Thought to be lost, I recovered this photograph taken by Charles Murray of Master Shimabuku's desk in Agena during 1972.
Monday, March 31, 2014
Sunday, March 30, 2014
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Recommended Reading For Fun
It
has been a sheer delight to re-discover the great work by Robert A. Heinlien
being ‘Starship Trooper”. As a young lad I read it when it was first published,
and only saw it as a straight adventure story. Of course that was in 1959. It
is with distinct pleasure as I followed Heunlien’s careet. And the story I
re-read many times.
Then
when the movie came out, I had my son read it, and we had interesting
discussions about how the book was changed. The original movie is good, but the
book is much better.
While
Heinlien was writing about a possible future he was really exploring a
different society structure, how that influenced the military, creating a work
on training the infantry and then the Officer Candidate (Himself a Annapolis graduate
and former Naval Officer, and it shows in the texture of the story), crafting a
work of social commentary on the decline of current and future society that
still has a edge IMO, amd most charming how his 1940-1950 morals shape the society
and traditions around the story. A most brilliant piece of work for a short
book. Lest I forget he also used a Bug
War as the central evil, which had been milked to death, but it works well.
The
book “The Old Man’s War” by John Scalazi is much the same, however here 70 year
old men and women enlist in the Colonial Marines, are slammed into perfect
green new super perfect bodies. Under go super accelerated basic training and
are immediately placed into combat
Against
everything the universe has to offer in gritty detail. It to is a series of
books which also play with different social structures and their role with the
military. You are left with the same tone to the first book as if it was also a
wotk by Heinlien, but it is not.
Great
Works of Fiction.
Monday, March 24, 2014
Early Tuite by Oyata Seiyu
I
am withdrawing the scan of Oyata Sensei’s Early Tuite by Seiru Oyata. Lee
Richards has provided me proof that the Oyata family has
copyright of the work, I do not wish to cause them any distress. That and I do
no practice their art.
Victor
Smith
Saturday, March 22, 2014
Reflection on Shiroma Shimpan
At a time where many are exploring the use of Karate
techniques it remains interesting how few are talking about what has already
been shared. Especially in the books written in the 1930’s when various Karate
instructors were sharing details about their arts to the Japanese. Through the
work (and I do mean work) of Patrick McCarthy, Charles Joseph Swift, Mario
McKenna and others, those works have been translated into English and are
available for many to use. However, there are few who comment of converse publically
on those works. For many I believe they are read once and then are left to
gather dust on their book shelves.
These books, many of which we written by students of Itosu
Anko, together explain much of the earlier Karate pre-1900 studies, and
together share the shape of earlier karate.
It is my opinion these works are worth hard study to
understand through the sweat equity that is required.
When Nakasone Genwa published
the “Karate-Do Taiken” in 1938, he
included a chapter by Shimpan Shiroma on “Karate-do Kata and their Meaning”.
Shimapan was a student of Itosu Anko,
as were many of the authors in 1930’s Japan, and looking more closely at his
description of karate usage should help understand the earlier use of karate.
He does not break down specific kata. Instead he takes
general techniques from many kata and shows their potential use. In his words “ Each movement found in a Karate-do kata contains both the means of
attack and defense, but until this is understood kata will probably appear as a
pointless dance. When the purpose is understood, that it contains the
techniques of attack and defense, one will be deeply moved and excited by a kata performance.”
1.
“Each movement of a Karate-do kata contains both
the means of attack and defense.” He then proceeds to describe various ways a
strike, a nukite ,a double nukite or a block and a kick can be used to do this.
2.
He shows how the Age-uke may be utilized. As a
block, as a block turning into a strike, of as a block then strike. Also he
talks about the range where the technique may be used.
3.
Then he turns his attention to the uses of the
Shuto-Uke. As for the interior use followed by a lead hand strike to the face.
Or the exterior use followed by a grab and strike. Even including a Moroto
Soto-Uke variation, and a Morote-ichi uke variation where the lead hand is used
for a strike.
4.
Dropping below a strike into Shiko-dachi using a
Shike-tsuki.
5.
Follow a side block with a simultaneous face
strike with the blocking hand and a reverse punch to the body.
6.
Parry with a LFF chinto ‘X’ block, then parry to
the right strike, follow with a left hand descending parry to a left strike and
then a right hand down parry with a simultaneous left strike to the neck
carotid artery.
7.
Use of high open backhand parries to head
strikes
8.
Use of double punches, lead hand forward,
against a left punch, punch deflecting their punch, pull back the lead hand while parrying the right
hand counter strike with your left palm descending, then strike them in the
face with your right hand.
9. Use of the right
knee parry of a right kick (interior line of defense) and a left knee parry
against a right kick, then place the left foot down (spinning off the attacker)
and double palm strike to their spine (exterior line of defense).
10.
Dropping into horse stance to make a lower block
effective, or rising to make a side block effectime, both require both hands
(the one not blocking nearby the elbow for alignment strength.
11.
Working from cat stance, block a kick with a
down block, rise to block a head punch with a side block (also with secondary
hand near the elbow as before) in this position it could respond to a punch.
12.
Next he shows two different variations of the
augmented block found in Okinawan Karate.
13.
With the attacker’s left punch, right foot forward with the right closed fist
augmented block, then the right hand rolls off the block and strikes the left carotid artery..(Interior line of
defense).
14.
For a right strike, the left foot steps forward
and blocks with a left open fist augmented block and then
the left hand strikes under his arm as they step forward. (exterior line
of defense).
15.
In right cat stance you parry down with the left
fist/hand, then use the vertical right
pressing block as a strike to the face at the same time.
16.
Using the chambering of the hands to the right to catch and control
a punch, then raise the knee and deliver a sword foot thrust outwards and
downwards at an angle in a stomping motion.
17.
Two versions of the crouching posture (kusanku)
with closed fists and open hand blocks.
18.
Use of the lower downward sword hand block to
catch and control/deflect a kick.
19.
Use of the upper sacrifice block to catch and
control the hands holding a descending sword.
20.
Use of the forward stance descending low block
to deflect(control) a kick.
21.
Striking with the double punch (Patsai)
These are but brief notes I have made for myself. Taking the
time to perform this analysis I can advance a theory what Shiroma Shimpan was showing.
1.
The techniques shown through the drawings and
the text are logical karate techniques. Nothing exceptional.
2.
The technique series shown are the starting
technique from the kata, and it’s logical extension to conclude the
attack. Only occasionally is it just the
movement from the kata. That would mean that most likely the kata techniques
were not all that was used. Rather the different instructors would choose to
show different techniques (IMO not just what Shimpan Sensei shows) That means watching the kata you would
never know what was not shown. You most likely would interpret what you were
watching through the filter of the karate you new.
3.
This means that the applications were ‘greater’
in density than just the kata. The ‘bunkai’ I was taught from Sutrisno Tristan
Sensei followed similar principles, but more advanced in the techniques used).
Much valuable effort has been expended by many (myself included) on just the
use of kata technique, but this has IMO been far less explored.
4.
For those inclined there would be several good
clinics here to share Shimpan’s thinking.
5.
He clearly explores use of any technique for its
use for interior and exterior line of defense. This promotes that any technique
could handle most attacks whatever they are. He shows that there is more
potential than one attack and one defense.
This is most that I see at this time.
Shiroma Shimpan concluded his piece:
“For the reader who endeavor to study Karate-do, he will
realize there are several things that I have not fully explained. However, if
he studies and progresses in Karate-do it will reveal it’s vastness to
him. IT is my sincere hope that
Karate-do will not be another theory simply talked about, but that it will be a
study actively pursued every-day.
Karate-do techniques are unlimited.”
May many more offer their thoughts.
A related post on my blog
http://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2013/07/kakushite-hidden-hand.html
Shimabuku Tatsuo demonstrating a movement coincidently used by Shiroma Shimpan