Out of thousands currently practicing Isshinryu only several hundred participate on the lists, and of those only a handful really chat, yet displeasure abounds, and has throughout Isshinryu’s history. Whereas the internet makes it easy to ‘yell’ at someone as you don’t see them, the underlying themes still transpire over and over again.
When I studied Speech and Communications in university many long moons ago, one tool which was helpful to understand communications problems was to model the process out. Seeing what was happening made it easier to suggest a method to resolve the problem.
As Isshinryu’s difficulties stem from everyone knowing they are correct and all else are wrong, it occurs to me, perhaps we don’t really understand what Isshinryu is, and not just a stance, block or punch.
This gets complex, and for those who don’t want words, this may be a good time to find something more Pleasant to do. But I grow tired with the continual repetition of the same problems and perhaps this will offer a suggestion to find another answer.
First, lets begin with some Definition of terms:
“ISSHINRYU” the model in the mind of Shimabuku Tatsuo what his art consisted of. Whereas at any given point in time only a part of it would have been taught or studied, and it appears to be ever changing from his actions, ONLY Shimabuku Tatsuo could ever answer fully what this represents.
Shimabuku Sensei did not leave any documentation regarding his system, that we can use to verify anything (to the best of my knowledge). The available film record, does show a slice of his vision, but that is simply that, just one aspect shown on a given day, not the entirety of ISSHINRYU.
“Isshinryu-0” is the teachings of Shimabuku Tatsuo in his dojo (regardless of which one). This is where his Okinawan students ‘Isshinryu-0-O-x’ (x being 1 through which ever number trained with him) and his Non-Okinawan students ‘Isshinryu-0-N-x’ (x being 1 through which ever number trained with him), studied. Regardless of their experiences or capabilities Isshinryu(0) is the event level where they obtained them directly from Shimabuku Sensei.
The Okinawan students would be assigned ‘Isshinryu-0-O-1’ … to whatever. Thus Shimabuku Kichero may be ‘Isshinryu-O-50’ and Uzeu Angi may be ‘Isshinryu-0-O-100’ and perhaps Shimabuku Shinso may be Isshinryu-0-O-110’. (These assignments are for discussion purposes. It makes no difference which order they were in for the assignment, but theoretically the lower number should be the person’s rank in Isshinryu Dan obtainment.
For example (and I’m being theoretical here not literal, this process is the important thing, not which number anyone is assigned) if say Don Nagle was the first Isshinryu Black Belt, he would perhaps be ‘Isshinryu-0-N-1’, Don Bohan may be ‘Isshinryu-0-N-40’ , Tom Lewis might be ‘Isshinryu-0-N-50’ and a Charles Murray might be ‘Isshinryu-0-N-400’.
Regardless of where they stand everyone ‘Isshinryu-0-N-x’ all obtained original experiences, each with their own viewpoint. Frequently they are at odds with others sharing the same designation, but you cannot doubt that they were there, or they experienced something which developed their own Isshinryu.
Then those who began to teach developed their own lineages. Selfish of me but I’m using my own instructor Tom Lewis as an example.
Assigning Lewis Sensei ‘Isshinryu-0-N-50’, his first Dan, Howard Tingle (if my memory serves me) would be assigned ‘Isshinryu-0-N-50-1’ , Charles Murray is ‘Isshinryu-0-N-50-25’ and I may well be ‘Isshinryu-N-0-50-100’.
Charles Murray being a special case, having trained with Shimabuku Tatsuo and Shimabuku Shinso in Agena in 1951, he might also be designated as ‘Isshinryu-0-N-50-25, Isshinryu-O-N-400, Isshinryu-N-O-50-110’. This reflecting his experiences.
I on the other hand would be ‘Isshinryu-0-N-50-100, Isshinryu-0-N-50-25-1’. Reflecting Tom and Charles as my instructor.
Now with the exception of those like Charles who went to Okinawa to, the second generation only derived from the first generation. With the exception of oral history they received from their instructors, they have no other guidelines but their personal training, And this is the normal way of things.
Likewise I have students like Michael Cassidy who is ‘[Isshinryu-0-N-100', Isshinryu-0-N-50-25-1]-5’.
Thus the actual mapping of Isshinryu, descending from the ‘N-x’ level has become very complex.
Now with those models, I’ve just come to realization that Shimabuku Tatsuo, didn’t just not spread his ongoing changes to what his ISSHINRYU was, but rather it is likely he didn’t see ISSHINRYU as having existence outside of Isshinryu(0), which was wherever he taught, period.
That seems to be the reasonable conclusion for he didn’t time bind his experiences (writings, movies or whatever) to a significant manner for others to share in his ISSHINRYU. I find this most consistent with the total Okinawan traditions, and do not believe Isshinryu is alone in this.
Where he promoted people to Black Belt and they moved past his experience, when they did so they were on their own. So many of our discussions involve What did ‘Isshinryu-0-N-3’ learn, and why that was correct and what ‘Isshinryu-0-N-112’ learnt was incorrect when they did not share the same –0-N level experience as they most likely were there at different times, and had differing views of what happened anyways.
Likewise the 0-N-x level Isshinryu experience created the chains of students and then instructors under them. Is it surprising that today’s confusions exist?
We cannot re-create the original event level, and with so many different impressions from even the first generation students “TRUTH” will never be fully ascertained. The best that can be done is a gathering of the Oral History from the 0-O and the 0-X students, for the good and the bad of it.
Yet there is an aspect of our studies which transcends these problems. I’m defining that as “Isshinryu”.
This “isshinryu” isn’t an event, but a commonality which underlies all of the above. It is not the ISSHINRYU of Shimabuku Tatsuo, Don Nagle or you. It is a common nature which allows us to view Shimabuku Sensei’s Seiunchin and the young yellow belt doing a Seiunchin with crescent kicks, and derive that they share many common features regardless of the differences.
This “isshinryu” isn’t a past activity, but the shared commonality that we wish to find between us.
On sharing our “isshinryu” we can grow and develop each of the chains we follow, and strengthen it. It cannot be controlled by any individual, including its founder. Once it was set free, its existence was defined by those who wish to be included.
Some will find this frightening, an “isshinryu” outside of their control or definition.
I suggest, however, this may well be a clearer picture of what we can address, and allow us to find a way to share.
Victor Smith
Bushi No Te Isshinryu
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