on Sherman Harrill
And a portion of a letter in 1996 I sent
to Ernie Rothrock
Describing my first 2 clinics with Sherman
And what they meant to me.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
To Punch or Not To Punch,
which punch is the
question.
I
am just an Isshinryu guy at heart. I was trained by Tom Lewis and Charles
Murray, Kept my focus on how I was trained, Never sought others in Isshinryu to
learn their way. 20 years later serendipity allowed
me to meet and train for a decade with Sherman Harrill at clinics for the next
decade. Sherman trained originally alongside Tom in Agena. Charles, a
student of Tom, trained in Agena with Shimabuku Tatsuo and Shinso in 1972 when
stationed there with the USAF.
We
did not talk much about Isshinryu history, instead we trained. I never set out
to be an official Isshinryu historian, what follows next is just what I
experienced or heard from those I trusted.
The
question goes back to the Isshinryu punch, When TS formulated Isshinryu he
taught the vertical strike as the standard punch for his Isshinryu. That is how
it was taught to the Marine students. Though for Sanchin kata I was taught it
with the older twisting strike.
I
heard some of his Okinawan students who trained earlier with Shimabuku Tatsuo,
resisted the change to the striking method and retained their twisting strike.
Supposedly Tatsuo allowed them to do so.
Whether
it was because the American students were awarded rank faster than the Okinawan
students (times to their tour of duty on Okinawa) or some other reason, I heard
they had a meeting with Tatsuo in the early 1970’s and convinced him to go back
to the twisting punch.
In
the mid 1990s (before I met Sherman) I had a father who enrolled his son in my youth program. He
also decided to join my adult program, informing me as a teen in the late 1960s
he studied with James Murabito. After
his first class, I asked him to demonstrate what he knew of Seisan kata.
He performed Seisan kata, and that was the
first time I had ever seen Seisan done in Isshinryu with the older twisting
strikes.
He
explained that all the kata he was taught were performed with that strike. He also explained his instructor had been the
host of Shimabuku Tatsuo for his 1964 visit and had filmed extensive movies of
Tatsuo’s instruction.
That
was news to me.
Even Charles never claimed to have seen that in 1972 when he trained in Agena.
That
gentleman trained with us about 6 or so years, before work responsibilities
caused him to leave training. He had no problem to adapting to our way of
Isshinryu.
Then
a little a later I met Sherman Harrill in 1995.
Some
time later at a clinic he and I were talking and eventually I mentioned what I
had seen, and that I had never experienced that before.
What Sherman Harrill told me was that he had taught his brother Isshinryu in the early 60' after he returned home and then his brother entered
the USMC and was stationed on Okinawa. In 1963 his brother went to visit TS and
asked to train, He was asked to demonstrate and did so showing what Sherman
showed him. Tatsuo told him that was correct, but that he should not do his kata
that way in Agena for then they were using the original fist. Of course I
only heard ia Sherman told me. I am aware that the full story likely has many
twists to the actual story. I believe my friends, and it really does not matter
much today in actuality for I never gave my students a history test.
About
1990 I formed a Yahoo Discussion Group Pleasant Isshinryu, where for the next
decade the group discussed many things Isshinryu.
Among
the discussions the 1964 visit of Shimabuku Tatsuo was discussed repeatedly.
But
the only clear thing that came out of it was that everyone was disappointed and
did not part on the best of terms.
As
a result James Murabito would never share his firms and kept them to himself.
His
films were a very complete record of that stay in the dojo.
Later
my student tried to get a copy from James, I believe he was then living in
Florida. But he would not part with them, Apparently never to be seen again.
Later
another friend I met on the internet in 1990, James Keenan, informed me his
earliest training was in Isshinryu in the Pittsburgh area, in the last ½ f the 1960. He, from time to time trained
at many of the Isshinryu dojo in the Pittsburgh area. Some dojo would use the
vertical strike, other dojo would use the twisting strike. He learned to use
whatever the dojo he was in was using.
Apparently
a result of his 2nd 1966
visit Tatsuo was happy that so many American Isshinryu karate-ka he met
were using the vertical strike in America.
The
result of that was why he reverted his instruction back to the vertical strike.
Which Tatsuo felt was a stronger strike.
Then
again for me the vertical Isshinryu strike was how I was taught.
·
I would like to add, I have been struck with both sorgs of fists
and attest that all of them hurt.
Appendix 1 Primary
Isshinryu
Twist Punch:
The
reason he changed back was when he made his second trip to the States in 1966, most
of the Isshin-Ryu community had not made the change since the Original Pioneers
did not like it and advised the Master to keep the Isshin-Ryu Verticle Punch. So now he had some Dojo's that made the
change and others that did not.So finally for the sake of uniformity in
Isshin-Ryu Karate,he went back to our trade-mark Vertical Punch in the late
60's.
Appendix 2 Secondary
Rare Tatsuo Shimabuku Complete 1964 Film
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBxVXcVJIaQ
Near the beginning of the movie some students perform Seisan kata and they are using the twisting punch.
Right at the end of the movie TS doing part of the
opening of Kusanku kata seems to be using a twisting punch however that is just
my impression, the movie is most unclear.
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