Okinawan Fighting Art "Ti": Word of Mouth: The Stories of Isshinryu

When you begin to feel like you are a tough guy, a warrior, a master of the martial arts or that you have lived a tough life, just take a moment and get some perspective with the following:

I've stopped knives that were coming to disembowel me

I've clawed for my gun while bullets ripped past me

I've dodged as someone tried to put an ax in my skull

I've fought screaming steel and left rubber on the road to avoid death

I've clawed broken glass out of my body after their opening attack failed

I've spit blood and body parts and broke strangle holds before gouging eyes

I've charged into fires, fought through blizzards and run from tornados

I've survived being hunted by gangs, killers and contract killers

The streets were my home, I hunted in the night and was hunted in turn

Please don't brag to me that you're a survivor because someone hit you. And don't tell me how 'tough' you are because of your training. As much as I've been through I know people who have survived much, much worse. - Marc MacYoung

WARNING, CAVEAT AND NOTE

The postings on this blog are my interpretation of readings, studies and experiences therefore errors and omissions are mine and mine alone. The content surrounding the extracts of books, see bibliography on this blog site, are also mine and mine alone therefore errors and omissions are also mine and mine alone and therefore why I highly recommended one read, study, research and fact find the material for clarity. My effort here is self-clarity toward a fuller understanding of the subject matter. See the bibliography for information on the books. Please make note that this article/post is my personal analysis of the subject and the information used was chosen or picked by me. It is not an analysis piece because it lacks complete and comprehensive research, it was not adequately and completely investigated and it is not balanced, i.e., it is my personal view without the views of others including subject experts, etc. Look at this as “Infotainment rather then expert research.” This is an opinion/editorial article/post meant to persuade the reader to think, decide and accept or reject my premise. It is an attempt to cause change or reinforce attitudes, beliefs and values as they apply to martial arts and/or self-defense. It is merely a commentary on the subject in the particular article presented.

Note: I will endevor to provide a bibliography and italicize any direct quotes from the materials I use for this blog. If there are mistakes, errors, and/or omissions, I take full responsibility for them as they are mine and mine alone. If you find any mistakes, errors, and/or omissions please comment and let me know along with the correct information and/or sources.

“What you are reading right now is a blog. It’s written and posted by me, because I want to. I get no financial remuneration for writing it. I don’t have to meet anyone’s criteria in order to post it. Not only I don’t have an employer or publisher, but I’m not even constrained by having to please an audience. If people won’t like it, they won’t read it, but I won’t lose anything by it. Provided I don’t break any laws (libel, incitement to violence, etc.), I can post whatever I want. This means that I can write openly and honestly, however controversial my opinions may be. It also means that I could write total bullshit; there is no quality control. I could be biased. I could be insane. I could be trolling. … not all sources are equivalent, and all sources have their pros and cons. These needs to be taken into account when evaluating information, and all information should be evaluated.” - God’s Bastard, Sourcing Sources (this applies to this and other blogs by me as well; if you follow the idea's, advice or information you are on your own, don't come crying to me, it is all on you do do the work to make sure it works for you!)

“You should prepare yourself to dedicate at least five or six years to your training and practice to understand the philosophy and physiokinetics of martial arts and karate so that you can understand the true spirit of everything and dedicate your mind, body and spirit to the discipline of the art.” - cejames (note: you are on your own, make sure you get expert hands-on guidance in all things martial and self-defense)

“All I say is by way of discourse, and nothing by way of advice. I should not speak so boldly if it were my due to be believed.” - Montaigne

I am not a leading authority on any one discipline that I write about and teach, it is my hope and wish that with all the subjects I have studied it provides me an advantage point that I offer in as clear and cohesive writings as possible in introducing the matters in my materials. I hope to serve as one who inspires direction in the practitioner so they can go on to discover greater teachers and professionals that will build on this fundamental foundation. Find the authorities and synthesize a wholehearted and holistic concept, perception and belief that will not drive your practices but rather inspire them to evolve, grow and prosper. My efforts are born of those who are more experienced and knowledgable than I. I hope you find that path! See the bibliography I provide for an initial list of experts, professionals and masters of the subjects.

Word of Mouth: The Stories of Isshinryu

Blog Article/Post Caveat (Read First Please: Click the Link)

This is about how one transmits the teachings of a discipline down the ages from sensei to deshi or teacher to student to teach to their students and ad infinitum. The stories of Isshinryu and its founder, Tatsuo-san, have been through the telling of stories, in short, "word of mouth."

Try this sometime, line up about thirty karate-ka with double arm space between. Each person to tell the story down the line must listen, take a moment to consider the story being told, then turn and walk two steps to the next to tell the story to that person. The telling shall be ear to ear so there is no chance the next person in line will overhear the story being told. Now, start the story with person no. 1 and let the story be told by whisper down the entire line. When at the last person, that person takes a moment then stands in the center while the rest form a circle around them and that last person now tells the story loud enough for all to hear.

In most cases you will find that what the story told vs. the last person's story will differ. Some slightly and some vastly different. This is the human condition for our memories are not infallible and our minds, our brains, don't retrieve memories 'exactly' because that is not how the brain, the mind, works. It will retrieve snippets of a memory then create a new memory from the snippets and fill in gaps and such from our current memories, our current beliefs, and our current perceptions of current events. Then the brain fools us into believing that we just retrieved an exact memory from our minds. There is solid, recorded and documented, research evidence that tells is this is so and it explains why we have to deal with dissonances and biases because those are all a part of the creative memory retrieval processes.

This is why it is 'critical' our stories be recorded in a form that is as exact at the time of the story telling as possible, saved for reference when we go to tell the story to those who would follow our beliefs. This is why our beliefs, regardless of accuracy, are our "Reality!"

Even if we try to record the telling of a story many years after its origins that story will NOT be exact, factual or even true... because when you do get to the story to record the human mind and memories will have shifted in the time that passes due to many things natural to the human condition.

This is a major reason why today, according to the stories told, there is a huge difference in those stories of Tatsuo-san and his Isshinryu, because we are 'human' and word of mouth is not the best way to tell the story down the line as each generation takes up the story.

This article was inspired by the reading of a CFA article of a prominent Isshinryu sensei currently holding the highest rank on the island in Isshinryu. His telling of his memories along with those of our past early pioneers and of course my memories and studies all said, "word of mouth, what a different the telling of each makes!"

What I was told, word of mouth, by my sensei; what I heard from other sensei over the years; what I have researched from the early pioneers, first-gen students of Tatsuo-san's, as to their versions of the story, word of mouth put to articles and books and video's in the last two or three decades; and the stories I read, hear and see from all the social media and media sources of modern technological days today all say something different, some a bit slight in difference and many vastly different.

Even some of the most diligent studies of those who we might call our Isshinryu Historians all had to rely on 'word of mouth' telling of the story of Isshinryu that even those accounts cannot be considered definite and irrefutable even if they sound factual, accurate and historical due to certain traits we give those who tell the story.

Over the years it has been suggested that the story of those who we all felt held the best of the stories, the most accurate as humans can be and the stories all of us can sink our teeth into be put to paper or video to document for historical purposes and for posterities benefits but that never happened for any number of reasons.

Ok, you read this far and for that I am grateful, I want you to know that like the bottles maxim Tatsuo-san spoke of at one of his gatherings so long ago, all of the stories are good for they all serve a purpose. I call it, "The Legends of Isshinryu." I do so love all the stories I have heard over these last four or more decades of practicing Isshinryu, the style that Tatsuo-san built. It didn't, and still does not, matter that their are gaping holes between each story for the stories all give Isshinryu that specialness that we all have sought after and seek today, that uniqueness that speaks to us as human beings that makes it and us special. Much like my being a Marine for there are only a "Few, Proud, Marines!" I can tell you that this uniqueness of Isshinryu may well have been the fuel that fed the spirit of Marines so they embraced it like a brother, or sister, and brought it to the place it holds in our history here in the United States. That spurred on the places it now resides in all sorts of places and cultures around our world even if only barely at the home of karate, Okinawa.

I feel that regardless of the telling of the stories that Isshinryu will go on for a long while EXCEPT on the island of its creation, Okinawa, for I firmly believe that when the 'one and only' true believer in Isshinryu on the island retires that as it has demonstrated in the last few decades Isshinryu will simply fade off into the sunset because when Tatsuo-san passed on to the great dojo in the sky the fracturing of Isshinryu resulted in those few Okinawan students of Isshinryu gravitated back to the very styles that were born of Okinawan's long, long ago and long before the birth and creation of Isshinryu by Tatsuo Shimabuku Master of Isshinryu Karate.

Regardless, don’t let ego or any other emotional status uniqueness and specialness cause you to ignore and disregard any of the stories of Isshinryu and Tatsuo-san, let the legends and stories abound regardless because like the bottles, all the stories are good for they all serve a purpose. If someone says to you that your stories are wrong and theirs are right simply smile, nod your head that you hear them and then enjoy not just your stories but his or hers as well because… all stories are good; all stories sever a purpose and if it means the continuance of Isshinryu karate for the future then all stories are good!

Note: Even the story of the infamous CFA on Isshinryu made me smile simply because it was a long coming story in a publication not seen in decades. Having differences in regard to that story that later came out just added to the story and all those stories are good for they serve us in keeping the legend of Tatsuo-san and Isshinryu alive regardless.