Isshinkei [一心系] (Ryu vs. Ryuu, etc.)

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I have always had issues with the character/ideogram/kanji used for, “ryu,” as in Isshin’RYU’. The one character dependent on how you type in the English versions, i.e., ryu vs. ryuu, gives us two different translations that will become apparent in the following article. Since I tend to be a nit picky karate-ka and martial artists I tried to find a more appropriate way to use terminology that would seem more correct - for me. Whether others pick up on it and use it vs. remaining steadfast and dogmatic to the one used historically, i.e., since Americans became involved, is your choice. 

Kei 系 to make the name Isshinkei [一心系] vs. ryu, as a proper way to name the system, i.e., [一心系 for Isshinkei vs. 一心流 for Isshinryu] So, in a nutshell the use of [流] for style may be inappropriate while the use of [系] to represent system; lineage; group, etc. seems more appropriate and apropos. 

Not to be mixed up with the name used by Advincula Sensei, Isshinkai [一心会], meaning, “One Heart/Mind assembly or association for the goal of meeting in mind and heart to understand the Isshinryu system as created and passed on to us by Shimabuku Tatsuo Sensei. 

Isshinkei just comes to mean a system or style that is correct using the characters/ideograms as discussed. The current ryu [流] character is just accepted as proper and it may well be since it was, reportedly but not absolutely, presented by both Japanese and Okinawan karate-ka and martial artists. 

Now, to add a bit of confusion, there is another way to spell style of; method of; manner of; school, “ in English that actually presents the same character/ideograph of [流] that means, “style of; method of; manner of; school.” The spelling in translation is, “Ryuu vs. the accepted Ryu.” When you translate ryu and ryuu you get the same characters/ideograms yet different translated English meanings as already presented. 

In essence, for me, that is why I am moving over to Isshinkei using the singular character/ideogram that means, “System; lineage; group; series; corollary and system (range of strata that correspond to a particular time period).”

Two results and conclusions, one is that trying to relate our training, practice and study to such characters/ideographs is a bit confusing and convoluted making translations of everything Asian into English, let alone overcoming the differences in time, culture and beliefs, is at best difficult while two, it is still something one must at least study and try to understand because IT IS derived from the differences in the times in which they all were originally created, the culture of Asia and of those same times and of the belief systems of both those distant past times and the current times of both America and/vs. Okinawa and Japan, etc. 

Even if they don’t actually clarify the truth and facts of karate and martial arts history and historical foundational truths it does add a lot of spice and diversity toward a more multiple translation and meanings that make it difficult but add a great deal to our understanding and applications be they practice, training or use in life. 

Isshinkei in lieu of Isshinryu while being different from Isshinkai (the closeness of the spelling is pure chance so the use of the kanji is important to making the distinctions over just misspelling a symbolic naming.).

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