DOJO STORIES SENSEI Gerardo Balves

Okinawa Times newspaper press release, 9/25/1957 Dialogue between Chōshin Chibana, Shōrin Ryū (Kobayashi) Karatedō Shihan, President of the Okinawa Karate Federation, 73 years old, and Shōshin Nagamine, Shōrin Ryū (Matsubayashi) Karate dō Shihan, Okinawa Karate Federation Vise-Chairman, 52 years old Translated from the Japanese by Aritomo Ito. Item originally donated by Andreas Quast to Lara Chamberlain Translated into Spanish by Gerardo Balves with due authorization. Nagamine: It seems that Karate existed before it came from China. Chibana: This is what I heard from my teacher, Ankō Itosu, there was an indigenous Okinawan art called "Tī". The heroic episodes of Uni-uhugushiku and others like it may support this claim. The term Tōde (Chinese hand) is said to have come in later. Chatan-Yara's "Tī" and "Tōde" Sakugawa's Kenpo were integrated and developed Karate. On the other hand, the Kenpo (Chuan-fa) taught in Okinawa by a Chinese man named Kūsankū ended up becoming the Kata named after him. The three Naihanchi and two of the five Pinan were also taught by Chinese residing in Tomari. Itosu sensei modified these Katas learned directly from those Chinese masters. Attend the Dojo secretly Chibana: I am one of Itosu sensei's direct disciples. I started my training at sensei's house in Ishimine, Shuri, when he was 15 years old. Once I remember that he had an unexpected visitor and I had to run and hide behind some bushes. It was raining heavily and so, all wet, we resumed the lesson after the visitor had left. Back then, the general public thought of Karate as a serious fighting tool. I kept my practice secret for at least 2-3 years because I could have been ambushed if they found out about my karate training. At that time, there were many bullies in Torihori, Akata or Sakiyama (Shuri). Many came to my house asking for a duel, but I always managed to get them to go home quietly. Nagamine: Which teachers were in the Shuri area back then? Chibana: They were all over 80 years old. In the civilian class were Yamane Usumē and Ufuchiku Usumē. For the samurai class I remember Ishimine, Kaneshiro, Kiyuna Pēchin, Chōshō Chibana, Sakihara, Ryōsei Kuwae, Tabata Mēgantō and of course Ankō Itosu. Of all these sensei, I have met Kuwae, Yamane Usumē and Chōshō Chibana. Nagamine: Shuri-Te and Tomari-Te were almost the same, but Naha-Te was different. Matsumura sensei of Shuri was... Chibana: Oh yeah. Matsumura sensei passed away when I was 9 years old. He was tall and thin. His eyes were big and looked like they would pop out when he looked at you. Nagamine: I heard that Umē, his wife was also a Bushi (warrior)... Chibana: Yes, Umē was Tsurū from Yonahara, who was said to be very strong. Tanmē (Matsumura sensei) was famous for her technical talent, and Umē was famous for her power. They complemented each other very well: power 50% and technique 50%. Nagamine: It is said that Naihanchi is all power, Passai is half power and half skill (technique and agility) and that the Kūsankū uses free body movement. Chibana: There is a story. At that time, a strong man named Magī Ōshima came to Okinawa and mocked the city by going to Tsuji Street every night to challenge anyone who wanted to face him, and thus he defeated all his opponents. The people turned to three well-known Bushi to defeat the bully who made fun of everyone. These were Ukuta, Matsumoto, and Chān Makabe (who was known as a bird man). One by one these three Bushi accepted Magī Ōshima's challenge. Ōshima defeated the light Makabi by pushing him violently. He defeated the mighty Ukuta using an even more powerful force. Matsumoto finally managed to intelligently defeat Ōshima using

half power and half technique. Nagamine: So this is like Makabe being Kūsankū, Ukuta being Naihanchi, and Matsumoto being Passai. Nagamine: Who were Itosu sensei's students? Chibana: Kentsū Yabu (Sergeant Yabu), Chōmo Hanashiro, Chōtoku Kyan (ChanMī-Guwā), Chōtō Yamakawa and Chōken Kina were all senpai of mine, and Ntā Chinen, Kenwa Mabuni, Shinpan Gusukuma, Anbun Tokuda were companions (dōhai), now I'm the only survivor. Also, Chōyū Motobu, and his brother Chōki (Sāru [=monkey]), Mōden Yabiku, etc. they were also there once. Nagamine: Of those who received direct instructions, two sensei impressed me the most; Chōtoku Kyan sensei for his Karate Kata and Chōki Motobu sensei for his fighting ability. (Mr. Kyan passed away in Ishikawa at the age of 76 after the war) No first strike in Karate Chibana: It is often said "There is no first strike in Karate", which means valuing respect and courtesy. Nagamine: There are three tenses; "Sen-no-sen", "Sen" and "Go-no-sen". We must not initiate violence, so the use of "Go-no-sen" is the ideal. In other words, it means that we must stand up to unreasonable violence. Sōkon Matsumura (Chinese name: Wu Chengda, stage name: Unyū, was the personal secretary (and bodyguard) of the last three kings: Shōkō, Shōiku and Shōtai), traveled to China and Satsuma. He learned Tōde in China and Jigen ryu (kenjutsu) from Satsuma, and is considered the true forerunner of karate. He wrote a letter to one of his most beloved students (Ryōsei Kuwae), in which he revealed to him the "Seven Virtues of Bu [Martial Arts]": Bu prohibits violence, disciplines soldiers, maintains control among people, recognizes achievements, gives people peace of mind, maintains harmony among people, and makes people prosperous. Itosu Sensei opened up Karate to the general public, which was then only for the Samurai class, and proposed the 10 Precepts of Budo to the Meiji 41 era government (1908). He emphasized that Budo is a way to achieve a long and healthy life, and should be included in the school education system. Chibana: King Shōkō kept a fighting bull in his Kowan stables and to test Matsumura Sensei's worth he ordered Matsumura Sensei to fight him. Matsumura Sensei accepted the challenge and requested a few days of preparation time. Every night he would go to the cattle barn with a piece of white cloth and hit the bull hard on the snout. Once in the arena the bull spotted the piece of white cloth in the hands of Matsumura Sensei, the bull hesitated. Then Matsumura Sensei threw him to the ground and cut off one of the bull's horns with one blow. Another story of his tells that in the famous Tsuji-machi a Satsuma samurai was in an uproar brandishing his sword. Sensei told the surrounding people to move away from the light and threw their clothes at the samurai. The samurai thought he was a man jumping and falling into the trap he tried to cut the fabrics, Sensei jumped towards the samurai and pinned him down. An ingenious trick that characterized him as well as his speed of action. Nagamine: Tomari's Matsumora was often compared to Shuri's Matsumura. It is said that Matsumora Sensei was instructed in Karate by a venerable old man named Teruya in Tomari, and later received secret teaching of Tōde from a Chinese man named Furufērin who arrived at Tomari beach on a drifting ship. Matsumora sensei always led the Hārī boat race. One day when that race was taking place, he saw a man attacked by several thugs and decided to act against those thugs who beat up the man who did not offer any resistance, he faced all of them whom he defeated easily. Kosaku Matsumora became famous at the age of 20 when he stole a sword from the hands of a Satsuma lord using only a "wet towel" as a weapon. Matsumora quickly pulled out the

wet towel that he always carried as part of his attire. Matsumora hit the stunned samurai with the wet towel and grabbed the sword. In the process, Matsumora lost a thumb. He threw his thumb and sword into the nearby Asato River. This event was so insulting to the Japanese lords that Matsumora became an Okinawan folk hero overnight. Chibana: Ishimine was another student of Matsumura Sokon sensei, he was a thin man who did not exceed 55 kg. but who is said to have a very powerful leg technique. One day a man named Tamanaha who was very large (he weighed about 95 kg.) who boasted of being a seasoned martial artist challenged Ishimine, who accepted. Tamanaha attacked violently, Ishimine deflected the attack and responded with a powerful kick to Tamanaha's side. It collapsed on impact. Ishimine revived him and took him to his house. The next morning, Ishimine brought a monetary gift to Tamanaha who was sick in bed and apologized that it was his fault, but Tamanaha replied that he must not regret it. Tamanaha passed away shortly after this event. They take pride in fighting with dignity in those days. Nagamine: The essence of Karate shares an element of Japanese Bushido after all, doesn't it? Chibana: Although everything was very relaxed in the old days, society was also quite turbulent and we had many cases of theft. It is natural that Karate is taught as self-protection. A man named Mēgantō from Tabata was famous for kicking him. When he was returning from Tsuji-machi, walking along the Jukkanji road and arriving at the Sūkōji temple, a woman asked him to walk beside him towards Shuri because the night walk scared him, so he agreed to do so. A masked bandit with a 6ft Bō staff appeared and tried to take money or clothes from Sensei. He told the bandit to go away. The bandit however attacked him, Sensei took the Bō and threw the bandit to the ground and took off his mask. He was a monk and the woman was plotting the robbery with the monk. The monk vowed to change and became a disciple of Mēgantō. Also, there was an outlaw interrupting a wedding procession at night, and it was too much for the groom's men. Mēgantō was passing by and taught the outlaw a lesson. Although Mēgantō politely declined, the wedding people forcibly brought him to the ceremony. Martial discipline was very important in those days. Chibana: The founder of Shaolin Temple Boxing was Bodhidharma Shorin-Ryu and Shorei-Ryu Nagamine: Karate is said to have been founded by Daruma Taishi (Bodhidharma) 1400 years ago. While on his mission to popularize Buddhism at the Shaolin Temple in Fuchien Province, he was worried that the health of his disciples would deteriorate significantly, so he devised a fitness method to strengthen his health. before continuing the teaching of Buddhism. That became Shorin Kenpo (Shaolin Chuanfa) and spread throughout China. Later, he joined the development of Karate by integrating the Okinawan indigenous martial art (Ti) with the strength of Shaolin Boxing. The fist bump is not included in the punching techniques of the Chinese art. Instead, they use open-handed or bird-beaked (foldedfingered) hand techniques. The original art using fists as the primary weapon is unique to Okinawa. Rokkishu (Six hands = use of hands). In the Chinese Bubishi (Wu Bei Zhi), fist bumps are not shown. Nagamine: In Okinawa, King Sho Hashi unified the three mountains (kingdoms) about 500 years ago, ruling the nation with laws and scholars, and also incorporating the benefits of Chinese martial arts. Furthermore, Karate seems to have developed enormously over 200 years in the shadow of a martial regulation imposed by the Satsuma clan. It is rumored that Karate was passed down by Tode Sakugawa or Tode Sakiyama, but the unique Okinawan "Ti" was already there before them. Karate over time formed two visions that later gave rise to schools: Shorinryu mainly of the samurai class (nobility) in Shuri and Tomari, and

Shorei-Ryu in four Naha villages. The Shorin-Ryu had been divided into several fractions, among them are the Kobayashi ShorinRyu (Choshin Chibana) and the Matsubayashi Shorin-Ryu (Shoshin Nagamine). For its part, ShoreiRyu (Kanryo Higaonna) had also been divided, mainly, into GojuRyu (Chojun Miyagi) and UechiRyu (Uechi Kambun). These four schools came together to establish the Okinawa Karatedo Renmei (federation) on May 29, 1956. The next task will be to discover how we can use this intangible cultural asset inherited from our ancestors. Chibana: Let's keep the old Kata. It is necessary to study the recently developed Kata, but it is also important to preserve the old Kata. Nagamine: Kobudo will be preserved. Kobujutsu (self-protection method that uses objects as opposed to Karate that uses empty hands) must be preserved in parallel, but together with Karate. One had to use some kind of weapon when facing an assailant who had a sword. The attitude of going emptyhanded against a gun does not give me a good impression of reality. The purpose of Kobujutsu is also self-defense. Items like the Bo, Sai, Nunchaku, Tonfa, Surujin, Tinbe, etc. They are currently airing. Chibana: Yamanni Usume and Chojo Oshiro were known Bo teachers. Hohan Soken of Nishihara Gaja was a teacher of Bo, Sai and Kama. Today, Shinei Kyan is a Sai expert. Nagamine: About the Dojos these days, we see that teachers like: Yuchoku Higa (Shorin-Ryu), Eiichi Miyazato (Goju-Ryu), Seiko Higa (GojuRyu), Katsuya Miyahira (ShorinRyu), Kan'ei Uechi (Uechi -Ryu), Shugoro Nakazato (Shorin-Ryu), Seikichi Toguchi (Goju-Ryu), etc., already have their own dojo, and the students added together give a total of approximately 1,000. Karate and its boom in the continent Chibana: Too few for the birthplace of karate. According to Higa, there are approximately 700,000 Karate students on the mainland and there are already three dojos in Hawaii as well. Nagamine: So many dojos on the continent and each dojo is giving what he wants. It's good that it's popular, but most are too careless of technique. Since Gichin Funakoshi Sensei moved to Tokyo in 1922, his achievement in popularizing Karate is enormous. That Karate is spreading after the war, but the content is insufficient and now it looks like a show. Many "So-and-so Ryu" are being created on the mainland. I'm not sure if this is really a worthy development for Karate after all. Chibana: Karate in movies is like an acrobatic show. Rikidozan (Korean Japanese professional fighter karate open hand punches Nagamine: People are making noise about Rikidozan's karate punches, but his technique is nothing more than a vertical sumo slap. With such a good physique and such refined technique, he could be a highly effective Shuto. Chibana: It's probably a lie that he learned it from Shikina Oki (Hawaiian professional wrestler of Okinawan origin) Nagamine: I spoke with Shikina Oki when he returned to Okinawa. I think he has no experience in karate. Around Showa (1927), Jigoro Kano Sensei of Judo visited [Okinawa] to see Atemi (strike) of Karate, and later created a Judo exercise using them. Gymnastics and self-protection Chibana: Karate is primarily for physical and mental training and secondarily for self-protection. I have taught approximately 2,000 disciples in the last 40 years, but not one of them has been arrested or stricken with tuberculosis. I firmly believe that Karate helps to strengthen the internal organs. I was always weak during my childhood with a digestive disorder. I became a disciple of Itosu Sensei, but he was reluctant to teach me at first. "Why do you want to learn Ti?" "Because my body is weak." "So, do gymnastics at school." "I believe that Karate is the best remedy for health." "Come see me next time." I came home after having this discussion and visited him again after 4-5 days. "You would fight once you learn Ti and become strong, wouldn't you?" "No, I want to get my health back." Then he started asking me about my family and looking up my background. Again he said "Come see me next time." So I felt upset, but the next time

I visited him again, he asked me "Do you really want to get in shape? Are you going to do it wholeheartedly?" After that, he took me as a disciple. He thus confirmed my seriousness, patience and temperament. So, I started to strengthen my sick and weak body that I had throughout my elementary school. Itosu sensei was a strong and gentle man. 5 shaku 4 sun (approximately 5'4" or 162 cm tall), 140 kin (approximately 185 lb or 84 kg), had very broad shoulders. He weighed about 120 kin (approximately 159 lb or 72 kg) when he died at 95 years old I remember that his thighs and fists were twice the size of a normal person, he had a great posture and he actually ate a lot.It was said that the practice of Ti cured Itosu sensei of the digestive disorder he suffered from when he was younger. Strengthening without pushing too hard Nagamine: Because Karate is practiced according to age and physical strength, it does not become overwhelming. Trying to push yourself beyond the limit is outside of the true goal of karate. Chibana: Young people boast about breaking tiles or wooden boards, which is a superficial idea. The Karate practitioner must vigorously train himself with the practice of Kata, Kumite, Makiwara and Hojo-Undo. When those trainings come together at a high level, the power of Karate naturally comes out of oneself. Nagamine: In fact. Pushing too hard only ends up ruining health. Chibana: A student of mine named Mansho Oshiro, suffering from pleurisy, had improved his health by practicing Karate and passed class A in the military conscription test. He always sent me letters from the front lines saying that he wished the war would end soon and that he hoped he could go back to Karate training with me. This young man was a company commander and was killed on the Burma front. Even a sick person can train Karate. He would not make that person go through regular training, but instead would make him train more lightly, as if he were dancing. And by making his mind happy, it would allow him to forget the illness that he has. A Karate master must not only teach Kata, but he also has a responsibility to improve the health of his students. I am still studying methods to achieve this, I have already taken this as my life's work.

Gerard Balves 7th Dan Kobayashi-ryu Kyudokan Coordinator of the International Group of Dojos Kyudo Mugen Kyudokan https://www.facebook.com/gerardo. balves