Have a little Pittsburgh Jim Morabeto history for
you if you are interested. Jim Morabeto sponsored Shimabuku Tatsuo to teach in
his school in 1964. He was a brown belt himself and was promoted to shodan
during that visit.
A quite some time ago, around 1994, I had one of Jim Morabeto’s students join my
program for a few years, till work interfered and he had to discontinue
training.
That student was the first time I saw Isshinryu done
with twisting strikes. Though he his training in Pittsburgh was after the
Shimabuku time. He heard many stories of that time from Morabeto’s point of
view.
On my prior Pleasant Isshinryu discussion group we also
had many contribute opinions on that visit.
What I gleaned about the visit was:
1. How
everyone who came to train promised Morabeto to share the costs then they did
not. Apparently he bore the entire expense of the visit.
2. The
difficulties of Shimabuku having with American customs as he had Okinawan
values.
3. Higher
raking Americans showing up to see Tatsuo and being turned away.
4. Shimabuku
Sensei feeling he was overlooked because everyone expected him to teach each
class. Unlike the structure on Okinawa.
5. Master
Shimabuku requesting more money when the time was over. Morabeto
did not respond to that.
6. Everyone
in the end seemed to dislike one another.
He also took extensive movies of that time, and
never shared them with anyone. I tried to get his student to obtain copies to
no avail.
After hearing the stories, it struck me that the
visit was ill advised.
J
Morabeto & Wm Duessel seated.
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