Word of Mouth: The Stories of Isshinryu

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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. 

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For reference and sources and professionals go here: Bibliography (Click the link)