This essay is in Higaonna Sensei's Japanese version of his history book, and I thought you'd all like it!
Joe
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I studied with Miyagi Chojun Sensei from 1929 to 1935. In physical training he was very strict, but when lecturing to us he was always very kind. I always thought that I would never forget the many lessons he told us, but alas this was all 60 years ago, and at 80 years of age, my mind is not as sharp as it once was. I don't think that I can write down everything, but I'd like to start at the beginning.
1. Joining Up
At first, I had not made up my mind which style of karate or which teacher I wanted to study under, so I joined Miyagi Sensei's dojo upon the introduction of a friend of his,
2. Training
In my case, I trained with a group of 5-6 others. Those of us who joined later did not know anything, so we watched the seniors perform kata. Sensei sat at the front, while 5 of us stood in a "U" pattern and watched the others perform kata. We all listened intently to Sensei's corrections as if he was talking to us. We were all so absorbed in watching that we just stood there with our arms folded, but Sensei told us to perform Junbi-undo or Hojo-undo while we watched. From that time on, I always followed Sensei's instructions faithfully and was never corrected twice on the same thing. My seniors of 1-2 years at that time were Tomoyose Kiei and Miyazato Eiko of Gakihara, Yogi Jitsuei of Higashi-machi and Yagi Meitoku from my hometown of Kume. Uehara Saburo (Uehara Yukinori), who presently lives in Fukuoka, was slightly junior to me. The training was severe, but the spirit demanded nothing less.
3. Lessons
a. Those who strive to master karate must always be courteous.
b. The martial arts begin and end with propriety.
c. One must not forget the importance of academic education.
d. Always pay attention to the center of gravity when performing kata.
e. If one's center of gravity is not stable when attacking or defending, the effect will be halved.
f. The best block is the one that does not make contact, or simply evading the attack.
People are all different in terms of size and strength. This is easily seen if one meets force against force. Even if one becomes a karate practitioner in their own right by just throwing themselves into the training without thinking, they still must have "martial talent."
Therefore, one must think while training, in order to develop this.
4. Kata Training is Enough
If, when facing an enemy, one is always thinking of how the opponent will punch or kick, and how one will react, then one shll surely be defeated. If one merely trains correctly, then one will defeat the attacker even before you realize how the opponent attacked or how you countered. The technique you practiced day in and day out will manifest itself when necessary.
5. The Best Style
Everyone who aspired to master karate would like to think that their style is the best. Miyagi Sensei had this to say: "The best style is not determined by the kata, but rather how hard the practitioner has studied and trained in that particular style,"
6. About Kiai
The most common kiai used today is EI or YA, just like in Judo or Kendo. Miyagi Chojun Sensei, when teaching the uppercut in Seisan, told us that rather than EI, he would like us to utter the kiai like IYAI. We all did so. Once, when performing Seisan, I used the IYAI kiai on the uppercut, then performed the right down block and immediately pulled my right fist to the hip and thrust with the left palm. This is the description of the techniques, but this is actually a takedown by grabbing the opponent's leg. Anyway, at that time I naturally let
loose with an almost voiceless kiai that sounded like "UN." Afterwords I expected to be berated for uttering an unnecessary kiai, but to my surprise I was told "that is fine. Even this is a correct kiai." It was almost as if I was being praised. I am embarrassed by this.
From 1927, the only kata really taught were Sanchin, Tensho,
Seiunchin and Seisan. However, from April 1934 to 1935, or
about half a year before Miyagi Sensei left for Hawaii, I
learned Shisochin, Seipai, Kururunfa, Saifa and Suparinpei
in rapid succession. This was after a period of hard training, so once I learned the enbusen, it was no problem to perform the kata.
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