"Give me six hours
to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe." -
Abraham Lincoln
Traditional Japanese fencing (Kendo)
aboard a Japanese battleship,
ca 1910-15.
装甲艦上の剣道の練習 (1910–1915)
明治時代, 日本の水兵は伝統的な武芸を嗜むことが多かったようです
"There are many implements of
kobujutsu, but none are very effective when you are going straight backwards."
Chikin Akagawa
In a whipping manner he
demonstrates doing an inside crescent kick followed by a snappy front kick. Or
an Outside crescent kick also followed by a variation of a snappy front
kick.
Victor Smith
When I was a beginner we used to do an
inside crescent kicks and the return with an outside crescent kick, over a
partner’s head, where they had first bent over. We would try to come as close
to the partner’s head as possible.
What is being shown is just that drill,
slightly modified for the actual kick being used.
Another group with similar unique kicking practices was David Brojack’s Kempo Goju. Their West Wing kick and their West Wind kick were both variations on the crescent kick.
Beginning
from a left cat stance the West Wing
Kick was where you would jump up and deliver a front inside crescent kick and while descending you would follow
with a right outside crescent kick.
Then
from a left cat stance for the West Wind kick you would jump up and deliver a
front outside crescent ikci and then while descending follow with a left inside
crescent kick.
I
learnt that while training with David and have never seen them elsewhere.
Kyan Chotoku's thatched roof house
adjacent to the Hija River Stone bridge. It is said that that the person seen
next to the house is Kyan Chotoku.
Shimabuku Tatsuo Sensei often told
stories of Kyan Chotoku practicing Chinto kata on this bridge. Now we can see
that the house is very close to the stone bridge and since it was a bridge
made for horse carts why not practice a karate kata on it!
AJA
It was amost 30 years ago that I found out about this book. A friend sent it to me because he
has questions and he found I was quoted in a footnote about Isshinryu. I knew
nothing of the book , author, system he studied, rank he held. And I never
looked him up.
But much of the book ran counter of the
studies I experienced over my decades of work and I undertook reading the book
as a challenge for myself.
Martial books fall into categories. This
one was making big assumptions about various karate histories. IMO based on
many faulty assumptions. So I began to
study what was there.
Technically it is a challenge to the right of
Shotokan to be considered real karate based on a premise that Kyan’s karate was
purer further based on an premise that Isshinryu was the best example of Kyan’s
karate based on the Isshinryu writings of Martinez’s books on Isshinryu.
I personally found all that was
published based on very faulty assumptions, such as Martinez’s Isshinryu really
covered what Isshinryu was about. Further his book had a footnote from me and
something I had written. This got me to make this short analysis of this book.
After I wrote this, and having formed my
own opinions really forgot it and I
ignored it thereafter. Now finding it 30 years later these opinions are still
what I believe.
“Shotokan’s Secret” by
Bruce D. Clayton, Ph. D.
IMO a less than accurate book torn apart by me,
Especially as he quoted me without my permission.
I learned a great lesson from Doctor Harper, who was also a surgeon
and a long time student. On Sunday he came over and was looking at my martial
book collection. Suddenly he took one of the books and threw it in the trash. I
was quite surprised for I felt the book was good. He explained if they took the
time to produce the book, and were so careless as to place a drawing of the
spleen on the wrong side of the body, what sane person could trust any of the
material in the book. It was a great point. I've since noticed when authors
take similar shortcut to make a point in their books, everything else they
wrote is forevermore suspect.
With
that in mind here is something I wrote long ago that tangentially touches on
Isshinryu. It is long and I’ll understand if you don’t read this.
“Shotokan’s Secret” by Bruce D. Clayton, Ph. D. ‘The Hidden Truth Behind Karate’s Fighting Origins.’ Ohara Publications (publisher of Black Belt Magazine) - 2005
R.T. ^..^ and Jet had quite a discussion about Mr. Clayton’s book during the latter part of February. R.T. wanted my opinion, and as I’m trying to work my way through eliminating books (just as I dumped several thousand magazines) and can’t justifying acquiring more, he sent me his copy to read because he asked for my opinion about the book.
Rather than do a complete analysis, I’m going to try and shotgun over it a bit. But there is big link to Isshinryu, for later you’ll see my opinions about his using Isshinryu as an example of why Itosu changed the arts, and why Isshinryu is weak compared to noble Shuri arts.
It was here when I returned from my trip on Thursday and I’ve just shot through it and wanted to give R.T. his money’s worth.
BTW, this will be
complex, long and likely I’ll loose myself a bit along the way.
The author – Bruce D. Clayton Ph.D.
Ph.D in Ecology, known survival expert, 5th degree black belt in Shotokan under Vincent Cruz.
The premise – Real
Okinawa karate was born in the Shuri crucible, of Matsumura and other noble
families who were the government, and the body guards of the king of
Perhaps there is some merit to his contention the real reason that karate developed was to be used by the bodyguards of the king of Okinawa, and this shaped what is and isn’t in karate’s structure.
Structurally the book covers 1) that the art of karate developed for the use of the kings bodyguards, and techniques like grappling, ground work, pressure point strikes wouldn’t work in those situations, so linear techniques were the primary focus 2) a ‘history’ of how the art developed (both as Shuri and then Shotokan) 3) a comparison of the pure Itosu Shuri to the lesser vehicle taught by Kyan and 4) an analysis of the art of the bodyguard, why Shotokan didn’t have ‘bunkai’ and what should be added quickly to keep students interested and learning.
Unfortunately from my perspective I consider this work a rhetorical argument, that of ‘special pleading’, rather than something of historical merit. It is my contention that he’s taken quite a number of authors ‘histories’ and shaped a story that tells what he wants to tell. Thus Shotokan, descendant of a real karate-ka Itosu is Good, and arts that were descended from Funakoshi’s evil twin, Kyan are less worthy, less workable and over all bad.
He takes the invasion of
Unfortunately he weaves his story with references of Sells, Alexander, McCarthy and Kim, among many others. There are not references supporting most of his inferences at my quick initial look-see.
My opinion such a book might draw a good grade from a University professor. It tells a clear story, has lots of quotes, footnotes, references, index and pictures. It’s just I don’t think they necessarily tell a real story. At first glance a lot of this seems to tie together, but again in my opinion as wish fulfillment.
For one thing, quoting Richard Kim will help sell the book
to Ohara, which publishes Kim’s ‘Weaponless Warriors’, interesting stories
about
While I’ve read many of Clayton’s sources, I don’t have my library indexed to quickly dig out these opinions, so I’m just calling it from what I’ve seen.
Among the books contentions are that WWII destroyed so many homes, any written references to the past were lost, and it may just be because of that that the stories that the history was only maintained orally remain. I can accept his assessment that the devastation of the war was very hard for the survivors.
And I do not share opinions like when he writes “The appalling atomic bombings of
Among his central premises is that Karate was developed specifically as an art for bodyguards. The central development of it from Matsumura, setting it apart from the Chinese arts, was his use of linear karate. Not time for locks and throws, no time for pressure point strikes (which he derides Kyan for using), just blasting linear strikes.
The purpose of the art was to blast into attackers, to blast a way through them and to protect and extract the king from trouble. He even makes a case that the real use of Nihanchi was to step sideways, not to keep one’s back to the wall, but to protect the king behind them as they side stepped him to safety (with their version of the secret service).
He performed much research, watching several hundred kata,
making notes, to derive his opinions about the arts. He does analyze Isshinryu,
with the work of Javier Martinez, as his text, but he admits he did watch video
tape of Uzeu Angi, but his primary purpose isn’t to deride Isshinryu, it’s more
a wider attack from all arts deriving from Kyan. And as he found the
Truthfully it’s hard to say where to begin, I have so many things I don’t care for. Totally shotgunning I’ll list a few:
Shaolin monk, where did that come from? It’s a reference used several times and seems to infer the Chinese arts are only pure if they’re done with the same intent of the Shaolin Buddhists? Wonder how he sources that information.
“Later in his life, Kyan completely abandoned Shuri-te completely and taught
only pre-Matsumura kata and techniques. That tells us quite a lot about his attitude towards Shuri-te and the Shuri masters. In the end, he completely turned his back on them.”
But as Mr. Martinez’s material is available Clayton decides that is representative of what Kyan’s arts included. A very curious lack of effort to understand the entire range of systems of study which came from Kyan, and would seem to be a better argument to make if there is a logic to his contentions
“The remarkable thing about kusanku is its reputation for a “night-fighting” kata. In my experience, shotokan stylists don’t know this part of the kusanku legend, and there is a reason for that. Shuri’s long-range impact techniques require light to see by (referring to the theory karate only developed for body guards in the well lit castle).
He then compares Martinez
applications to some shotokan applications and concludes “The details of the
techniques are not really important. The critical difference is the midset. The
ancient applications used multiple techniques to reduce one attacker. Itosu’s
linear interpretations provides weapons against
many simultaneous enemies. In fact
ther eare applications within kanku dai where a single technique injures
multiple attackers. Again, this is
completely consistent with the difference between the world view of the Shaolin
monk and that of the keimochi
bodyguard.”
I’m going to stop pulling out examples there, or I’ll end up with a book, won’t I.
First no slight against Mr. Martinez’s applications. He is free to teach as he
will, but to take his books as an example of what
Isshinryu consist of is very shoddy research.
Clayton concludes Isshinryu does not contain linear striking.
Perhaps he does us a very great service, and we should require all non
isshin-ryu stylists to read and believe this book. Then they’ll never know what
hits them.
Part of his lack of research rests in the belief the true
answer of Isshinryu is that multiple kata technique are required to subdue one
opponent, where as shotokan’s punch will do the same. I believe most here hold
a different opinion from Mr. Clayton.
In fact his use of his research to
make his case as he chooses, especially without qualification whether his
research represents reality, is one of the ways a case of ‘Special Pleading’ is
recognized.
Very quickly let me extract some of the major aspects of ‘older’ training Itosu discarded, explaining why the bodyguard aspect is the focus. They were fewer pressure points, fewer nukite strikes, no submission techniques, no night fighting. I love statements like “In shotokan you might crack the prostrate opponents skull with your heel, but you wouldn’t grab his foot and twist it to control him.”
From his research Clayton examines the art of the bodyguard as having the following required bunkai.
He concludes with a complex analysis of why Itosu may not have taught bunkai, seeming to promote the concept that since bodyguards for the king were no longer needed, using karate for ‘DO’ instead of actual practice made sense to him.
He makes complex argument that Shotokan instructors do not know the bunkai for their system. I find this difficult to accept because for 10 years I spent a great deal of time studying bunkai of Shotokan with Tris Sutrisno (which admittedly is not main-stream Shotokan). My reality is very different from his.
Especially contrast this with the work of Nakasone published in 1933. He clearly shows all of the upcoming kata that will be included in Shotokan over the next several decades, and half his work shows the applications, especially those that Clayton says were not present in the Itosu art. Nakasone had been a student of Funakoshi, did make a trip to Okinawa for research, but the fact he published so much bunkai and shotokan choose not to publically include it in their practices (I refuse to accept shotokan seniors, who certainly had access to Nakasone’s book, didn’t include that material in their closed practices, but not for general distribution, especially world wide). On that future day Joe-san completes his translation and has it published, I think many heads will change their opinions about what was in karate.
Trying to draw this to conclusion without writing a complete refutation is difficult.
Let’s say this, this is one of the current problems with martial scholarship. Just because material is in print, using it (including video tapes) as certified research is problematical. The research is only as accurate as the source you vet completely.
Clayton should have research
Isshinryu in greater detail than just reading some books and watching some
video tape. The system is larger than that. And for that matter he should have
investigated the other Kyan derivative systems in more detail to have any idea about
what he was writing about.
Now as a PhD in Ecology he might be
a nice guy to call on to bring balance to the plant life in your pond. But I
remember PhD can also be translated “Piled Higher and Deeper” too.
So I guess it’s safe
to say I consider most this book tripe.
Perhaps some of his thoughts have merit, but when you have even one suspect source in the project, it becomes very difficult to separate the good from the bad.
Now this was only from a quick blast through reading for R.T. ^..^.
I’ll take the time over the next week or two to read it more carefully and if my opinions change I’ll post that. Then I’ll gratefully return the book to R.T. ^..^.
Victor
September 14, 1988
When a new Sho Dan, I immediately found myself on my own and forced to make
my own way training myself. I searched
everywhere took the good and the bad
and worked hard to understand what Okinawan
Te was about.
Ron Martin
While
competing at a tournament, in the Black Belt kata division, a senior
Goju Ryu dan gave me a very low score.
Later I questioned him as what I could
do to improve. This instructor turned
out students who where exactingly crisp
in their own technique. He basically
told me "Your Stances ******!", then
proceeded to elaborate on his thoughts
as to what Isshinryu was doing wrong,
in general.
Tom Lewis
I started observing the best Isshinryu
whenever I found it. Universally, all
great Isshinryu practitioners had great
stances. I don't know how they were
trained, or how they trained their
students, and was too humble to ask my
Sensei about why his own stances were so
good, so I just began to concentrate
on developing stronger stance.
Likewise to my students I concentrated
on any stance imperfections. Harped on
it, in a friendly manner of course, but
never permitted bad stance to
continue. As time passed my stances got
better and my students consistently
were doing a better job.
Of course there are offensive and
defensive reasons for SUPER Seisan Stances,
et. al. Just commenting on Seisan,
Offensively if the front leg is too
straight (a very common Isshinryu Black
Belt situation in my years of
observation) you can't use the power of
you legs and hips for power
generation. Instead you use only your
arms, and that weakens the power
tremendously. Defensively, a straight
front leg in Seisan is a target of
opportunity waiting to happen. I love to
train my Dan's to look for that and
attack that point as a structural way to
drop someone.
From this beginning in structural
observation I've developed further
principles which affect the generation
of Isshinryu Power.
In the use of the crescent step, I
observe, most people use a constant
acceleration throughout the entire
stepping process. I eventually began to
see another opportunity. The Crescent
Step if done correctly by my way of
training, draws the back foot up
alongside the front foot. It moves the foot
into the centerline, and then pushes off
the centerline to move forward to
complete the step.
I saw an opportunity here. If you take
2/3's of the stepping movement time to
draw into the centerline, and then
explode from there with 1/3 of your
movement time, you are gathering your
energy into your center and then
exploding out of there. Your kata
movement become more powerful.
Then I began using the centerline for
everything. When making a turn, such as
90 degrees to the left. The left foot
draws into the center line (2/3's of
the movement) and explodes 1/3 from the
centerline, again.
So far I've commented on stance and
movement. Next comes the role of
breathing and timing.
Originally the only instruction on
breathing was the use of Ibuki breathing
in Sanchin and the way we practiced
Seiuchin. But I have been working on a
different use of breathing to control
the timing of the kata.
I now define breathing as INTRA TECHNIQUE SERIES BREATHING and as INTER TECHNIQUE SERIES BREATHING. Sounds like a mouthful doesn't it.
A Kata
TECHNIQUE SERIES, is an instructor designation. It may be one move
(such as step forward and Block) or it
may be a series of moves (such as
Block, Punch Front Kick, Double Punch).
There are various ways to break any
kata down as a series. That isn't good
or bad, just one of a number of
options to consider.
INTRA Technique Series, means what
happens during the series in question.
Inter Technique Series, means what
happens between the different Technique
Series.
INTRA TECHNIQUE SERIES BREATHING, I've
found for speed enhancement, this
should be done as one continuous exhale.
This is regardless of whether a
single technique, or a series of
techniques. Inhalation during the technique
series (T.S.) will slow the series down.
Never a good idea for power
development.
INTER TECHNIQUE SERIES BREATHING, Is
where I inhale between Technique Series. This is for air replenishment as well
as the means to control the timing of
the kata.
By exhaling INTRA TECHNIQUE, you can
concentrate on increasing speed in the
series of technique(s). By controlling
inhalation for INTER TECHNIQUE, you
can control the timing of the kata, and
not let the speed get away from you.
Did you ever loose it in CHINTO and
finish faster and faster. I've found
concentration on INTER TECHNIQUE
breathing will help control the speed of the
entire form, yet still permit blasting
on the techniques themselves.
There's nothing to say my principles are
correct or the only answer. However
I and my students have been following
them for the past 20 years and I'm more
than satisfied that I can make them
work.
So you have Stance, the method of
stepping, the method of breathing and
control of timing affecting power
generation. How to make them an effective
training device.
Just jumping into a kata such as Seisan,
can be a very daunting task with so
much to consider. What I suggest is to
take a basic H type pattern kata (I
use Fugyata Sho myself, but which one
doesn't matter).
A basic kata allows for good training in
these principles. You can change
where the sequences start and stop (Is
it A - Low block then B 0 Stepping
Punch or is it A-Low Block Stepping
Punch). You can concentrate on this
stepping movements themselves. Stress
driving off of the center line. Look at
the regulation of breathing and timing.
Then when you start seeing progress,
they can begin to take the same
principles and concentrate on One Isshinryu
Kata. Then work through the kata one at
a time. Only when a kata is perfect,
go to the next and so forth. This is not
a fast process and will take years.
But I am certain it will increase power.
Is this everything? No, of course not.
Can you get the rest? That's an
interesting question.
I don't know if this is the answer.
Truthfully it just works for me and mine.
Unfortunately no one gave me this, I had
to work it out on my own piece by
piece.
Why should you address this issue. Well
I see the study of kihon and kata, as
the practice of karate. Then I see the
practice of Bunkai as the DOING of
Karate. If you can develop more and more
energy in the practice, and
correctly perform the DOING of Karate,
you will learn how to tap that larger
amount of power and utilize that when
you DO Karate.
Keep
looking to improve.
