Tuesday, October 23, 2018

Okinawan Karate Should Not be Changed



 

When I face reality in the eyeball, for most purposes my active years in Isshinryu are over. I continue to practice, study and everything else, but no one comes to me for training. I am mostly left with my memories and my quests to understand, uninterrupted.

 

That does not imply that the future ends, however a realistic evaluation of what Isshinryu participation is left for me.

 

Since at least 1870 that which became known as Okinawan Karate as been in a constant state of change.

 

I am aware of only a few books which talk about the earlier arts. Though I am sure there are probably more, just that I am unaware of them.

 

“Ryuku Oke Hiden Bujutsu: Karate, Bukijutsu” translated by Joe Swift



 

Translated by Mario McKenna A chapter in the 1938 Nakasone book “Karate Do Taikan”


 

 The book Mario McKenna translated


 

And occasionally some possible other sources, such as this


 

 

What emerges is that things had been in flux as to what became karate

 

Come the 20th century:

            1. Itosu proposes karate should be shared in the schools, and it was many times.

            2, Okinawa, a small island, began to have karate trained individuals move into Okiawan communities around the world. Japan, other east Asian locations, Hawaii and South America. Though their teachings remained within those Okinawan communities.

            3. Okinawan instructors began migrating to Japan, and began teaching Karate there. Especially in the Japanese universities.

            4. Okinawan instructors in Japan began writing books about what karate was and sharing their curricula.

            5. Okinawans were sharing their karate between themselves. This could have been an older tradtion, I can’t be sure about that.

            6. Okinawan instructors began a wider sharing of karate than done with the previous arts.

            7. WWII occurred. A huge percentage of Okinawans were killed.

            8. Control of Okinawa shifted to USA hands.

            9. About the time Okinawa became aware that the American control would end reverting control of Okinawa back to Japan, a wide variety of changes were made to Okinawan karate to resemble what the version of karate in Japan was doing.

            9.. There were changes many times from those who became instructors. That change, IMO, became more of a constant for a variety of reasons.

            10. I have heard most became an instructor, when the desire was there, on the death of their instructor. As a result of WWII, that was sadly too frequent an occurrence.

            11. The impossible occurred, some instructors began teaching American soldiers, and with little training time, when they returned to their homes continued to practice and then teach karate for their lifetimes.

            12, Karate became a world wide phemona, with no oversight what karate would become from what remained on Okinawa. Thus constant, continual change became the norm.

 

I could go on, however I believe you can see what I am getting to.

 

Styles of karate, now formed, but from friends who trained on Okinawa, each dojo for the most part was doing different things, no matter which grouping they belonged to.

 

The reality of the transmission of karate, you really only had what your instructor told you about it. From Kyan a number of different instructors formed different styles. Each one sharing some commonality and differences. Of course perhaps they trained at  different times, and in different places. But each had their own logic behind what they taught.

 

When Shimabuku Tatsuo created Isshinryu, he had training from a number of different instructors. Among them Kyan, Miyagi and Motobu. Different amounts of time, different places, etc. He based his style on part of what he trained in, part of his own analytic efforts from what he experienced, and at that, at different times for different reasons, he shared differently. Of course there is much more involved. When he formed his system, his instructors had passed and he followed his own conscience as to what he taught. Apparently always trying out to better his system.

 

He was a agent of change. He consciously choose to train USMC members, during their tours on Olinawa. Of course it was for money, the depression Okinawa experienced was severe. No one on Okinawa would have considered that such short time students, with so little training would go on to spend their lives with their karate.

 

Of course others on Okinawa, paid attention, and they too began to teach the Americans.

 

Then Shimabuku Sensei did as he was trained, Observing Kyan working out different things, he followed as he was trained, and continued to adjust what he shared with his students.

 

So different versions were received by his students, and they followed the version they had.

 

I am but a simple student of Tom Lewis and Charles Murray, most of what I am is just what I experienced from them. I am not the source of everything Isshinryu, just what my own Isshinryu has become.

 

But from what I have observed Isshinryu today is a powerful universe that descended from that single force, Shimabuku Tatsuo.

 

Perhaps very far from one thing, but by its existence, it proved so many different things Okinawa probably thought impossible.

 

. One man could teach a system of karate to short term foreign students, and they in turn would become a world wide system of karate.

. The original standard that what an instructor taught, died with him,  The idea that what an instructor shared could be a system to pass down to future generations, that was a new thought on Okinawa, not tradition. Shimabuku’s work proved that could occur.

 

 

It always interesting to remember Shimabuku Tatsuo was also an adapt of the I Ching, the Chinese book of Changes, used for divination. Which used the idea of change as the one constant to interpret the now.
 
In that is one way is life was so very much caught up in Change as was all Okinawan karate.

 

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