Historically
Okinawa likely always had it’s weapons traditions.
Those with tuide
for the positions held by the Samurai families. Those within other family
traditions. Those in village traditions. Those whose work used many things,
such as those who fished, those who cared for horses or those who tilled the
fields.
As tuide became
karate, some of those karate traditions also had weapon traditions, and others
did not. There was not an apparent kobudo across Okinawan karate.
An example might
be Funakoshi Ginchin, the karate he taught did not include a kobudo tradition,
at the same time in Japan he would demonstrate bo tradigion, too. He got that
from is father as a family tradition. And he supported his students acquiring
kobudo traditions, being Shinken Taira.
As to what the
kobudo traditions were encompases a variety of different traditions.
In Shimabuku
Tatsuo’s studies he leared a bo kata from Kyan Chotoku, as well as sai studies.
The chose to receive other kobudo training from Shinken Taira,And then as his art grew shared some of those
studies with his students, apparently different sharings at different times. He
very clearly saw the study of his karate including a kobudo tradition.
There is an
oooold saying, “When the student is ready, the instructor will appear”.
I realize that
sounds like something from an old Zorro movie, or perhaps an older zen koan.
But that is exactly what happened to me.
I was a black
belt in Isshinryu. As part of the training I received I had the Isshinryu
Kobudo kata forced into me by that time, one exception. Bo Shi Shi No Kon No
Dai was taught 3 months later.
Then I was alone
to maintain my practice. And practice I did, over and over. There were no books
or You Tube at that time, I had no access to the movies that were available.
And one time I started Urashie and ended up in Shi Shi by the finish. It took
me a week to work that mistake out. So I began to use tournament competition as
a place to force a higher level of practice. Many of the competitors were
national champions or regional champions. They proved to be good sharpening
stones for my own practice.
Taking advantage
of offers made by instructors at those same tournaments I began traveling to
train with them on occasion. And when shown something I did not know, I did my
best to learn and then practice what I was shown.
Those
opportunities were in many systems. Among them I spent 2 years learning 1 form,
the Yang Tai Chi Chaun form. So many forms and among them a variety of weapons
forms.
But the most
unique experience also proved one of the most lasting ones for me.
When I was
training with Charles Murray, one time he went home to Deleware to visit his
parents, When he returned, I discovered he spent time practicing with Lewis
Sensei, and also visited one of his friends Reese Rigby.
Reese had also
acquired Bando staff and stick. That visit he had taught Charles the Bando
staff form he knew, and in turn Charles taught it to me, more to have someone
to train with. It became another form for me to study.
Later I visited
Lewis Sensei and stopped to train with Reese, who was also one of my seniors.
And he drilled me over and over on the Bando staff, working on fine details.
Reese was a
strong regional competitor himself. Often for variety mixing Isshinryu Urashie
with the Bando Staff form. And often when he was in a tie experience, would use
the Bando Short stick form.
One of my later
visits in 1982 he showed me the opening to the Bando Stick form one time. I
hardly could be said to know it, but I had long gotten into practicing what I
was shown. No idea if I was practicing it right or wrong, just working on what
I retained.
So in those
years I guess the clearest thing I was learning was that I could retain
something in short order. I was doing that over and over again, in many diverse
systems of study.
The reason those
Bando forms were studied by Reese Rigby is that Lewis Sensei had many Bando
friends, and his students attended Bando Summer Camps and learned those forms
there.
So in 1983 when I
was invited to one of those Bando Summer Camps, because of Lewis Sensei, I
chose to go and participate. It was a great experience, I participated in more
than several dozen different training sessions there, All are still sharp in my
memory, bando, arnis, isshinryu with Don Bohan, and many others.
That Saturday I
made friends with one of their black belts, we talked way into Saturday night
swapping experiences.
Then Sunday
morning I awoke early, To clear my mind I practiced the bando staff form I knew
as well as the piece I had of the short stick form. I did not realize I was
being watched by that same black belt I met the day before. He asked me how I
knew those forms, so I explained how that happened. He was getting ready to
attend a private Bando black belt session way in the woods with Dr. Gyi. But he
made a point that I really did not have the Bando Stick form.
So he grabbed
two of his brown belts and told them to teach me the stick form. Then he left
for his own training.
I do not had the
slightest idea who his name was, or the name of those two brown belts.
But teach me
they did. Move by move, constantly showing me how each of those movements was
applied at the same time. After an hour they took a break.
At the same time
Dennis Lockwood’s daughter Anna, came up to me and asked me if I could teach
her the Bando Staff form I knew. So I did so as a mental break, realizing that
doing so would help me move what I was shown into Long Term Memory. The most necessary
component of learning.
Then back to the
short stick instruction. Another very intense hour.
Too soon they
were done. I never saw them again or their instructor.
Whatever I had I
had, and went off and worked on it. The camp closed and all the way home I kept
going through the movements during my 3 ½ hour drive. Then getting home more
practice. And the next day, and the next.
No one but
myself cared if I had it. No one to correct me. Later that year I once again
visited Reese. He showed me his, I showed him mine. They were close and also
different. Each of us agreed we would keep to our own way.
From that
practice I came to appreciate the form more and more.
For the next 5
or so years I just practiced. Then developing an adult program and when having
students that reached brown belt, I shared a short version of the form. By that
time I realized I did not want to overload the students, I already had many
supplemental forms they also studied, But I considered the form so important
for them I saw that a short piece of the form would be significant for them.
The remainder would be one of their earliest black belt studies.
The more I
worked and taught the form, the more I realized that it could be performed with
literally anything in one’s hands, A stone, a stick, a knife, a staff, a sword.
Literally anything you could place in your hands could be used, and that the
empty hands could also be used, another empty hand fighting tradition.
Then in 1993 one
of my students,Young Lee, walked out into a NH tournament floor in the weapons division. As
he walked forth I heard mummers in the audience at that tournament, “He does
not have a weapon with him.”
He announced himself and his form. Then as he
began his stick dropped from his left sleeve into his hand, It had not been
seen before. The audience gasped. Then I realized what the form could truly do.
I did not teach
stick to children, that was never the plan. But those young people who reached
black belt after the average 7 to 9 years, were no longer really children
either.
One time did a
one off with the kids. I was hosting a New Years Eve sleepover training session
for the kids at the club, To give their parents a night off.
And that time I
gave a brief clinic of how a rolled up newspaper could be used for self
defense. I long realized you could show almost anything, then not having it a
part of their class, would just become a one time experience. Of course that
session was also a real experience that could work.
I had gotten the idea long
before from an acquaintance in Goshin Do, who would tell when a brown belt
working in NYC used to always carry a rolled up newspaper with him, just in
preparation for any attack. That idea worked well with the short stick
technique. But that one training session aside, I never again shared that with
youth.
So did I get it
or not? Never again trained with anyone from Bando, so I could not say.
Sufficient that what I got workedfor me
for decades and became a core black belt practice in my group.
The reality is
that there are many different paradigms about how Isshinryu is taught, and
interestingly each of them works to make their students become effective.
Of course the
base for most of us is what the Marine’s experienced at Agena and then influenced
their efforts as they became instructors. Probably as close to we can get to
what was Isshinryu Prime exactly what was taught by Shimabuku Tatsuo.
Along the way
many others were taught necessitating many changes, each of which meant that
Isshinryu was not exactly the same as originally taught. I do not believe that
weakens Isshinryu, just addressed each time that there are other paradigms that
formed.
One of the
concepts I first experienced when I began training with others outside of
Isshinryu, not all of them by any means, but enough to spark my interest. Those
practices I came to put under the term Multiple Striking. I found it in many
places, even some from Okinawans, from Shotokan, from Chinesesystems, and some from my own efforts.
I do believe,
when possible, the original Isshinryu using extensive work with various
makiwara equivalents is probably the strongest answer.
But there are
other ways to retain Isshinryu and use other principles which can also work.
And I have
shared a few of them. Of course knowing me, a bit more than a few. But these
were all things I taught those who trained with me, as well as a bit more.
It is something
most of you probably have not experienced.
When first I
moved to Scranton, Pa. for work, it also meant that I was no longer near my
instructor, Tom Lewis’ dojo. Nor was there any karate to speak of close by
where I was living.
The only place I
could find offering martial training anything like karate was a program
teaching Tang Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan. I joined that program, they knew I was an
Isshinryu green belt, but none of them cared about my Isshinryu, ever.
I continued my
Isshinryu, alone.
A year later
serendipity played its role and one of my seniors, Charles Murray, move to that
area and with him I was able to train further in Isshinryu.
Then too short a
time later I was once again alone.
I tackled it
several different ways. I participated in open karate tournaments in Region 10,
where I lived, to push myself in Isshinryu, I began training with many people I
met at those tournaments to have adults to train with, no matter what the
training they offered. I also began teaching Isshinryu to the young. I had the
time, the availability and literally no distractions as I was not from that
area.
At those
tournaments I did meet others in Isshinryu, but they were not my lineage. Some
were friendly, some were more dismissive as I was not their lineage of
Isshinryu, a few were very dismissive for that reason too. In any case as none
of them were nearby did any read bonding occur.
Then as I went
forth totrain with others, just to have
adults to work with, I found out I learned also, not as a conscious choice, but
I acquired quite a bit of knowledge about many systems nonetheless. Goju Ryu,
Shorin Ryu, Shotokan, Goshin Jutsu, Washin Ryu and more (from a separate study
of some Chinese systems). As I was called on to judge at the tournaments I was
also competing at, I found I could judge many competitors not just on what I
observed that day, but also knowing something about their systems, was able to
include knowledge of what they were to do in that system.
Nothing I ever wanted
to do, it just occurred.
But with
complete honesty not one of those I trained with ever expressed one iota of
interest in my Isshinryu, ever.
Each step
forward, such as when I choose to begin teaching youth, with many who told me
that was not wise, or true karate, I was alone in my choice.
In maintaining
my Isshinryu and all of the other things I discovered I retained, I was also
alone.
And when I chose
to expand my program offering supplemental training, at many different levels,
for many different reasons, I was also alone.
But time passed
I developed students into adepts and then I was not so alone.
Till the time
came to retire from active instruction, and once moving again, I was once again
alone.
Still, much
weathered, I still practice my art(s) alone,
As I began,
still I continue, Alone.
Oh one small
afterthought. While I learned many things along my way,at a most personal level I used that
knowledge to work on how to trounce such for my own part.
Also Alone……..
I remember as a
brown belt Charles suggesting to not let others make my choices as to how I
trained. Many different levels to that set of discussions. It may have been on
the greatest lessons I learned.
It is quite
possible we do not really know what we know.
So much has been
written in books, magazines and in the internet, repeating the same ‘truths’
that the endless repetition itself becomes a ‘reality’ or current lever of
abstraction, not based on reality.
Consider that
when Funakoshi and Mabuni began sharing a paradigm of what they studied with 4
year university programs, that was something new. They proved that was
possible, and trained many who would then go forward in the Japanese society,
reinforcing that such things were possible. Quite different from what occurred
on Okinawa.Especially proving new ideas
could take hold.
I agree I don’t
know enough, but from my incessant reading on Okinawan karate history for much
of the past 100 years, there was never a focus on Karate systems, just the
instructor who shared. That slowly changed more after the war.
Consider Miyagi
Chojun. He was trained by Hiagonna Kanryo, engaged in further studies, taught
mostly individuals and some school karate. For most of his time he trained to
what he felt the individual needed, not teaching most everything. Towards the
end of his life he changed his mind. Also he never promoted anybody to black
belt. Then on his death hos students got together, trained each other in their
varied kata studies. And as a group awarded each other dan levels, and from
their efforts Goju became a system akin to what it is today. So as we think if
a system it was more constituted that was about the mid 1950’s.
And Kyan Chotoku
never taught a system, just karate. As was normal on Okinawa his students, some
of them, became instructors some time after his death. Those that formed
schools named them differently. Viewing those schools you can see a bit of
commonality which relates back to Kyan, but also veering in different
directions, eventually each of those groups becoming systems.
Then Shimabuku
Tatsuo followed much the same path. Like so many others he incorporated kata
from several of his instructors. Considered and passed on his own ideas what
was necessary. He was willing to take on short term students and adjust his art
for the short time they were with him. He was continually considering what was
the best way to present what he say, which I believe he got from those who
trained him.
Realistically he
could not really know those short term students would be inspired to spend the
rest of their lives doing his karate. He really had no idea that a world
spanning organization was needed to consolidate his teachings, then what attepts
weredone to do so, did not face the
reality that there was so little in place to do so. Each of his students had
the grasp of what was his Isshinryu they had seen. That they would perpetuate
the name to be a ‘system’ was not the Okinawan karate Shimabuku had
experienced.
Each of those
instructors, with different experiences, faced very different realities when
they came back home, Many of them were instrumental in founding Karate in America.
And each based off the paradigm that they experienced. Often joining with other
karate’s in America forming new, different traditions. But for the most part
they kept the name Isshinryu, forging the idea that Isshinryu was one system,
and in doing so creating something quite new too, IMO>
That there are
many different paradigm’s using the name Isshinryu is what I have experienced.
I know so little, just what I have experienced.
1.The Paradigm I
learned from Tom Lewis and Charles Murray
2.The Paradigm I
worked on myself to study kata application potential.
3.The Paradigm I
created to incorporate various subsidiary kata studies from many who shared
with me and became the Isshinryu paradigm I taught.
4.The paradigm
that Sherman Harrill and then John Kerker shared from their studies together.
That is a brief
suggestion of what I have seen, and I realize there is much more Isshinryu that
I have experienced.
I have learned
not to consider others paradigms as anything but what they represent. There can
be many correct answers, based on many different things, and still being
effective at the same time.
To me it is
clear Okinawa paid attention to what Shimabuku Tatsuo accomplished and also
learned from that. Perhaps not so public-ally but the reality he created left
lessons.
