carried on the AOKA totally independent of Okinawa. When Master Shimabuku died in may, 1975 all bets were off . . . most American Isshinryu pioneers broke from Okinawa for good.
In 1977, Armstrong and Nagle split over differences in philosophy and Don Nagle formed Don Nagle's Isshinryu Karate Association and Steve Armstrong kept the AOKA.
The AOKA flourished under Steve Armstrong's leadership and became the most influential Isshinryu organization in the world until Mr.
Armstrong's stroke in the 1980's left him incapacitated to continue in a leadership role. At that time, Lou Lizotte, a former student of Don Nagle's took over the organization with Willie Adams as President.
1989, representatives from the AOKA and the IIKA met in Knoxville and promoted Don Nagle to the rank of 10th Dan underscoring his role as the most senior active Isshinryu Karate in the United States (he opened the first U.S. dojo in 1956).
Back in Okinawa, the IWKA was in turmoil, all of the senior Okinawan instructors and left or retired and in 1988 Angi Uezu, the preeminent technical instructor for the organization left and formed the Okinawan Isshinryu Karate Kobudo Association.
In the early 1990's Master Nagle formed the United Isshinryu Council briefly and then decided to go back and use the American Okinawan Karate Association name for his organization. His reasoning was most likely due to his wanting to pay respects to Master Shimabuku more than anything else . . . after all, the AOKA was Master Shimabuku's creation. A conflict occured between him and Lewis Lizotte (who claimed to own the right to the name) and so the American Okinawan Karate Association, Inc. was created.
On Okinawa, Angi Uezu had suffered a stroke and had left the day-to-day operations of the OIKKA in the hands on young Tsyuechi Uechi, a 5th Dan. A young upstart by American standards, Uechi was well liked by the elder Okinawan Masters and was asked to tour with them in the U.S. in 1998. He was given the rank of 8th Dan by the Okinawan Rengokai and elevated to Isshinryu representative. Uechi was a former student of Kichero Shimabuku's who left the IWKA with Angi Uezu.
In 2001 Master Willie Adams resigned as President of Lou Lizotte's American Okinawan Karate Association and formed Karate International Assn of Isshinryu (KIAI) with the 60% of the membership that resigned with him.
Grandmaster Don Nagle died in 1999 and left the AOKA, Inc. in the hands of his senior student Ed McGrath. Harold Long died the same year and the IIKA split into competing groups. Steve Armstrong is currently in a long-term care facility in Washington State.
Was Master Shimabuku's vision realized?
In 2001 Japanese Karate-do has relegated Okinawan Karate to the backwater of the International Karate Scene (the WKF is dominated by Shotokan, Wadoryu and Shitoryu). The Okinawan Rengokai, the progressive Okinawan Karate Organization that sponsors international competition held its second World Championships in Atlanta, Georgia. Isshinryu was well represented with over 160 competitors from various dojos and organizations from around the United States. Isshinryu competitors did very well- dominating many of their kumite matches and finishing strong in kata and weapons.
Most, if not all of the Isshinryu karateka, were offspring of Nagle, Mitchum, Armstrong, Long and other Isshinryu pioneers that had helped put Isshinryu at the forefront of the American karate scene as early as 1961.
I guess Master Shimabuku's visions were for real . . .
Pleasantly,
Burt Maben
www.neworelanskarate.net
No comments:
Post a Comment