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
Itoman Seijin (Morinobu’s) book Toudi-jutsu no Kenkyu https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2014/10/toudi-jutst-no-kenkyo-itoman-seijn.html
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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