Ishi

There are always mitigating factors which come into play at the dojo, but I honestly feel the vast majority of these are simply out of the control of the teacher. It may be cliché, but as an instructor one has to focus on running the class and training the students. The occasional bump of a student not keeping up with material or not paying dues on time shouldn't deter from meeting this goal.

The dojo really should have the consistency of granite; it should be a "rock of support" which anchors the students and the teachers in a common goal. Unlike the dynamic changes, stressors and decisions we face in our day-to-day lives, the dojo is somewhat like an oasis. It is an unflinching, unchanging and uncompromising focal point and before we step onto its floor we must "check our baggage".

There is a real joy in human movement and this reminds me of quotes by two very divergent teachers, Higaonna and Shinzato. Paraphrasing here, I believe Higaonna is quoted as saying in the BBC documentary that when he trained in kata it was very much like grasping at a cloud and most times he would come up empty-handed (no pun intended), but always he would find the will and effort to come back to it; i.e. there was something intrinsically motivating him. While Shinzato in a local Army Broadcast on Okinawa said something to the effect that every time he trained in kata he got something, however small. What they may have been referring to is that joy of movement, but I think the joy and energy of that movement creates a stepping stone to something above that – a transcendence. Hence the notion that our art, which is based in movement, can be a spiritual activity.

Testing and Grades

Shokyu and shodan shinsa (昇級・昇段 審査) are terms that I have encountered when I lived in Japan for tests that are typically conducted in modern budo. The terms “kyu” and “dan” I’m sure most people are familiar with, but the “sho” character does not mean “first” as in shodan (初段). The “sho” in this context comes from the on-yomi (Chinese reading) for the verb “noboru” (昇る) which means “to ascend or climb”.

My worst and most challenging grading was probably my Gohakukai shodan test. I was 18 years old and it was a typical affair, basics, yakusoku kumite, kata bunkai, self-defence and free fighting. It was all a very rough affair, especially the kumite in which the first person I was paired with was XX-san, a guy who outweighed my puny frame by about 30 kg. I still remember skidding across the dojo floor after being hit by him.

Nidan was pretty much the same, but in the kumite section we had to sit in seiza for quite a while and then the juniors were made to spar with us, but we were only allowed to be defensive. Not pleasant either, but less painful than shodan. Sandan was surprisingly painless. Essentially consisted of kata performance and some basic bunkai.

As for To'uon-ryu, there are no gradings. I think it uses the older model per se. You are simply promoted when the teacher sees fit. But the use of grades in To'uon-ryu is a recent addition used by the current headmaster Kanzaki Shigekazu. Grades were first issued in the early 1960's when he started teaching. Ironically, he himself, nor any of Kyoda's students during that era have any kind of formal rank.

Now that I am a teacher myself, I understand a little more clearly the purpose of grading in Karate – that it is not only about the student, but also very much about the teacher. For the student, a grading provides the opportunity for testing the student on his/her knowledge and on being promoted. Equally important for the teacher is the recognition of all the time and effort the student has invested in his/her training. Each grading let's the student ascend the mountain a little higher, and to see a little farther.

Ten I Happo - UPDATED

I apologize ahead of time as I am not the most artistic person, nor am I the most computer literate person either.

To the left is a diagram of a basic stepping drill used in Tou'on-ryu called "Ten I Happo" or roughly translated as "Stepping the eight directions". It was a drill purportedly made by Kyoda sensei and one of the first things he taught Kanzaki sensei, who in turn taught it to me. Starting with the right leg, the person steps to the first point into a right zenkutsu-dachi (forward stance), then returns. Then steps out to the second point into a right zenkutsu-dachi and returns. For the third point, the person steps out with his right leg horizontally into shiko-dachi (horse stance). At points 4 to 6 you pull the right leg back into a left zenkutsu-dachi. For point 7, you step out again as in point 1 into a right zenkutsu-dachi. For point 8 you turn180 degrees counter clock-wise to the rear into a right zenkutsu-dachi. Then the drill is repeated with the left leg, but stepping in the opposite direction. Confused? Maybe to start with, but it's certainly not rocket science, and I'm sure you will get it with a little practice. This practice is interesting in its ability to capture essential movement and convey it through a simple drill. In many respects it is similar, but a little less complicated, than a drill developed by Mabuni Kenwa and published in his 1938 book, "Karatedo Nyumon" or "Introductory Karatedo".

The drill doesn't end with simply stepping. As the student progresses, striking, kicking, and sweeping techniques are added, along with variations in stances. After that, the drill is repeated with a partner. With enough practice, and time, the steps and techniques become second nature and can be used in more open ended type training. For myself Ten I Happo, along with Sankaku Tenshin, are two of the most important drills I have ever learned and still practice them to this day.

Karate as a Weapon Art

A friend of mine argued that old style "te" was weapon based much along the same lines as perhaps Filipino Arnis or some Silat systems. I do not doubt, that at least with the old mid level Pechin's, that weapons were a part of training as they acted as law enforcement officials, palace guards, etc. However, I have not come across any literature so far to support the primacy of weapons training in the old Ryukyu kingdom among the Pechin. It appears that there was probably a balance struck between both IMHO as most weapons masters of old were also noted for their empty hand and kata skill.