I just found this in my files. No idea where I saved this from but I believe it if of interest.
An
Interview with Sensei Toshihiro Oshiro
Oshiro Toshihiro:
The Way of Yamanni-ryu
by Dong Tran
Dong Tran: When and where were you born?
Toshihiro Oshiro: I was born May 1st, 1949 in Haneji, Okinawa, Japan.
DT: When did you begin training in
karate? Did your youth revolve around martial arts?
TO: I started when I was sixteen. But in actuality, when I was eight or nine in
elementary school my sempai already taught me karate and bojutsu. So you can
say I already began at age eight. But it's not similar to the way you practice
in the dojo today; it's more like kids playing baseball or basketball, that
kind of thing.
DT: Was it called Shorin-ryu then?
TO: No. I wish I could remember the kata they taught me. It was a mixture of
Pinan and Naihanchi katas but I don't know who made that kata. After WWII many
Okinawan karate practitioners were prisoners of war and one of the stockades
was near Haneji so I guess one of them taught karate to our town people.
DT: Who was your first karate sensei? Did
you also train with Nagamine Shoshin sensei? Did you teach at his dojo?
TO: My first and main karate sensei was Shima Masao sensei. One year after I
joined his dojo, he recommended that I go train at the hombu (HQ) dojo. When I
made shodan I became assistant instructor and then instructor. But leading a
class is not the same thing as teaching. They are two entirely different
things! Shima sensei taught me from the Fukyu gata to Chinto. At headquarters,
Nagamine sensei, Kushi sensei, Yamaguchi sensei, and Nakamura sensei taught me
Chinto kata. Nakamura sensei, especially, taught me Chinto kata very deeply..
DT: When did you meet Kishaba Chokei
sensei?
TO: I met him when I made brown belt. It's not like the modern ranking system.
In those days we trained day and night, seven days a week. I achieved brown
belt in one year. Shima sensei's dojo was jointly started by Shima, Taba, and
Kishaba senseis. Then Taba and Kishaba senseis went to mainland Japan so only
Shima sensei ran the school. When I made brown belt, Kishaba sensei came back;
that's how I met him. That's when he started teaching us. But Shima sensei was
my main karate sensei. My foundation and technique came from him. From Kishaba
sensei I gained a lot of knowledge and polished my technique.
DT: Where did you train?
TO: Training was very personal. If sensei saw that a particular student really
wanted to practice, after class he'd bring the student to his house and teach
him more.
DT: When did you meet Chokei sensei's
brother Chogi, your Yamanni-ryu teacher?
TO: Shima sensei always talked about Chogi Kishaba sensei and Chokei sensei
also talked about his brother, how he was a really good bojutsu practitioner.
When Kishaba Chokei sensei came back from mainland Japan, he didn't have a
place to stay, so he lived at his brother Chogi's house, which was where I used
to come to practice karate with him. It took eight years before I finally got
to see for myself Chogi sensei's bo technique and how different it was from
other people's.
DT: Had you heard of Yamanni-ryu before
that?
TO: I had never heard of Yamanni-ryu before. The first time I heard that word,
it was from Kishaba sensei himself. But other senseis knew about Yamanni-ryu; I
was just a young kid and didn't know about it.
DT: Was Kishaba sensei actively teaching
Yamanni-ryu at that time?
TO: I don't know. The only thing I knew was that every time I came to his house
for training, I was the only student.
DT: Did Kishaba sensei accept you right
away or was there a testing, waiting period?
TO: I was allowed to practice with him because I was recommended by his
brother.
DT: Were you also working at the time?
TO: I was working then in the Police department.
DT: Is Kishaba sensei the sole successor
to Masami Chinen sensei, the founder of Yamanni-ryu, or are there other
teachers?
TO: I believe there were other Yamanni-ryu instructors. They learned from
Masami Chinen or his grandfather Sanda but I heard that only Kishaba sensei
knows all the Yamanni-ryu katas. Other people may have studied from Masami
sensei or Sanda sensei but how many people can really say they learned from
them? No one can claim Menkyo Kaiden because there's no such thing. The word
doesn't even exist in the Okinawan language.
DT: Can you tell us about a typical
training session with the Kishaba brothers?
TO: I never practiced with them on the same night. I would train at the dojo,
for instance, from 8:00 to 9:30 p.m. then go to Kishaba Chogi sensei's house
for bojutsu. Once in a while I practiced at the hombu dojo then go train with
Chokei sensei afterwards. The sessions were separate. I used to train bojutsu
with Chogi sensei in his veranda. It was dark but there was some light. I could
see what he was showing me but mostly I heard (his bo cut the air). His
technique was so swift but he would not break it down for me. He would only do
the same technique over the same way. When teaching kata he would break it down
but wouldn't explain anything. He would only say, "Do this!" I
haven't learned all his techniques yet. I think he has more to teach.
TO: Yes. Of course Kishaba sensei taught me a lot of kata, techniques, and
history but technically I had to research for myself and do a lot of
self-training. The foundation and 99% of my knowledge and technique came from
Kishaba sensei but I had to practice a lot on my own.
DT: Most of us are used to being
spoon-fed. Can you tell us how Kishaba sensei taught you Sakugawa-no-kon?
TO: There was light in his veranda but still it was very dark. Now I wish I
could see what he did but I'm surprised I could follow the sound of his bo. He
just told me what to do. The first time he showed me the kata it was very
different. I think he slowed it down for me.
DT: At the time, there were no basic or
intermediate katas; you went directly from Suuji-no-kon to Sakugawa-no-kon. Is
it why you feel today it is necessary to create more basic katas to introduce
the student to Yamanni-ryu slowly?
TO: Right. As far as Ryubi-no-kon is concerned, there was already a basic kata
by that name but it didn't work. When I had to teach in the US I had to create a
simple kata. You know how hard Suuji-no-kon is, even though it looks simple. I
adapted the existing Ryubi-no-kon to Yamanni-ryu and showed it to Kishaba
sensei. He approved it because he knew the Okinawan katas were too difficult
and we needed introductory ones.
DT: Did Kishaba sensei also teach you the
secondary weapons or did you have to research on your own?
TO: He never taught us the small weapons. He said there were only katas for
bojutsu and karate in Okinawan martial arts. For everything else (sai, tunfa,
etc...) We would have to study ourselves.
DT: Can you tell us how Kishaba sensei
taught you saijutsu?
TO: One day I ordered a pair of sai that was very well balanced, with a good
shape. I brought them to Sensei's house and asked him to teach me. I knew there
must be a way to control the weapon (even if there was no kata). Sensei really
liked those sai so he took them and we went upstairs for our regular bojutsu
practice. Halfway up the stairs he turned around and swung the sai-just once-in
front of my face and said: "This is how you are supposed to swing the
sai." That was the only time he showed me. He said that as far as the
small weapons were concerned, I had to study on my own. And that's what I did.
DT: When did you come to the United
States?
TO: In 1978. I came because one of my karate sempai, who owned a dojo in
California, had passed away. They needed a replacement instructor, so I came.
DT: When you came here, did you begin
teaching Yamanni-ryu right away?
TO: For five years after I arrived in the US, I taught only karate. Karate was
the main curriculum because I felt bojutsu was something I did just for myself.
I didn't teach anybody until one day I went to a tournament and saw how people
practiced bojutsu. Somebody asked me to do a demonstration and when I did
people were really surprised at how different it was from their styles.
Interest picked up and that's when I started teaching Yamanni-ryu.
DT: It has taken a while; are you happy
with the foundation you have laid so far?
TO: As far as introducing Yamanni-ryu to the public, I hope I did a good thing
for Okinawan martial arts. Some people have said that karate has changed into a
modern version while ancient kobudo has not. I hope that through Yamanni-ryu
they can get a glimpse of the old karate. I don't know if I have done a good
job. Maybe if there had been a more capable person (than I) and he could have
taught Americans and made Yamanni-ryu more popular and raised people's level of
martial art...I only know I did my best. But I'm happy with what I've done and
seen. Even though there are people who are just using Yamanni-ryu's name, there
are those who sincerely want to learn it, and that makes me very happy.
DT: You have given seminars and clinics
abroad as well. Recently you have been to France. Do you feel Yamanni-ryu will
grow on the international level?
TO: I think so. In other countries people want to learn Yamanni-ryu but it's
difficult for them to get instruction. I was lucky to have been invited to
France to teach last month. This was the first time Yamanni-ryu was introduced
in public in Europe.
DT: What are your hopes for the future?
You have begun using kendo bogu (armor) to practice tournament-style kumibo. Do
you want to incorporate this into the Yamanni-ryu syllabus?
TO: The introduction of kumibo and intermediate katas was not my idea but
rather Kishaba sensei's express orders. He requested the kumibo practice but
the technical implementation was my own. For the future of Yamanni-ryu I
believe that the sport/competition aspect of it will make it easier for the
public to understand up to a certain level, but at a higher level, people will
have to do the martial art, the Way of martial art. However, if we do only the
martial art, people might not be able to do Yamanni-ryu and it might disappear.
DT: Thank you, sensei, for granting me
this interview and sharing your views with us.
Dong Tran first met
Oshiro sensei in 1986 and has achieved the rank of nidan in Yamanni-ryu in
1998. He brings Oshiro sensei out to New Jersey for an annual workshop in June.
His dojo, the Asian Arts Center, is located in West Caldwell, NJ. His web site
is: www.asianartscenter.com
just some thoughts on
menkyo kaiden
I'n not here to change anyone's mind, because it seems people have
their minds made up already. I will, however, contribute a little to this older
conversation (i just came across it today) with a bit of my own thoughts.
Quote:
|
If Kishaba Chôgi - who
maybe studied under Masami Chinen in whatever meaning you may interpret
"study" - should have such a written diploma it may be allowed to
ask for it's existance and what it states (Shihan Menkyo, or Menjô etc.).
Also there are maybe more hints on such a diploma, like "the person
learned Bôjutsu for a long time" or "... reached this or that
level" etc. It should be in your mind to provide such an information, if
it exists (as Miyagi Chôjun did not give our diploma or ranks, it would also
be intersting to know how long Kishaba trained under him, if he continued
training with others). |
I trained in Yamanni Ryu with Oshiro Toshihiro for almost 20 years. I also
trained with Kishaba Chogi for the three years I lived in Okinawa (1994-1997).
I remember a conversation I had in Kishaba's dojo one night. During one a
mid-class break in one of Kishaba's classes, I asked sensei about the menkyo
kaiden.
We were all sitting in a corner of a room, and Kishaba answered me with a very
short reply, one in which I could not understand at all, given that it was a
mix of hogen and very masculine Japanese. It was up to another member of the
group to explain to me in more simple terms (I forgot who it was), but the gist
of it was that at the time Kishaba was training with Chinen it was not a given
that people got menkyo kaiden in Okinawan martial arts: that tradition was more
a practice seen in Japanese martial arts than it was in Okinawan ones. Okinawan
martial systems traditionally did not place such a deep emphasis on records,
certificates, and licenses.
Oshiro, in fact, said a similar thing in an interview with Dong Tran. (http://www.oshirodojo.com/kobudo_int_dong.html)
OSHIRO: "I believe there were other Yamanni-ryu instructors. They learned
from Masami Chinen or his grandfather Sanda but I heard that only Kishaba
sensei knows all the Yamanni-ryu katas. Other people may have studied from
Masami sensei or Sanda sensei but how many people can really say they learned
from them? No one can claim Menkyo Kaiden because there's no such thing. The
word doesn't even exist in the Okinawan language."
I am not saying that okinawan martial artists never received these papers, as
it has already been pointed out that some of them did. And I am not asking any
of you to believe what has been said to me. I myself have no reason to doubt
the knowledge and honesty of the poeple I trained with. Even so, given what
they've said, I am wondering how many people received these menkyo kaiden in
Okinawa prior to World War II, when schools started to get more students and
organizations were forming in a big way.
if it really wasn't a common practice, then it might not be so unbelievable
that a smaller more secretive style such as Yamanni Ryu didnt give them out, as
they were looked upon merely as pieces of paper.
Nobida
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