I have talked about Kusanku kata as a night fighting kata before on my blog. Yet this is the time I had the most fun teaching the Night Fighting Applications from Kusanku Kata.
When I was a green belt I began my studies with Charles Murray, in 1977, and the first kata I studied with him was Kusanku kata. At that time my seniors under Lewis Sensei did not teach many application for kata technique. Charles followed the same template and we did not really study kata applications. However he did tell me that during the time he trained in Agena under the eyes of Tatsuo Shimabuku, he was taught that Shimabuku felt the techniques of Kusanku kata were very useful for night fighting. That always stuck with me.
Then in 1980 I found I was on my own, Sensei Lewis lived 6 hours away from Scranton and Charles returned to the USAF for his career. Time passed and probably from reading so many karate magazines, I began to notice how every article about Okinawan Karate instructors always showed applications for kata technique. Slowly I developed that Isshinryu kata technique likely had specific uses too,
Then about the same time I began training with Tristan Sutrisno and he explained his family approach to what was then becoming known as bunkai, fully explaining how his father's system approached bunkai. Tristan slowly began to share some of it with me. A little later all the karate magazines started talking about bunkai (a different paradigm from what others used) . Shortly after that all the karate schools where I visited started teaching 'bunkai'.
Around 1989 I began working out what bunkai of my Isshinryu kata technique would become. Step by Step, Inch by Inch I moved forward.
Several years later I knew I would be teaching at Tristan Sutrisno's BNT Summer Camp. The morning sessions on tai chi, and another session on something else. Now the camp had students from many styles: Shotokan, Goju, Shaolin Kung Fu, etc. Besides my 2 senior students there were going to be a few of Reese Rigby's Isshinryu students there too. Normally I did not teach Isshinryu rather offering something useful to everyone.
But this time I was going to do something different. I was going to teach the night fighting 'bunkai' I had worked up for Kusanku Kata.
The camp was held in August of 1981 and as Maureen was 8 months pregnant with me daughter, I took my 17 month son down to the camp along with me. My students traveled separately.
It had just stopped raining when I got there and Michael my son had just gotten up. So I put on his rain gear and boots and he played in the mud puddles as I set our tent up. All and all the two of us had a fime time.
I later found out my clinic was scheduled to be the midnight clinic on Saturday.
The next morning after breakfast I dressed Michael and took him outside to play. Almost immediately he played in the mud puddle from last night's rain. He ended up covered in mud. I realized I could change him but also realized he would continue to find mud to play in so I decided a happy muddy son was the best answer and I ran my group morning T'ai Chi group while Michael stayed in his stroller, then throughout the day he and I walked around and for a while he played with Ernest Rothrock's young son about his same age too. Among our travels we watched many of the clinics too.
Finally night descended. It was a humid and dark evening. I bundled Michael up, placed him in his stroller as he slept and we rolled up to the clinic area. I saw he was soundly sleeping wrapped soundly and lowered the stroller top covering him.
Then I approached the other instructors who gathered before the clinic ground.
As about 50 or 60 students stood before me I explained a bit of the history of Kusanku kata and how it was categorized as a night fighting kata and that we were going to teach the kata and show the applications of the techniques appropriate for night combat.
As I gave my description I could hear the other instructors, including Tristan, talking behind me, even some laughing. For none of them had ever seen any of my applications for Isshinryu kata. While I had trained with them for years, they had only seen me work what they shared with me. They 'knew' Isshinryu did not teach bunkai for their kata. 'They were in for a surprise'.
I explained to the group that in the past many instructors taught their groups outside their homes and even at locations in the forest, similar to where they were right now. I also explained that the night was not uniformly dark. The lighting varied and that would be taken in response to the attack situation. All that would be addressed in the techniques shown.
Next I had Mike and Young demonstrate the kata. Then I explained we were ready for the rest.
I started the clinic, showing how technique after technique might be used against a night attack. Each application logically fit the attack and concluded the attacker.
As the clinic continued, I noticed the other instructors had less to titter about.
After a while it began to rain. Leaving Mike and Young to continue the group practice for a while, I went to check on Victor Michael. He was still sleeping, warmly wrapped and the stroller top was keeping the rain off of him. After that I returned to the clinic.
The Bushi No Te summer camp never stopped anything for rain. As the rain continued I continued to share my applications for Kusanku.
Finally we were about 1/2 way through the kata. The rain continued to fall most steadily. I got to the section where the defender dropped to ground, my explanation there was the moon had come out from behind the clouds and I was now bright outside, When that happened the defender might drop t the ground, to be less easily seen and use the opportunity to drop to the ground.
As we demonstrated the technique I then had everyone perform the movement. It was interesting to see them try and doing so many of them ended up with their faces in a puddle of rain.
After that I declared the session for the night had ended, reminded them they should go to their tents and sleep for early morning T'ai Chi would begin at 6 am. I also told them I would continue the applications for Kusanku the following morning.
Everyone made their way back to their tents, including Michael and I.
The next day of course there were more clinics, including my teaching the conclusion of Kusanku.
Finally the camp ended. Everyone said goodby. We left to return home and Michael slept the entire way.
My friends had much to think about. Such as how little they knew about my Isshinryu.
Of course I did not share everything I was working on about Kusanku and in later years I would learn so much more. But I knew that weekend I owned the night.
Finally Michael and I returned to Derry and Maureen. We had a great time. All was right in the world!
For more information on my understanding of Kusanku kata:
https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2018/07/how-story-behind-isshinryu-kusanku-kata.html
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