Okinawa: Skin Cancer, "Power Water", and World's Greatest Karate Masters
Summer 20.X.1 - Part III
The year is 20.X.1.....
One year ago during the 88 temple pilgrimage on the island of Shikoku Japan, I made a friend named Kariya. He informed me that he had a place on Okinawa, and if I ever wanted to go and train Okinawan karate, I could stay there for free…....
And now, 1 year later I had come to Okinawa. I had come on a training mission, Shugyo, to study the top karate masters in the world, in the birthplace of karate: Okinawa. Thanks to a good friend of mine in Tokyo, I managed to get a ticket to Okinawa for an unbelievably low price. When I arrived I was greeted by Kariya's friend and coworker Mr. Nagamatsu, who I would be staying with. We both talked for a few seconds before expressing a mutual sigh of relief and saying "oh good, you speak Japanese". He was afraid I spoke only English, and I was afraid he spoke only Okinawan.....
As Nagamatsu drove me back to his house he told me all about Okinawa. I explained to him that I had come to Okinawa to find the karate masters there, and he said he would help anyway he could (he supplied me with a much needed map!). When we arrived at his house, I was taken aback by how nice it was. Spaciouse and contemporary. Certainly nicer than the places I'd lived on my own accord. The room I was given to myself was incredibley nice, as well as his family. Nagamatsu had a wife and two children, ages 4 and 1. During my time with them I was reminded how neat I find action figures to be.....
My mornings and evening in Okinawa where spent either training with the karate masters, or trying to find them. My afternoons where filled with adventure and sightseeing, of course, and this left me with almost no time for sleeping, which I was fine with. Nagamatsu housed me, fed me, and transported me places free of charge. The karate masters charged me nothing, and instead gave me so much. I wanted to fill my time with as much as possible since I was there for free. At no cost to me I did everything I wanted to do. I saw all the places, monuments, and attractions and such that one could hope to see in a little less than 2 weeks while on a training mission. I even found a magic condom that is said to protect its bearer from aids, regardless of wether its worn or not(I didn't buy it).....
One thing about Okinawa; Okinawa is not Japan. Okinawa is famouse for 5 things: Blown glass, Shii saa (guardian lion-dog), habu awamori (alchohol mixed with a poisonouse pit viper and it's nerve toxin), beaches, and karate. Though politics states otherwise, Okinawa is no more a part of Japan, than Puerto rico is part of the United States of America. Speaking of America, they have influenced the island to a considerable degree. For example: I went to a food vendor and saw "Tako Udon" on the menue in Japanese. Tako is Japanese for octopus, and octopus noodles sounded good at the time, so I ordered some. When it arrived I found out it was TACO udon. Noodles with a taco salad on top! I hate tacos. Okinawans put tacos on everything…....
Despite the tacos, the constant reminders of habu (Okinawa pit viper), the lack of ozone and subsequent skin cancer I probably got, and the fact that Okinawa in mid July might be the hottest place I've ever been; I had a great time. From the second I got there to the second I left, I never stopped sweating like I was dying, but it was ok. I wasn't there to look presentable or feel clean, I was there to find karate masters, and find them I did.....
Of course I was seeking out these masters to study their styles, but more than that I was studying the masters themselves. If you were to see these men, or hear there tales, you would understand why. ....
The first master I wound up seeing was master Kiyohide Shinjo, of Uechi Ryu. Shinjo sensei is known for his ability to break objects such as thick boards and planks with the tips of his fingers and toes. He is also famouse for the power his body can both expel, as well as withstand. He posses sharp, intimidating eyes, some gold teath, a fast wit, good sense of humor, and stands rather tall for an Okinawan. ....
During the training I watched as he aimed a big toe roundhouse kick right into someone's neck, stopping just a few centimeters from hitting. His body conditioning far superior to mine, and his speed and flexibility at least as good as mine despite the fact that he was 60 years old. The class he taught was a hard one consisting of many repititions of kata while being struck in order to check for form. Then was bunkai, drills, sparring and body conditioning. All throughout sanchin kata was repeatedly performed. Shinjo sensei states : "Sanchin is for building the body, kata is for remembering techniques, kotikotae is for building the body for when you might mess up and get hit in a fight and partner drills like sparring are to practice fighting skills (distancing, reactions, ect.)."....
When I first walked into the dojo and spoke with Shinjo sensei, I was really trying my best with my Japanese, but a bit into the training an American student named mason walked in and Shinjo sensei started speaking English! I had been trying my best too… oh well. Shinjo sensei introduced Mason and I and we traded contact information.....
I learned quite a few things from studying Shinjo sensei's teaching, and after the training he personally tought me how to do his toe kicks, as well as kicked me with it (after persistently asking). He also showed me the bird beak strike to the vital point located behind the clavical that he is known for. This technique is known to cause extreme pain in individuals. I felt nothing. I wasn't surprised, but Shinjo sensei seemed fairly surprised. ....
He assured me a full power strike would cause death though…....
I also learned an interesting kata application, a new way to receive and redirect a roundkick.....
During my talk with Shinjo sensei we discussed the variouse oints of Uechi Ryu Karate, as well as the reason I was even in Okinawa. Dojo Pilgramage. He seemed to be impressed that I had come to Okinawa on a training mission, but he seemed legitamatly surprised when he found out I had taken almost a 3 hour car ride to get to his dojo (rush hour…). He gave me his business card and said that if I was doing a dojo pilgrimage, I should visit Higaonna sensei ,of Goju ryu karate, as he is the most famouse among the teachers on Okinawa. I thanked him profusely for his time and instruction, and left, begrudgingly ready for more hours in a car. ....
The next master I would visit would be master yoshimitsu Onaga, of Shinjinbukan Shorin Ryu, though it was not his master of Shorin ryu that caught my attention. It was his knowledge of the ancient Okinawan art of Ti that gained my notice, and the fact that for quite some time, he may very well have been the only one left alive on the earth with knowledge of the art. I was told to arrive at his dojo at around 9 at night, and I was informed that although it would be dark, they where indeed training. Since I have a tendancy to be somewhat "adventure prone" I set off early, and wound up arriving at 8:30. As I approached the building, a man's head peaked out of a pitch black 3rd story window, as if to say "I sensed your presence". We stared at each other for about 20 seconds before I made for the stairs. I peaked my head in a tiny 3rd story dojo to find Onaga sensei hitting makiwara and doing breathing exercises. He invited me in to sit down. I couldn't see where I was going. Once I sat down, he sat down across from me, and we began to talk. Firstly he wanted to know how I'd heard of him (a commercial a friend showed me, oddly enough), and second he wanted to know what I was up to (dojo pilgrimage). He thought that a dojo pilgrimage was a fantastic idea, and wanted to hear all about it! We talked and talked. He said my Japanese was fluent, but I begged to differ. Betweent the two of us trying our best though, we where able to communicate with each other. ....
The first thing he was quick to explain was why he was practicing in the dark. In Ti, practice is always done in the dark, and no sounds are made. No hard breathing, no footsteps, no yells, and no talking. Only training. I was told this was done to focus and heighten the senses, as well as to help keep secret that you are training. Onaga sensei stated that one who appears as if he can't fight, and in actuality can, has the advantage in a fight. Onaga sensei also explained that kata is not Ti, or karate for that matter. Kata is the form, or way of doing something. Karate is a "this is". The teacher shows you the technique and you conform to their way of doing it. "No matter how much you feed a house cat, it will not grow into a tiger." Chinese styles are a "Plan", while Ti is "Do".Planning is not doing. By contrast, I was told, Ti is not "this is". Ti is "How" and "Why". These things are more important he said. As a result of people's incomplete or inaccurate understanding of the art's "how" and "why ", Ryu or styles where formed. This is not the way. In Ti there are no styles, everyone has their own most efficient way of doing something that can be found only with constant training. "Just as the form of suger dissolves in your mouth to give you the taste which remains after dissolving, so to it is with the form of karate." Ti is not kata, it has no styles, and it has no dan ranks either. Master Onaga drew a staircase on a piece of paper. "This is dan. 1 through 10. What happens when you get to 10? Nothing. You think you have learned everything in a style, but style is not the way." He then drew a spiral. "This is Ti. No dan. We go around, expanding our understanding forever. " He then expounded on styles. "In Ti we do not say 'I do this like my teacher, and he like his teacher, he like his teacher before him, and so on.' This i bragging about nothing. Mimicry over time is just like the telephone game. After a couple passings the current form is completely unrecognizable comopared to the original. It is garbage. Just as rain hits the top of a roof and collects dirt as it rolls down, until finally it hits the ground. This is not drinking water. Better to do nothing than learn garbage. In Ti we never strive to mimic our teachers. We work hard to understand what they understood, and maybe more. Not just the outside apperence. If only the outside apperence this makes nothing but ugly dancing. Garbage. We practice everyday, gaining more and more understanding. There is no dan. There is no end."....
By this time it was already 10:30pm. Onaga sensei had been graciouse enough to entertain me for 2 hours already. About this time 3 students came in, said nothing, and commenced training. Onaga sensei sat with me and watched. He did not start the "class", or stand in front. He offered no instruction, save to everyonce in a while offer a tip such as "Your foot is too far over. Move it the other way." He explained to me "A true karate teacher is not a coach. He does not stand around and count, and make students do exercises. These things are for students to do on their own time, of their own free will as they feel the need. A true teacher is a compass. The student comes in and practices, and if he deviates from what is right, you gently point him in the right direction. There is no master, only some one farther along in the path. We learn together." I feel most will find this in stark contrast to the way fighting arts are being taught these days. ....
Onaga sensei then asked me "Do you have kids?" No. "How many do you think you could make, starting now, if you really tried your hardest?" I thought for a minute, taken aback by the seemingly unrelated question. '10?', I said, somewhat unsure . "Haha. More like 500! Of course these would not all be from the same women. Now, whey would be your children biologically, but there would be no way you could instill your essence into everyone of these children. This takes time. This is Ti. Training a disciple is no small feet. I am proud to say I have trained 10 desciples in this world. This is a staggeringly huge number, and I will certainly take no more. I'm old now. I have all 10 of their names and contact information , they are everywhere in the world, and I know them very well. I will gladly give you their contact information (which he did). I started teaching Ti because I saw the state of Karate on Okinawa and realized I was the only one left alive who knew Ti, and if I where to die suddenly, the art would be gone from this world forever. It was my duty, which I have fulfilled."....
I now grasped fully what he was saying. I was taken aback by the impact this man's words had on me, as if he had given material form to a part of myself that existed as only fragments of emotions. Two more hours passed. The training ended and two of his students left. Onaga sensei then invited me to drink his special "power water" with he and his stop student. He said it was a special drink with all the vitamins in it, to make one very strong and healthy. I drank it.....
I imagine this is what drinking varnish must be like. Varnish with a pit viper's nerve toxin and sake mixed in.....
The three of us talked, and drank our "power" drink. Onaga sensei then said he would teach me some techniques to take with me "as a souvgnier". He said you must practice intently everyday, or all you are doing is making garbage. Half doing something is much worse than not doing anything. He said when I left I should get a reliable knife and sharpen it everyday. Everyday. Make it always ready. Then do this with my techniques as well. Always sharp. With these two things, he assured me, I would be ready for anything.....
After I had been taughtmy sovigneers we went back to talking about the arts. Onaga sensei stressed that although Ti was indeed the goal of the karate art, it was not for everyone. He refused to teach children, as it is to demanding psychologically. Also, he said you had to be a very smart individual to learn Ti. "Any idot can do karate, and most do, but only 1 in a 1,000 of those can even understand the concept of what Ti is, let alone learn it. It requires high level thinking." He assured me I have what it takes though. In fact, when the topic of conversation turned to studies and he found out I intently study exercise science his eyes lit up like a child's. "Look at these!" He then produced a stack of old drawings and diagrams of old techniques. "I have been analyzing these scientifically, pouring over them. I hope to include them in a future book. You could help me in the future!" I said I would. "wait, can you read Japanese?" Yes. "Aha!" he said as he got up and came back with a couple of books. This is what I've written so far. I'm planning five books. I have three done. Please read these right now." I labored over the books, as I'm not the fastest reader of Japanese with Okinawan thrown in. I did find them very interesting though. "Oh! I've got one in English. Here, you take it. I'm giving it to you, along with the diagrams I drew for you. " I was honored. I thanked him deeply. If I could have stayed, I would have, but it was now 1:30am! I had been studying with master Onaga for 5 hours! He left me with the advice that although he thought a dojo pilgrimage was magnificent, it was probably best not to mention his name to the other masters. They may dislike his views, or his joking nature, but one thing cannot be denied: his words ring true. Especially this, taken from his book: "The meaning of the mark on the Shinjinbukan flag is 'Harmony In Diversity' . Do not group together like a school of little fish. The big fish swim in the open sea, calm, confident and carefully investigating everything."....
Sage words. I would only have about 3 hours to sleep on them before I had to be up for my next training session though. Training with master Minoru Higa from the Kyudokan Shorin Ryu school of Karate. ....
Higa sensei had studied Judo, Boxing, Sumo, and power lifting, among other things, before becoming a master of karate. This is in the same vein as Masatatsu Oyama, the founder of Kyokushin Karate. I wondered what sort of karate his would be like. When I arrived at the designated place, I found the dojo to be on top of a weight lifting gym. Convenient.....
I entererd the dojo and found two senior students working out by themselves. I explained why I was there. "Go put your dogi on, you'll love training with Higa sensei." One of them said. I changed and came back. "What is that? A white belt? Aren't you a black belt?" I answered yeah, but no in that dojo… "Go put your REAL belt on. It's ok." I changed and came back again, the dojo having filled up with students in my absence. Everyone was trying to guess what styles of karate I'd studied before. "Kyokushin. Just look at him. This guy is a kyokushin. Am I right?" I couldn't disagree. "I knew it." I also added the other styles I had studied. "I've also studied kyokushin. That's how I knew." One of the black belts said. ....
At that moment, master higa came in to the dojo. He has the aura of a kindly grandfather about him. "you must be Nash. Welcome to the dojo." With those words, training commenced. 100's of reps of sweat flying basic techniques where practiced. I can't stress enough how hot a dojo is in Okinawa in mid July. Sweat rocketed across the room with each punch and kick. When it came time for leg raises, I shocked the dojo by being able to do a perfect ax kick (one of my specialties) as no-one there could do one. After basics we practiced kata, and it was from Higa sensei that I learned the Naihanchi kata. He also explained that BasaiDai is Matsumura's Basai, and Basai Sho is Itosu's. ....
The training at this dojo was strong, but the atmosphere was relaxed. When we finished with the formal kata training, Higa sensei told the attending students (about 12) that there are many diffirent correct ways to do techniques , and his was not the only way. He welcomes anyone, regardless of style, as long as they have a strong desire to train. Since many students there had practiced other styles before, Higa sensei called us up to the front, one by one, to demonstrate kata he might not have seen before, or seen performed diffirently. Most people demonstrated 2 or 3 kata. I demonstrated 4, including Seipai (Goju), Tensho (Goju variant), and Yantsu (kyokushin). ....
After kata we practiced flexibility training. When I did the splits, one of the students actually go tup, took a picture, and put it on the dojo blog, right on the spot. The training was from 9:30 to 12:00 on a saterday morning. Afterwords two of the female students made tea for everyone and we sat around and talked. Master Higa told me I was exceptionally skilled, and a true karateman. His words carried meaning for me. He got up and brought me back an issue of Classical Fighting Arts magazine, that featured him on the cover, and a calligraphy bandana which he had drawn, featuring a quote from Miyamoto Musashi's book of five rings. "These are for you. You will enjoy them. " He said with a smile. I was then invited to a nomikai party that night, and training at the honbu dojo on Monday.....
That night I met the members from that mornings training, along with several other people, at a local resteraunt/bar. Right away I noticed something was diffirent about this place. There where fighting magazines scattered about, and posters about karate on the wall. They even had a bottle of "Karate" sake (with Higa sensei's picture on it!)… This seemed like a gathering place for karatemen and the like. I was right in my deduction. I was with some impressive company. Contained within the group where champion powerlifters, Kyokushin fighters, the mother of two Olympic caliber Judo players (who was a combative artist herself), Higa sensei, and Kyokushin karate master Yasuhiro Shichinohe (7th dan, and four time all Japan winner), as well as many "regular" fighting arts types. We ate and drank like a group of fighting artists are want to do . During that meal together someone asked what the significance of the heart around my wrist was, so I told them the story of the heart of the sea. They loved it so much they asked if I had any other stories. I did. They seemed quite enthralled. We talked and drank for awhle before parting ways. As I was leaving, the kyokushin karate teachers said with a grin "The next time you see Kenji (Yamaki) tell him you saw us!"....
The following Monday I was invited to train at Higa sensei's personal Kyudokan Honbu dojo. His son told me it would be difficult to find, so he would meet me at Higaonna sensei's dojo and guide me from there. Difficult to find it was, but well worth it. Okinawa, is a fairly small place, so I wonder if word had gotten around that there was some foreigner wondering all over the island with a big map and a compass going from dojo to dojo hunting down masters of karate? Or maybe Higa sensei legitamatly thought his dojo would be hard for most people to find? Either one. I made it to Higaonna's dojo, map and compass in hand, then on the Higa sensei's Kyudokan. As far as dojo go it was very nice, and even had a makiwara garden outside, complete with roof! The training was great, and by the time that it was over, the number of punches we had thrown was into the quadruple digits! I was sweaty. I wound up working on the makiwara for about 30 minutes of the few hours of training, and I loved every second of it. His makiwara are very well made. Then we worked on Naihanchi and some other kata. Onve of the seniors asked me "how long have you practiced this kata?" I responded honestly by telling him I'd never even seen it before that day. "How can you do it then!?" I told him that because he showed it to me, and walked me through it, now I could do it. "Amazing! That's incredible to be able to learn something that fast!" I assured him it was not amazing.....
"Speaking of Amazing…" Higa sensei interjected "I heard at dinner the other day that you posses the ability to do 1 finger and thumb handstand pushups. True?" Yes. "Please show me." You don't refuse a request from a master to impress him. I had his son catch my feet for support, just in case. ....
Now the things you need to know are these: The dojo has smooth old wood floors. There was sweat covering this floor. This made slipping easy. Balancing is essential for this technique. It should be done fresh, on stable ground, not after hours of training on what amounts to greased ice.....
Those things being said, I flipped up into my 1 finger and thumb handstand. As I went down for my first rep, I slipped, ever so slightly. This caused my right index finger to bend at a 90 degree angle sideways at the middle knucle, dislocating with an all-to-familiar crunching sound. The very instant this happened I knew exactly what I had to do. I was not going to show weakness and say I couldn't this thing the master had requeasted of me. Not flinching I completed 3 repititions. The master was thoroughly impressed, and I had not let on that my index finger was now shaped like a backwords question mark.....
As the training came to a close, Higa sensei game me a text on the history of his style, as well as invited me back for training anytime. He was quicke to reiterate again that I was "A true karateman" and asked me when, not if I would be back. His son bought himself and me a popsicle and we all parted ways. Of course I thanked them for all their kindnesses.....
The next couple of nights I spent at Higaonna sensei's dojo. Higaonna sensei is the master of the Goju ryu of karate. His conditioning and knowledge have made him legendary all over the world. And for good reason. Unless you plan to work hard, don't come to his dojo. I loved it though. Not only for his amazing instruction, but for his enthusiasm. He loves the fighting arts. The man is all smiles and loves to talk karate. When he found out I could speak Japanese he talked all the time about karate. The guy is a real treat to be around, and if you ever become disenchanted with karate come see him. As far as training goes, lots of basics and even more traditional training tools such as the sanchin gripping jars (with my finger!), kata bunkai and advanced body usage, and kakie. That week a group from sweeden was in and out to train with him, so he was extra excited. After al the training he gave me a magazine, and an invite to come back and train anytime. He also gave me a special invite to come to the special karate event being held the following year, only held once every four years by the I.O.G.K.F.. I wouldn't want to miss that. ....
The end of the second nights training saw me leaving from the dojo at 11pm to get to the airport in time to catch my flight back to Tokyo. Nothing like going from one place to another carrying a sweat saturated karate uniform. Maybe that's why the lady next to me on the flight out of Okinawa made ample use of her puke bag…....
This training mission to Okinawa had been one of extreme significance for me. I had crammed more training and adventuring into 10 days as anyone could hope too, and it was all free. That's the Nash way to live.....
Now, on to the next training mission.....
-Nash....
One year ago during the 88 temple pilgrimage on the island of Shikoku Japan, I made a friend named Kariya. He informed me that he had a place on Okinawa, and if I ever wanted to go and train Okinawan karate, I could stay there for free…....
And now, 1 year later I had come to Okinawa. I had come on a training mission, Shugyo, to study the top karate masters in the world, in the birthplace of karate: Okinawa. Thanks to a good friend of mine in Tokyo, I managed to get a ticket to Okinawa for an unbelievably low price. When I arrived I was greeted by Kariya's friend and coworker Mr. Nagamatsu, who I would be staying with. We both talked for a few seconds before expressing a mutual sigh of relief and saying "oh good, you speak Japanese". He was afraid I spoke only English, and I was afraid he spoke only Okinawan.....
As Nagamatsu drove me back to his house he told me all about Okinawa. I explained to him that I had come to Okinawa to find the karate masters there, and he said he would help anyway he could (he supplied me with a much needed map!). When we arrived at his house, I was taken aback by how nice it was. Spaciouse and contemporary. Certainly nicer than the places I'd lived on my own accord. The room I was given to myself was incredibley nice, as well as his family. Nagamatsu had a wife and two children, ages 4 and 1. During my time with them I was reminded how neat I find action figures to be.....
My mornings and evening in Okinawa where spent either training with the karate masters, or trying to find them. My afternoons where filled with adventure and sightseeing, of course, and this left me with almost no time for sleeping, which I was fine with. Nagamatsu housed me, fed me, and transported me places free of charge. The karate masters charged me nothing, and instead gave me so much. I wanted to fill my time with as much as possible since I was there for free. At no cost to me I did everything I wanted to do. I saw all the places, monuments, and attractions and such that one could hope to see in a little less than 2 weeks while on a training mission. I even found a magic condom that is said to protect its bearer from aids, regardless of wether its worn or not(I didn't buy it).....
One thing about Okinawa; Okinawa is not Japan. Okinawa is famouse for 5 things: Blown glass, Shii saa (guardian lion-dog), habu awamori (alchohol mixed with a poisonouse pit viper and it's nerve toxin), beaches, and karate. Though politics states otherwise, Okinawa is no more a part of Japan, than Puerto rico is part of the United States of America. Speaking of America, they have influenced the island to a considerable degree. For example: I went to a food vendor and saw "Tako Udon" on the menue in Japanese. Tako is Japanese for octopus, and octopus noodles sounded good at the time, so I ordered some. When it arrived I found out it was TACO udon. Noodles with a taco salad on top! I hate tacos. Okinawans put tacos on everything…....
Despite the tacos, the constant reminders of habu (Okinawa pit viper), the lack of ozone and subsequent skin cancer I probably got, and the fact that Okinawa in mid July might be the hottest place I've ever been; I had a great time. From the second I got there to the second I left, I never stopped sweating like I was dying, but it was ok. I wasn't there to look presentable or feel clean, I was there to find karate masters, and find them I did.....
Of course I was seeking out these masters to study their styles, but more than that I was studying the masters themselves. If you were to see these men, or hear there tales, you would understand why. ....
The first master I wound up seeing was master Kiyohide Shinjo, of Uechi Ryu. Shinjo sensei is known for his ability to break objects such as thick boards and planks with the tips of his fingers and toes. He is also famouse for the power his body can both expel, as well as withstand. He posses sharp, intimidating eyes, some gold teath, a fast wit, good sense of humor, and stands rather tall for an Okinawan. ....
During the training I watched as he aimed a big toe roundhouse kick right into someone's neck, stopping just a few centimeters from hitting. His body conditioning far superior to mine, and his speed and flexibility at least as good as mine despite the fact that he was 60 years old. The class he taught was a hard one consisting of many repititions of kata while being struck in order to check for form. Then was bunkai, drills, sparring and body conditioning. All throughout sanchin kata was repeatedly performed. Shinjo sensei states : "Sanchin is for building the body, kata is for remembering techniques, kotikotae is for building the body for when you might mess up and get hit in a fight and partner drills like sparring are to practice fighting skills (distancing, reactions, ect.)."....
When I first walked into the dojo and spoke with Shinjo sensei, I was really trying my best with my Japanese, but a bit into the training an American student named mason walked in and Shinjo sensei started speaking English! I had been trying my best too… oh well. Shinjo sensei introduced Mason and I and we traded contact information.....
I learned quite a few things from studying Shinjo sensei's teaching, and after the training he personally tought me how to do his toe kicks, as well as kicked me with it (after persistently asking). He also showed me the bird beak strike to the vital point located behind the clavical that he is known for. This technique is known to cause extreme pain in individuals. I felt nothing. I wasn't surprised, but Shinjo sensei seemed fairly surprised. ....
He assured me a full power strike would cause death though…....
I also learned an interesting kata application, a new way to receive and redirect a roundkick.....
During my talk with Shinjo sensei we discussed the variouse oints of Uechi Ryu Karate, as well as the reason I was even in Okinawa. Dojo Pilgramage. He seemed to be impressed that I had come to Okinawa on a training mission, but he seemed legitamatly surprised when he found out I had taken almost a 3 hour car ride to get to his dojo (rush hour…). He gave me his business card and said that if I was doing a dojo pilgrimage, I should visit Higaonna sensei ,of Goju ryu karate, as he is the most famouse among the teachers on Okinawa. I thanked him profusely for his time and instruction, and left, begrudgingly ready for more hours in a car. ....
The next master I would visit would be master yoshimitsu Onaga, of Shinjinbukan Shorin Ryu, though it was not his master of Shorin ryu that caught my attention. It was his knowledge of the ancient Okinawan art of Ti that gained my notice, and the fact that for quite some time, he may very well have been the only one left alive on the earth with knowledge of the art. I was told to arrive at his dojo at around 9 at night, and I was informed that although it would be dark, they where indeed training. Since I have a tendancy to be somewhat "adventure prone" I set off early, and wound up arriving at 8:30. As I approached the building, a man's head peaked out of a pitch black 3rd story window, as if to say "I sensed your presence". We stared at each other for about 20 seconds before I made for the stairs. I peaked my head in a tiny 3rd story dojo to find Onaga sensei hitting makiwara and doing breathing exercises. He invited me in to sit down. I couldn't see where I was going. Once I sat down, he sat down across from me, and we began to talk. Firstly he wanted to know how I'd heard of him (a commercial a friend showed me, oddly enough), and second he wanted to know what I was up to (dojo pilgrimage). He thought that a dojo pilgrimage was a fantastic idea, and wanted to hear all about it! We talked and talked. He said my Japanese was fluent, but I begged to differ. Betweent the two of us trying our best though, we where able to communicate with each other. ....
The first thing he was quick to explain was why he was practicing in the dark. In Ti, practice is always done in the dark, and no sounds are made. No hard breathing, no footsteps, no yells, and no talking. Only training. I was told this was done to focus and heighten the senses, as well as to help keep secret that you are training. Onaga sensei stated that one who appears as if he can't fight, and in actuality can, has the advantage in a fight. Onaga sensei also explained that kata is not Ti, or karate for that matter. Kata is the form, or way of doing something. Karate is a "this is". The teacher shows you the technique and you conform to their way of doing it. "No matter how much you feed a house cat, it will not grow into a tiger." Chinese styles are a "Plan", while Ti is "Do".Planning is not doing. By contrast, I was told, Ti is not "this is". Ti is "How" and "Why". These things are more important he said. As a result of people's incomplete or inaccurate understanding of the art's "how" and "why ", Ryu or styles where formed. This is not the way. In Ti there are no styles, everyone has their own most efficient way of doing something that can be found only with constant training. "Just as the form of suger dissolves in your mouth to give you the taste which remains after dissolving, so to it is with the form of karate." Ti is not kata, it has no styles, and it has no dan ranks either. Master Onaga drew a staircase on a piece of paper. "This is dan. 1 through 10. What happens when you get to 10? Nothing. You think you have learned everything in a style, but style is not the way." He then drew a spiral. "This is Ti. No dan. We go around, expanding our understanding forever. " He then expounded on styles. "In Ti we do not say 'I do this like my teacher, and he like his teacher, he like his teacher before him, and so on.' This i bragging about nothing. Mimicry over time is just like the telephone game. After a couple passings the current form is completely unrecognizable comopared to the original. It is garbage. Just as rain hits the top of a roof and collects dirt as it rolls down, until finally it hits the ground. This is not drinking water. Better to do nothing than learn garbage. In Ti we never strive to mimic our teachers. We work hard to understand what they understood, and maybe more. Not just the outside apperence. If only the outside apperence this makes nothing but ugly dancing. Garbage. We practice everyday, gaining more and more understanding. There is no dan. There is no end."....
By this time it was already 10:30pm. Onaga sensei had been graciouse enough to entertain me for 2 hours already. About this time 3 students came in, said nothing, and commenced training. Onaga sensei sat with me and watched. He did not start the "class", or stand in front. He offered no instruction, save to everyonce in a while offer a tip such as "Your foot is too far over. Move it the other way." He explained to me "A true karate teacher is not a coach. He does not stand around and count, and make students do exercises. These things are for students to do on their own time, of their own free will as they feel the need. A true teacher is a compass. The student comes in and practices, and if he deviates from what is right, you gently point him in the right direction. There is no master, only some one farther along in the path. We learn together." I feel most will find this in stark contrast to the way fighting arts are being taught these days. ....
Onaga sensei then asked me "Do you have kids?" No. "How many do you think you could make, starting now, if you really tried your hardest?" I thought for a minute, taken aback by the seemingly unrelated question. '10?', I said, somewhat unsure . "Haha. More like 500! Of course these would not all be from the same women. Now, whey would be your children biologically, but there would be no way you could instill your essence into everyone of these children. This takes time. This is Ti. Training a disciple is no small feet. I am proud to say I have trained 10 desciples in this world. This is a staggeringly huge number, and I will certainly take no more. I'm old now. I have all 10 of their names and contact information , they are everywhere in the world, and I know them very well. I will gladly give you their contact information (which he did). I started teaching Ti because I saw the state of Karate on Okinawa and realized I was the only one left alive who knew Ti, and if I where to die suddenly, the art would be gone from this world forever. It was my duty, which I have fulfilled."....
I now grasped fully what he was saying. I was taken aback by the impact this man's words had on me, as if he had given material form to a part of myself that existed as only fragments of emotions. Two more hours passed. The training ended and two of his students left. Onaga sensei then invited me to drink his special "power water" with he and his stop student. He said it was a special drink with all the vitamins in it, to make one very strong and healthy. I drank it.....
I imagine this is what drinking varnish must be like. Varnish with a pit viper's nerve toxin and sake mixed in.....
The three of us talked, and drank our "power" drink. Onaga sensei then said he would teach me some techniques to take with me "as a souvgnier". He said you must practice intently everyday, or all you are doing is making garbage. Half doing something is much worse than not doing anything. He said when I left I should get a reliable knife and sharpen it everyday. Everyday. Make it always ready. Then do this with my techniques as well. Always sharp. With these two things, he assured me, I would be ready for anything.....
After I had been taughtmy sovigneers we went back to talking about the arts. Onaga sensei stressed that although Ti was indeed the goal of the karate art, it was not for everyone. He refused to teach children, as it is to demanding psychologically. Also, he said you had to be a very smart individual to learn Ti. "Any idot can do karate, and most do, but only 1 in a 1,000 of those can even understand the concept of what Ti is, let alone learn it. It requires high level thinking." He assured me I have what it takes though. In fact, when the topic of conversation turned to studies and he found out I intently study exercise science his eyes lit up like a child's. "Look at these!" He then produced a stack of old drawings and diagrams of old techniques. "I have been analyzing these scientifically, pouring over them. I hope to include them in a future book. You could help me in the future!" I said I would. "wait, can you read Japanese?" Yes. "Aha!" he said as he got up and came back with a couple of books. This is what I've written so far. I'm planning five books. I have three done. Please read these right now." I labored over the books, as I'm not the fastest reader of Japanese with Okinawan thrown in. I did find them very interesting though. "Oh! I've got one in English. Here, you take it. I'm giving it to you, along with the diagrams I drew for you. " I was honored. I thanked him deeply. If I could have stayed, I would have, but it was now 1:30am! I had been studying with master Onaga for 5 hours! He left me with the advice that although he thought a dojo pilgrimage was magnificent, it was probably best not to mention his name to the other masters. They may dislike his views, or his joking nature, but one thing cannot be denied: his words ring true. Especially this, taken from his book: "The meaning of the mark on the Shinjinbukan flag is 'Harmony In Diversity' . Do not group together like a school of little fish. The big fish swim in the open sea, calm, confident and carefully investigating everything."....
Sage words. I would only have about 3 hours to sleep on them before I had to be up for my next training session though. Training with master Minoru Higa from the Kyudokan Shorin Ryu school of Karate. ....
Higa sensei had studied Judo, Boxing, Sumo, and power lifting, among other things, before becoming a master of karate. This is in the same vein as Masatatsu Oyama, the founder of Kyokushin Karate. I wondered what sort of karate his would be like. When I arrived at the designated place, I found the dojo to be on top of a weight lifting gym. Convenient.....
I entererd the dojo and found two senior students working out by themselves. I explained why I was there. "Go put your dogi on, you'll love training with Higa sensei." One of them said. I changed and came back. "What is that? A white belt? Aren't you a black belt?" I answered yeah, but no in that dojo… "Go put your REAL belt on. It's ok." I changed and came back again, the dojo having filled up with students in my absence. Everyone was trying to guess what styles of karate I'd studied before. "Kyokushin. Just look at him. This guy is a kyokushin. Am I right?" I couldn't disagree. "I knew it." I also added the other styles I had studied. "I've also studied kyokushin. That's how I knew." One of the black belts said. ....
At that moment, master higa came in to the dojo. He has the aura of a kindly grandfather about him. "you must be Nash. Welcome to the dojo." With those words, training commenced. 100's of reps of sweat flying basic techniques where practiced. I can't stress enough how hot a dojo is in Okinawa in mid July. Sweat rocketed across the room with each punch and kick. When it came time for leg raises, I shocked the dojo by being able to do a perfect ax kick (one of my specialties) as no-one there could do one. After basics we practiced kata, and it was from Higa sensei that I learned the Naihanchi kata. He also explained that BasaiDai is Matsumura's Basai, and Basai Sho is Itosu's. ....
The training at this dojo was strong, but the atmosphere was relaxed. When we finished with the formal kata training, Higa sensei told the attending students (about 12) that there are many diffirent correct ways to do techniques , and his was not the only way. He welcomes anyone, regardless of style, as long as they have a strong desire to train. Since many students there had practiced other styles before, Higa sensei called us up to the front, one by one, to demonstrate kata he might not have seen before, or seen performed diffirently. Most people demonstrated 2 or 3 kata. I demonstrated 4, including Seipai (Goju), Tensho (Goju variant), and Yantsu (kyokushin). ....
After kata we practiced flexibility training. When I did the splits, one of the students actually go tup, took a picture, and put it on the dojo blog, right on the spot. The training was from 9:30 to 12:00 on a saterday morning. Afterwords two of the female students made tea for everyone and we sat around and talked. Master Higa told me I was exceptionally skilled, and a true karateman. His words carried meaning for me. He got up and brought me back an issue of Classical Fighting Arts magazine, that featured him on the cover, and a calligraphy bandana which he had drawn, featuring a quote from Miyamoto Musashi's book of five rings. "These are for you. You will enjoy them. " He said with a smile. I was then invited to a nomikai party that night, and training at the honbu dojo on Monday.....
That night I met the members from that mornings training, along with several other people, at a local resteraunt/bar. Right away I noticed something was diffirent about this place. There where fighting magazines scattered about, and posters about karate on the wall. They even had a bottle of "Karate" sake (with Higa sensei's picture on it!)… This seemed like a gathering place for karatemen and the like. I was right in my deduction. I was with some impressive company. Contained within the group where champion powerlifters, Kyokushin fighters, the mother of two Olympic caliber Judo players (who was a combative artist herself), Higa sensei, and Kyokushin karate master Yasuhiro Shichinohe (7th dan, and four time all Japan winner), as well as many "regular" fighting arts types. We ate and drank like a group of fighting artists are want to do . During that meal together someone asked what the significance of the heart around my wrist was, so I told them the story of the heart of the sea. They loved it so much they asked if I had any other stories. I did. They seemed quite enthralled. We talked and drank for awhle before parting ways. As I was leaving, the kyokushin karate teachers said with a grin "The next time you see Kenji (Yamaki) tell him you saw us!"....
The following Monday I was invited to train at Higa sensei's personal Kyudokan Honbu dojo. His son told me it would be difficult to find, so he would meet me at Higaonna sensei's dojo and guide me from there. Difficult to find it was, but well worth it. Okinawa, is a fairly small place, so I wonder if word had gotten around that there was some foreigner wondering all over the island with a big map and a compass going from dojo to dojo hunting down masters of karate? Or maybe Higa sensei legitamatly thought his dojo would be hard for most people to find? Either one. I made it to Higaonna's dojo, map and compass in hand, then on the Higa sensei's Kyudokan. As far as dojo go it was very nice, and even had a makiwara garden outside, complete with roof! The training was great, and by the time that it was over, the number of punches we had thrown was into the quadruple digits! I was sweaty. I wound up working on the makiwara for about 30 minutes of the few hours of training, and I loved every second of it. His makiwara are very well made. Then we worked on Naihanchi and some other kata. Onve of the seniors asked me "how long have you practiced this kata?" I responded honestly by telling him I'd never even seen it before that day. "How can you do it then!?" I told him that because he showed it to me, and walked me through it, now I could do it. "Amazing! That's incredible to be able to learn something that fast!" I assured him it was not amazing.....
"Speaking of Amazing…" Higa sensei interjected "I heard at dinner the other day that you posses the ability to do 1 finger and thumb handstand pushups. True?" Yes. "Please show me." You don't refuse a request from a master to impress him. I had his son catch my feet for support, just in case. ....
Now the things you need to know are these: The dojo has smooth old wood floors. There was sweat covering this floor. This made slipping easy. Balancing is essential for this technique. It should be done fresh, on stable ground, not after hours of training on what amounts to greased ice.....
Those things being said, I flipped up into my 1 finger and thumb handstand. As I went down for my first rep, I slipped, ever so slightly. This caused my right index finger to bend at a 90 degree angle sideways at the middle knucle, dislocating with an all-to-familiar crunching sound. The very instant this happened I knew exactly what I had to do. I was not going to show weakness and say I couldn't this thing the master had requeasted of me. Not flinching I completed 3 repititions. The master was thoroughly impressed, and I had not let on that my index finger was now shaped like a backwords question mark.....
As the training came to a close, Higa sensei game me a text on the history of his style, as well as invited me back for training anytime. He was quicke to reiterate again that I was "A true karateman" and asked me when, not if I would be back. His son bought himself and me a popsicle and we all parted ways. Of course I thanked them for all their kindnesses.....
The next couple of nights I spent at Higaonna sensei's dojo. Higaonna sensei is the master of the Goju ryu of karate. His conditioning and knowledge have made him legendary all over the world. And for good reason. Unless you plan to work hard, don't come to his dojo. I loved it though. Not only for his amazing instruction, but for his enthusiasm. He loves the fighting arts. The man is all smiles and loves to talk karate. When he found out I could speak Japanese he talked all the time about karate. The guy is a real treat to be around, and if you ever become disenchanted with karate come see him. As far as training goes, lots of basics and even more traditional training tools such as the sanchin gripping jars (with my finger!), kata bunkai and advanced body usage, and kakie. That week a group from sweeden was in and out to train with him, so he was extra excited. After al the training he gave me a magazine, and an invite to come back and train anytime. He also gave me a special invite to come to the special karate event being held the following year, only held once every four years by the I.O.G.K.F.. I wouldn't want to miss that. ....
The end of the second nights training saw me leaving from the dojo at 11pm to get to the airport in time to catch my flight back to Tokyo. Nothing like going from one place to another carrying a sweat saturated karate uniform. Maybe that's why the lady next to me on the flight out of Okinawa made ample use of her puke bag…....
This training mission to Okinawa had been one of extreme significance for me. I had crammed more training and adventuring into 10 days as anyone could hope too, and it was all free. That's the Nash way to live.....
Now, on to the next training mission.....
-Nash....