Parting The Clouds With Empty Hands

The New Book by Garry Lever

The writing on the cover says it all. No, not the words written in English, but the kanji brushed by Tetsuhiro Hokama sensei: Karate no kokoro - the heart of karate!

All too often these days books on karate are little more than an advert for the person who wrote them. With the ease of self-publishing over the Internet, has come a rash of self-serving volumes full of little that is of any use to the reader. The book you see above is definitely not one of them: just the opposite in fact.

I've known the author for a many years, and have watched him grow from a sometimes immature and headstrong young man, in to the mature and dedicated family man he is today. Along with his growth as a human being has come his growth as a karateka; parallel paths that mark the life of an authentic budoka.

Although an avid reader and researcher in to karate and related martial arts, Garry would be the first to admit he is no scholar; what he knows for sure about life, and karate, he has learnt through personal experience. And this is where the value of this book lies, for within its pages you are able to glean a small amount of insight in to many of those experiences. From such information it is possible to re-focus on your own experiences and then compare; a valuable exercise, and one that provides far more evidence of your current level of understanding than today's fashion for one-upmanship and competition that many confuse for signs of making progress.

From authors like Garry Lever, who ask nothing from you other than a promise to think about what you've just read, the way of karate - its spirit -  is laid before you. I recommend this book not because Garry is a friend of mine, but because I genuinely believe it is of value to all who find themselves a little lost and in need of inspiration. You'll find the book on sale through Amazon....so, do yourself a favour!

Outdoor Persuits

Miyagi Chojun sensei teaching karate to a group of school kids - circa 1930

The photo above was sent to me a while ago by my good friend Garry Lever, and it's interesting on a number of levels. Obviously it's interesting as an historical document, showing something of how karate was being taught, at least to schools kids, almost a century ago. It also tells the more astute observer a little of how the form of this kata (which one is it do you think?) looked all those years ago.

But here's a really interesting thing that I noticed, or should I say, had confirmed, by this photograph; karate back in the day was an exclusively outdoor pursuit. That fact, that karate was once exclusively practised outside, is of particular interest to me right now as I no longer have a building to train in until my new dojo is built. This means that most of my training these past few weeks has been conducted outside, just like it was in Okinawa so long ago.

My new home stands on four acres of land, and I've found a spot among a small stand of huge pines that now serves as my dojo. I'll be honest here, and say that it has taken me a while to become accustomed to training outside as often as I do now, but last weekend, as I worked on my kobudo, I was suddenly struck by a feeling of real happiness; by the time I finished Sakugawa-no-kon sho I was grinning like a Cheshire cat.

The new Shinseidokan dojo will be built over the coming weeks and months, and once its finished I have no doubt the bulk of my training will move back inside. But, my present dojo will not be abandoned, for I've already spilt sweat there, found humour, and cultivated some wonderful memories.

Masaji Taira Sensei in Australia

My old friend Masaji Taira sensei - always ready to share.

Later this month Australian karate-ka will have a chance to learn from an exceptional Okinawan karate teacher, Masaji Taira. He is set to conduct seminars in three different locations around the country, Melbourne, Brisbane, and the Gold Coast in Queensland. If you want to see the underlying fluidity and striking power of Goju-ryu karate in action, may I suggest you get along to one or more of the seminars being organized by his followers here in Australia; you can find detailed information about Taira sensei's Australian seminars, and others he is set to conduct around the world, here. 

I hope you'll forgive me this "plug" for Taira sensei', and believe me when I say I have no vested interest in either Taira sensei or his seminars: I won't be attending any of them. Nevertheless, I've known Taira sensei for a very long time and always enjoyed training with him during my annual trips to Okinawa. As most would know, Taira sensei is no longer a member of the Jundokan dojo, so I didn't get to see him on my visit earlier this year. I'm not sure when we'll meet again, but when we do it will be as two old friends, not as karate rivals.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again here, karate is best learnt in a dojo, between sensei and deshi. Karate organizations, associations, societies, even clubs, are (IMO) inefficient ways to grasp karate at best, and in many cases, down right bad! In my experience, once you move away from the one to one, personal, relationship between a teacher and student something important is lost; groups have a habit of becoming more concerned about group rituals rather than the activity they were set up to propagate.

As part of an individual karate-ka's research and development, attending the occasional seminar here and there is no doubt useful, but one should never confuse such training as a substitute to learning karate through the relationship between a sensei and their student. You will find no answers to understanding karate that will come from anywhere but your own heart and mind; and while you can gather information from many sources, understanding karate will only ever come from personal experience.

Takayoshi Nagamine sensei

Takayoshi Nagamine sensei - posing for my camera after an interview

Another link in the historical chain of Okinawan karate was broken last week with the passing of Takayoshi Nagamine sensei, head of the world Matsubayashi-ryu school of karate.

I was lucky enough to meet with him a number of times over the past twenty years, and would often stop by the Kodokan dojo in Kume just to pay my respects. Takayoshi sensei had a certain reputation for being blunt, especially with foreigners, but on a number of occasions he went out of his way to help me, and for that I'll always be grateful.

Regardless of what people thought of him his karate was the real deal; a fact I can attest to having felt the power of his technique a number of times. His "people skills" often left a lot to be desired in my opinion, but then, karate history is littered with teachers who did not exactly fit the classic mould of the "sensei".

Takayoshi sensei's passing is a great loss to the Okinawan karate community, and the larger karate world as a whole. What will happen to the Kodokan dojo now...who knows?  I've said it before, I hope the Okinawan government will step in and preserve it as the national cultural treasure that it is.

Stamp of Approval?

Is this an image of a karate-ka - or just a competitor?

A friend of mine sent me a sample of this stamp a little while ago, and I have to say, I was quite surprised when I first saw it. For many years I've had samples of the "karate" stamps issued by the American occupation forces in Okinawa during the 1960's, but I've never, until this arrived in the mail, come across postage stamps issued by another country that feature karate.

The red belt is not being used here to indicate rank, or a level of expertise, but instead, it signifies the competitor is "aka" (red), as apposed to "shiro", the other guy in the competition who regardless of rank, wears a white belt. This simplistic colour coding allows the judges to wave either a red flag, or a white flag, to indicate who they think performed the best kata. It's all utter nonsense of course, but for the majority involved in karate these days, judging your progress by how many others you can vanquish in a tournament seems to be the only way forward.

I'm not sure why karate, at least in the West, has lost it's way so badly. I no longer have much in common with those who clutter their karate with rules & regulations, with meetings, and syllabus, and licences; who wear grey flannel trousers and dark jackets with badges on the breast pocket. Or folks who apply for promotion tests, and run "clubs" instead of dojo. I can't put my finger on the day when karate became something people did to make a living, to develop fame and celebrity, or cultivate the innocent for their own perverted gratification. Nor when people began training with so much preconceived expectation of "success" (whatever that is?); but I can recall, very clearly, how I felt the day I first saw this stamp, displaying karate as nothing more than a game: sad.

Samurai Spirit:Karate

I'm about to go off the air for a short time while I relocate to my new home. In the meantime, take a look at this very interesting documentary on karate. It runs for a little over 44mins, so, make your self a cup of tea first before you settle down to watch it.

I'll be back on line again once my world has been unpacked from the million boxes it  has just been packed into.

Okinawan Dojo Pt 2

Entrance to Shoshin Nagamine sensei's Kodokan dojo - Kume

I visited the Kodokan dojo for the first time in 1992, and have returned a number of times over the past twenty years since then. Sadly it's founder, Shoshin Nagamine sensei, is no longer alive and as so often happens when the founder of a dojo passes away, their dojo becomes a "different" experience when you visit.

Inside the Kodokan

As the world headquarters for Matsubayashi-ryu, the Kodokan receives many visitors each year, but I wonder how many of them stop to think of the investment Nagamnine sensei was making when he established his dojo in Kume village so long ago. The Kodokan is one of the oldest dojo in Okinawa, and I believe the Okinawan government should get rid of the bar next door to the dojo (that was once the Nagamine family store), and preserve the dojo as a tangible cultural asset.

The Kenshinkan dojo of Testuhiro Hokama sensei - Nishihara

I visit the Kenshinkan dojo almost every time I'm in Okinawa. Over the years Hokama sensei and I have spent many hours discussing karate and its history. He has some very interesting opinions that don't always follow the script, so to speak, when it comes to the development of karate prior to it leaving Okinawa for
Japan and the rest of the world.

The Kenshinkan Shomen

Perhaps best known to visiting foreigners for housing the Okinawan karate / kobudo museum, the Kenshinkan dojo has a fairly large membership of local karate and kobudo-ka. Although I've never received instruction from Hokama sensei, in a formal sense, I've watched him teaching others on many occasions. His approach to karate and kobudo is very fluid, and really quite different to the way I have been taught. Still, there is no doubting Hokama sensei's effectiveness, either with a weapon, or empty handed.

The Seibukan dojo - Chatan

Mt first visit to the Seibukan was last year (2011), and I have to say, I really warmed to the dojo as soon as I stepped through the door, even empty it has a great atmosphere. The genkan has a small bench where visitors can sit and observe the training; and what a treat awaits anyone fortunate enough to find themselves sitting there.

Zenpo Shimabukuro sensei

Shimabukuro sensei is the real deal. He's straight forward and to the point, but smart and insightful, he has been training almost all his life and is the son of a famous karate sensei. In short, his life has been steeped in karate from birth. His skill and ability on the dojo floor are real, but more importantly (to me anyway), is the way he conducts him self off the floor. I make no bones about my liking for Shimabukuro sensei and his karate. He is a gentleman of the old school, whose consideration for his students is sincere, real; but don't think that translates to him taking it easy on them....for that would be a big mistake!

The Kyudokan dojo - Tsuboya

Tucked away down a small back street, only a minutes walk from the Higaonna dojo, stands the world famous Kyudokan. I discovered this dojo on my first to Okinawa in 1984, and have vivid memories of standing in the open space outside the dojo watching the dojo's founder,Yuchoku Higa sensei, teaching a class. I have to admit, at the time I had little idea of the stature of the man I was watching that night.

Today's master of the Kyudokan is Minoru Higa sensei

Although I never did meet Yuchoku Higa sensei, I have met and interviewed the present headmaster of the Kyudokan, Minoru Higa sensei. From the first moment of our meeting I was impressed by the man, he was old, yes, but had a youthful vitality about him that you can spot in the best of Okinawa's senior karateka. Softly spoken and extremely generous with his time, I left the Kyudokan feeling excited by my visit.

The Shubukan dojo - Shuri

 Like the Seibukan, and the Kyudokan, I visited the Shubukan dojo for the first time last year. My work brief was to interview a number of prominent teachers of Shorin-ryu, and this is how I found myself stepping through the doors of so many dojo for the first time.

Yasuhiro Uema sensei, headmaster of the Shubukan dojo - Shuri

 I'd seen Uema sensei before, many times, but on DVD. Meeting him face to face was better than I'd imagined it would be. He was open and friendly and willing to sit patiently with me and answer my questions. The dojo was bathed in sunlight and, being on the top floor of his home, also caught the breeze that blew in from the East-China sea. While I was in the Shubukan I found myself, on more than one occasion, being very aware of my surroundings; I simply love being in an authentic dojo.

The Bunbukan dojo - Shuri

The Bunbukan dojo of Masahiro Nakamoto sensei is so close to Uema sensei's dojo, you could throw a stone from one dojo to the other; mind you, you might have to run if you did! The Tori-hori area of Shuri is well known as the home of many of Okinawa's great karate and kobudoka. Choshin Chibana sensei lived right here in this area, as did many other great budoka during the age of Ryukyu.

Your's truely with Nakamoto sensei  earlier this year

Nakamoto sensei shows no sign at all of his age, and as I approach my sixth decade of life, I'm inspired by sensei such as him who, well in to their seventh decade, are still living their lives and conducting their training without the usual excuses I hear from karateka in the West who are younger then I am. So...if you're 30+,  unfit, and spend your time "dinning out' on the things you used to do, perhaps it's time to think of something less demanding than karate or kobudo.

The Jundokan - Azato

I can not write of the dojo I've visited in Okinawa without mentioning the two dojo where I am welcomed as a student; the Jundokan in Azato, and the Shimbukan in Tomigusuku. The first I have been a student at for over twenty years, and the second, for a somewhat shorter length of time.

The Shimbukan - Tomigusuku

At both dojo I am accepted as a student, and have always been on the receiving end of insightful instruction and great hospitality; in return I've brought very little to either dojo, except a willingness to try my best. To have an Okinawan home for my karate and kobudo training is something that grounds me. My sensei and sempai stop me from developing ideas of being better than I am, and allow me to chart a steady course toward the place I want to be; all I have to do, is maintain a desire to continue.