First, when I say traditional I mean the more ancient teachings of the Ryukyu Island system of "Ti or Te." This means to my belief any training/practice that occurred mid to early 1800's and before. With that said, "There was no traditional dojo of Okinawa."
What we perceive and believe as dojo did not exist in that way in ancient times. Practitioners practiced and trained in a variety of places to include the home and possible in final resting locations of ancestors, etc. No rank, no karate pajamas, mostly in what we might view as undergarments consisting of short, above the knee, white loose trouser like clothing. No shirt, no shoes (not as a traditional form of practice but rather because shoes were not worn, in some cases, or of wooden variety not conducive to actual training and practice.
Papa-san, the Sensei or Master, watched and mentored until you reached a skill level then would recommend another person to go study with or you were informed in some manner to go off and practice on your own. Often it meant going off and taking on others to teach if or when your Ti or Te were noticed by local villagers, etc.
It was a normal or traditional method to learn one system and the acquire knowledge and proficiency on other systems until you developed your own unique way or system then began passing that belief, way, on to others of like mind. Even then it was all "ti or te" and not until very late 1800's or early 1900's did individuals start to name their unique way, i.e. gave birth to styles like Shorin, Goju and Isshin.
More often than not even then most would refer to their practice according to the location in which they lived ergo how they came to be not just ti or te but shuri-ti, naha-ti or tomari-ti.
What I can gather from studies on this is most masters of ancient times actually made a name for themselves in actual living and applying ti or te in life, their village or the island as a whole.
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