Secrets

 

Back when the ‘Secret Scrolls’ of Isshinryu were being discussed, it really wasn’t surprising that the idea existed. Not that they were secret, as they were the kumite techniques Shimabuku Tatsuo taught, but as many didn't have them the idea they were a set of Secret Scrolls took hold. When I joined the internet in the late 80's their existence was often discussed.



The transmission of Isshinryu was uneven, and there really wasn’t much of an attempt to disseminate information to the whole of Isshinryu karate-ka. For one thing the original study was controlled by the founder, and the time each student had to stay on Okinawa. Everything wasn’t equal.

 

 

That anything was transmitted was due to the brilliance of Shimabuku Tatsuo. The fact that the transmission was un-level, was at core the manner most Okinawan karate seems to have been transmitted,.

 

Before the internet, before youtube, before videos, before movies. Books and magazine articles, you but had what your instructor shared, and other instructors if you were so fortunate.

 

Okinawan karate was a secret, not that it existed, but as it was kept to a very small group, those outside the group really didn’t know the particulars. Then instructors shared at their own pace. Some material may have been kept from most of the group, the manner of transmission may have been restricted to that when skills manifested themselves at a specifically high level. So some material may have well been kept secret. At their core most of the arts seem to have similar essence. But in very different flavors.

 

When Shimabuku Tatsuo transmitted Isshinryu there is no record if it was to be shared in the same manner. So the assumption that there were secrets is not an implausible assumption.

 

Of course secrets is a relative concept. A secret is anything you don’t know. Nothing exactly secret at that. For one art what is a beginning concept study, can be the idea of a secret for another art. But at the same time it really doesn’t matter, for a real core secret is that you train so well in anything you walk through whatever comes in your direction. Not a secret at all, just skill acquisition.

 

Coming out of that time when transmission was whatever your instructor shared with you, I can well understand the idea of a secret set of scrolls could capture thinking.

 

Then again I have trained with many others, and share some of those ideas with my students. What is commonplace to them is secret from you. But secret does not imply better, just not revealed to you.

 

I also have many studies and forms I can not share, No one has enough time to get them. They are all worthy studies, so secrets, Ones that I will not pass along and will remain with me. Secret not because I am hiding them, there just isn’t enough time.

 

But secrets does not imply what they have been shown is less. What they have is enough for each of them.

 

Secrets lie at the heart of all Okinawan karate. As it moves through time that hasn’t changed. Consider Ueichi. Many of their practices would qualify as secrets, but the real secret is they believe in their practice to such an extent they go out of their way to demonstrate what they do most openly. Brutally effective, that is a secret too.

 

Qualifying levels of secrets, mostly worthless activity to my way of thinking. Better at working at advancing levels of skill acquisition at what you do have. Perhaps your instructor has different secrets that will be shared with you, perhaps not, as what you have is enough.

 

Perhaps also an Okinawan secret?