White Crane Snow Tiger News November 2008
www.yamazato-videos.comwww.worldbudokan.com
Okinawa The Trip of a Lifetime!
Action Martial Arts Hall of Honors
SummerCamp!
Yamazato New Releases
http://www.worldbudokan.com/video/ISKKFSummerCampMPEGPromo.ht
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rb_IC0ur0-A
Greetings everyone! Just getting back from Okinawa. Got lots to tell you
about! The rest of the year has some good events coming up as well.
Okinawa: The Trip of a Lifetime
Okinawa the birthplace of karate is still home to much martial arts
activity today. This beautiful island set in the shinning sea south of
mainland Japan has been a melting pot of martial arts for hundreds of
years. In fact, the Okinawan culture is over a thousand years old.
Accordingly, Okinawa has many deep and rich social traditions that are
expressed in subtle ways among its people. To really know karate and get
a feel for its culture its important to make this trip [to Okinawa] at
least once in your lifetime. Early on Sunday morning I got ready for
blast off once again and the journey to the emerald island in the South
China Sea. Leaving from Atlanta it was a quick 21 hours and 42 minutes
to Naha. Whew! By the way, its important to hydrate properly on the way
and when you get off the plane.
On this trip I had the opportunity to meet a number of senior
practitioners of the arts. In karate kid fashion, I ventured out from my
hotel on the first day to meet Nitta Seifuku, 10thDan. He is
sixty-three years old and teaches shorin ryu karate. He calls his school
Ken Sei Dokukai. This means the society of those who train together with
goods hearts in the way of the fist. His son Kazuma Nitta is carrying on
the family tradition of martial arts. At only 18 Kazuma has a maturity
to his karate that is beyond his years. Powerful and fast he moves with
a certain grace that's immediately pleasing for any martial artist to
watch. His easy-going personality belies the fact that he has captured
over one hundred tournament wins in both kata and kumite. In this brand
of shorin ryu, sparring is done full contact with bogu tsukior
chest armor. Nitta sensei hosts a full contact tournament on Okinawa
once every three years. His next tournament will be in 2009.
Nitta sensei has developed a unique kata called habude or snake
hand. The habu is a poisonous snake in Okinawa that has been a
danger to the people for many years. It is the source of much folklore
and has been used to make habu sake, Japanese rice wine. Habu sake is
taken for medicinal purposes because its venom is so strong. It is also
thought to make one who consumes it stronger. Once bitten though one
might only take a few steps and never finish his kata. Nitta sensei's
grandfather was Kotaro Nitta (1880-1965) also known by the nickname Bushi
Chatan Shita. He initiated the habude form and later Nitta
sensei further developed and finished it. Habude or snake hand has
crane movements, a two-finger spear hand and snake-like blocking
movements that are the signature movements of the kata. It has practical
self-defense applications that include throwing and striking techniques.
One of Nitta sensei's karate students is Air Force Sergeant Fred Lee. He
is an accomplished K-1 kickboxer and is one of the top martial artists
on Okinawa. Fred started in kung fu back in Cleveland, Ohio before
joining the Air Force. Once on Okinawa though he started training in shorin ryu karate and kickboxing and has been hooked ever since. He has
been on the island for four years and plans on staying a few more years
before retuning to the states. Sensei Kenneth Daniels a former Marine
and full time resident of Okinawa teaches karate on base. He keeps busy
teaching the many Little Dragons at Camp Foster Marine base. Kenneth has
been living on Okinawa for twenty years and has loved every minute of
it.
Since MMA has become so popular worldwide, one of the goals of the trip
was to find out if MMA was practiced on the island and if it has
influenced Okinawan karate at all. At Tenkaichi Stadium in Chatan town
we found an MMA and kickboxing gym with many members and the center of
much activity. There are MMA competitions held at the gym once a month.
The Marines stationed on Okinawa train at the gym and participate in the
fights as well as the Okinawan's. Additionally, a number of civilians who
live in Okinawa train at the gym and some of the mainlanders including a
few Brazilians come down to fight as well. Jerry Nelson who is in the
Air Force is one of the MMA instructors there. He trained with Dan
Severn back in the states before coming to Okinawa. He said the MMA
program started about a year and a half ago at Tenkaichi and is growing
rapidly. Kenji Amano a very personable fellow runs the kickboxing
program and is an accomplished Muay Thai fighter. His boss is a young
fellow by the name of Shiko Tomaru who owns Tenkaichi gym and three
other kickboxing and MMA gyms in Japan. He told us, The sport is growing
so fast its hard to keep up with it. Meaghan Pimsler who trains at
Tenkaichi gym is an English teacher in Okinawa and a former Olympic tae
kwon do competitor. She started kickboxing at the Tenkaichi gym and
recently won her first bout by knocking out her opponent in the second
round. She said, Training with mitts is a good way to practice but the
best training for a fight is to get in the ring and spar. Sensei Robert
Starke who teaches karate at Camp Courtney is also an MMA competitor. He
says, I like the competition. It adds a sense of reality to what I'm
teaching. He recently won his bout at the last MMA competition held at Tenkaichi. After his bout the bruises on his face were a testament to
the reality he talked about. In his recent bout his opponent mounted him
and proceeded to ground and pound. Even though Robert was pummeled to
the face fifty eight times he managed to hang in there and overcome his
opponent with an arm bar after two minutes of the second round. He said,
Even though the whole fight was only seven minutes long it was a long
road to victory. The main gym in Okinawa for MMA training is Tenkaichi
but there are now two other schools teaching MMA on the island.
Tenkaichi started out as a kickboxing gym. Then jujitsu was added and it
just evolved into an MMA program. Everyone at the gym had a great
attitude and all were very enthusiastic about what they were doing. Fred
Lee will soon have another kickboxing bout at Tenkaichi. If he wins he
will be ranked the number one heavyweight K-1 kickboxer on the island. I
had the opportunity to do some body conditioning with Fred. He is like a
rock and at 265 lbs. he is all you want.
As a personal travel tip, thought I'd mention to you what I call the
bento bomb! My first seek in Okinawa I was only eating two bento boxes a
day. This is basically some rice, a few vegetables and some chicken or
pork. My weight was dropping quickly, especially since we were working
out every night. Looking in the mirror every morning my comment was,
Hey! I really do have abs. How vain! As gratifying as this narcissistic
practice was though, after awhile you'll realize only two bento boxes a
day, one at breakfast and one at lunch are not enough food to sustain
your energy level. But this is not the most important thing about bento
boxes. It's bento pathology! I found two bento shops that served up the
Japanese delight near my hotel. One was called Hotto Motto and was like
the McDonald's version of bento fast food. The other had no name but was
much cheaper. At Hotto Motto the price for the less expensive meal was
330 yen (about $3.30) and at the other place it was 180 yen. So I
switched establishments. After consuming several meals at the other
place I noticed my stomach growling a bit. But no matter. Later that day
I went to Naha and was doing some shopping at Heiwa Dori when all of a
sudden I told the people I was with, HEY! I've got to find a bathroom
FAST! I experienced an extreme intestinal explosive event! I'll spare you
the details but think of it as your worst nightmare. The horror! The
horror! My advice, best to stick with Hotto Motto and pay the extra 150
Yen!
Got a break from karate training one day and got to do some great scuba
diving. Been wanting to do this for quite some time. Sensei Robert
Starke told me he was a scuba diver. I told him I was a former Force
Recon Marine, para frog devil dog--a heartbreaker and a life taker. He
looked at me strangely and said, Ahhh! Okay awesome Lets dive! So we
planned a dive excursion for the next day. The following morning he
arrived at my hotel room at 6:00 a.m. He's a former Marine so I guess he's
used to getting up early. After a quick cup we dashed off to Tsunami
Dive Shop on Camp Foster and rented our gear. We then headed for Maeda
Point. The ocean was crystal clear and the marine life was incredible.
We got two great dives in. Although exhilarating, this only left me with
the feeling of wanting more. There are countless dive locations on
Okinawa. Will have to wait until next year when I return.
The next stop was at a famous karate mans dojo. His name is Iken
Tokashiki sensei and is well known on the island. He is a 10thDan
in goju ryu karate and tomari-te, a form of shorin ryu. He is
undoubtedly a very scary version of Mr. Miyagi. When one of his students
brought me in to meet him I was somewhat taken aback because he didn't
acknowledge me with any kind of greeting other than a scowl. This is
unusual because most Okinawan's are quite friendly. He only eyed me with
suspicion and distain as I entered the training hall. At first he wouldn't talk to me directly. As I asked questions he responded through
his students, one of whom spoke English fairly well. I speak pretty good
karate Japanese so eventually he realized that I knew something of
karate history and he began to loosen up a bit and speak to me directly. Tokashiki sensei has done extensive research on karate history. This
includes translating the Chinese version of the Bubishi [karate's
mystical sourcebook] and traveling to China over thirty times on
fact-finding missions. Additionally, Tokashiki sensei had a monument
erected in Fujian, China to commemorate Ryuryuko (1852-1930) one of
the Chinese masters who influenced modern karate a great deal. In 2010,Ryuryukoscontribution
to Okinawan karate will be acknowledged again when Tokashikis group the
Gohaku Kai Karate Do Association will go to China to commemorate the
twenty-year anniversary of the construction of the monument.
According to Tokashiki sensei the elusive Ryuryuko went to Yong
Chun Village in Fujian Province [from Fuzhou] and learned white crane.
Yong Chun is the legendary birthplace of the white crane style that was
founded by a woman (See Bubishi, Alexander & Penland, Yamazato
Publications, 1993). A man who went to Fuzhou [from Yong Chun] to take
his government exam but failed befriended Ryuryuko and another
fellow by the name of Daiji and persuaded them to go back to Yong
Chun with him. There they learned the native white crane style together.
According to Tokashiki sensei, Ryuryuko learned pechurim kata
in Yong Chun Village. Although the pechurim he learned may have
been vastly different than the modern suparinpei kata [derived from pechurim]
that Chojun Miyagi passed on.
Ryuryukos teacher
in Yong Chun was Lin Tatsu whose nickname was Bansho Hachi.
Later, after Ryuryukore turned to Fuzhou he developed his own style
known as whooping crane. Later he taught this style to an Okinawan named
Kanryo Higashionna (1853-1915) in Fuzhou. Higashionna studied martial
arts in China and then returned to Okinawa and spread the teachings of Ryuryuko. Tokashiki sensei said that Higashionna was the only Okinawan to study
with him and that there is no record of any other Okinawan's that trained
with Ryuryuko (Xie Zhongxiang). Apparently, Tokashiki sensei
learned that Ryuryuykos son was named Xie Shugaku and his
grandson was named Xie Wei Ling.
Upon Higashionna's return to Okinawa he taught the kata sanchin, seisan,
sanseiryu and pechurim. He is credited with making the change from using
open hands in the sanchin kata to using closed fists in keeping with the
Okinawan tradition.
At 68 years old Tokashiki sensei is a strong and robust karate man.
Incidentally, Okinawa has some of the worlds longest-lived people. Must
be something about that clean living, diet and all that exercise that
makes them last so long. After first meeting him one notices the huge
call uses on his knuckles from punching the makiwara board for so
many years. This is a sign of courage and commitment among Okinawan
karate men. This badge of honor lets others know your sense of commitment
and dedication to karate. Even though makiwara punching especially
with a leather cover produces ominous looking knuckles it probably isn't
necessary. The goal is to have a strong fist and an equally strong
wrist. This can be accomplished by hitting the heavy bag, which won't
produce the heavy calluses on the knuckles. Impact conditioning
increases bone density and strengthens sinews. This is all that is
necessary to create a strong fist in order to hit hard. But without the
big calluses on your knuckles you can't impress your karate friends on
Okinawa.
Further Tokashiki sensei explained that even though the marital arts of
China highly influenced the development of the Okinawan counterpart most
of the traditional Okinawan kata that are practiced today originated in
Okinawa and not China. Many other senior masters concur with this
theory. In fact, I have proved this empirically with documented research
and by going to southern China three years ago and further researching
the Chinese/Okinawa karate connection firsthand. Actually, Tokashiki
sensei was there at the same time.
While at Tokashiki sensei's dojo his son demonstrated the rare kata nepai from
the Bubishi. Tokashiki used this book to reconstruct the kata from
reading the old Chinese text [in the Bubishi] and working with
Chinese masters. He explained further how Ryuryuko's white crane
style was the basis for the goju ryu karate style. Originally karate was
simply called Te [hand]. The art then took on the name of the
respective town that it was from in Okinawa such as Shuri-te and
Naha-te. Later the styles became known as shorin ryu and goju ryu.
After a long interview and discussions including comparing notes and
performing kata for one another we concluded our meeting. Unbelievably
upon leaving Tokashiki sensei gave me a number of old karate books, a
newspaper article [about the origins of karate kata] from 1914 and a
copy of his version of the Bubishi. This was pretty amazing
considering the initial uncomfortable introduction. I guess this was his
way of testing me. That was fine with me because some dojo in Okinawa
would rather beat the hell out of you as a way of testing your metal. It's a Japanese macho thing. After he bestowed the rare books on me I
explained to him that I now felt like a kid a Christmas! I then saw him
smile for the first time. We then bid our fond farewells and parted
company. He never did say my karate was any good though!
Currently on Okinawa all sorts of martial arts co-exist and flourish. We
even saw a capoeira school on the outskirts of Naha. Judo and kendo are
practiced mostly by the police much the same as in mainland Japan.
Although there is also a big judo school open to everyone. A world
Okinawan karate tournament is scheduled for 2009. There is some
controversy surrounding this with regard to whether or not kumite or
sparring will be part of the competition. In 1997 at the first World
Okinawa Karate Tournament a competitor from Australia was killed by a
kick to the head.
In Okinawa all aspects of the martial arts are alive and well. Okinawa
is still the home of traditional karate but Mr. Miyagi would be amazed
at the diverse styles of martial arts being practiced in Okinawa today.
With my time on the island at an end I was a little saddened to leave
this land of Happy Immortals and the many friendly people I met there. But I left knowing I will return again soon to this land of tropical
beauty, friendly people and the home of karate Okinawa!
Post script: Yamazato will
be producing a documentary DVD on this trip called Okinawa
Karate Today and
another DVD on Sensei Nitta's karate and Kobudo Shorin
Ryu Ken Sei Dokukai Karate.
Look for it soon!
Summer Camp 2009! Please Hanshi! More beatings!
Last years camp was no doubt both spectacular and extraordinary! We will
be doing it again in 2009. Unfortunately we are limited to only forty
(40) people next year. We could rent a bigger space but in order to keep
this great event in the mountains and at the Honbu dojo where your cabin
and hot tub are right next to the dojo
www.whisperingridgecabins.com we've
decided to limit the number of attendees. So in order to guarantee your
spot next year signup now and reserve for next year. It's
only
$50.00 to reserve your spot. Call 1-888-299-YAMA (9262). We've already
signed up quite a few folks for next year. So sign up now!
Sun Tzu Book This
book is out! Sun
Tzu The Art of War for the Modern Executive. Although
this book is intended as a business text you'll find some of the
information very interesting from a martial arts perspective.
The first 100 copies will be a limited edition and each copy will be
numbered and signed. The cost is $39.95. It will be available on the
website www.yamazato-videos.com or
you can call Yamazato to order at 1-888-299-YAMA (9262). This version
and interpretation of Sun Tzu is an unusual mix of East Asian and
Chinese history, martial arts and business applications. I guarantee it
isn't like any other version you've looked at before. It examines and
analyzes Sun Tzu's wisdom from a number of different perspectives that
are often if not mutually exclusive certainly vastly different
perspectives. It looks at Sun Tzu from the eyes of a historian, a
military man, a martial artist and a business executive.
It
is on Amazon.com as well.
News Notes
YamazatoSwordsTheMaster
Swordand theNew
Warrior Spirit! These are hand forged
with high quality steel and not machine made. Call 1-888-299-9262 or
check the website atwww.yamazato-videos.com
Support the Troops! Thanks
to those who donated money to support the troops. Everyone at camp
donated to this cause and other members of the ISKKF and OHKA as well. We
sent two packages to Afghanistan and two packages to Iraq. As yet we
haven't heard anything back. But I'm sure it takes a while before our
items get distributed. Will give you and update when we hear something.
Action Martial Arts Hall of Honors: Alan
Goldberg and Peter Ticali will host another great event January 9th&
10th, 2009. The seminars and trade show will be held on
Saturday 01/09.We will have a seminar
on Okinawa Hakutsuru Kenpo and Jujitsu. The
banquet will be on Saturday night. If you've never attended this event
before you should definitely make plans to go. Its a premier event, a
great time and an opportunity to train with and see some of the worlds
greatest martial artists. Also, be on the lookout for Januarys issue of
Action Martial Arts magazine. If you cant find one contact Yamazato or
Alan Goldberg at 1-718-856-8070.
Kama: Brought
back some authentic kama from Okinawa. They are $69.95 a pair. If anyone
is interested in obtaining a pair please call 1-888-299-YAMA (9262).
The USA branch of the All
Japan Seibukan Martial Arts & Ways Association,
Kyoto, Japan will be hosting a winter training clinic in Montgomery, AL.
on the 6th and 7th of December, 2008.
Instructors will be:
Jim Davenport-8th dan/Chitokai
BillStockey/Hanshi
Mike Sadler/Hanshi
George Alexander/Hanshi
For more info Contact:
Mike Sadler/Hanshi
865-405-6992
New Titles from Yamazato Productions:
$29.95 each FREE SHIPPING! Call 1-888-299-YAMA (9262) orwww.yamazato-videos.com
Finally!White
CraneSpeed & Evasion Vol. 7 & 8.Completed&Now
Available!Vol 7 has Suparinpeikata
and complete bunkai. Vol. 8 has White Crane yakusoku kumite (two-man
fighting kata) push hands, and more!
Makiwara PowerMake
your fist hard as a rock and break anything! Learn real Makiwara
conditioning!Makiwara
Powershows you how to effectively
and safely train on this ancient training device along with
supplementary training methods that will make you hit hard & fast!
Karate Power Strength & Conditioning.
Yes! Size does matter! This DVD shows you how to build real karate power
through hojo undo or supplemental training exercises with weights
and other great karate strength training devices & methods.
The Deadly Art of Praying Mantis Kung Fu. Direct
from China! This DVD features awesome hand techniques and wicked throws!
Coming Soon! Okinawa
Karate Today! & Shorin Ryu Karate Ken Sei Dokukai!
Photo Gallery:
Seifuku Nitta, George & Kazuma NittaGeorge applies joint lock beach
workout
Nitta sensei paints scroll George (L) & Nitta sensei Zanpa Point
More Zanpa Point Maeda Point Dive site
George & Robert Starke scuba dudes! Sanchin kata @ 70 feet!
One big Shisa Lion! Iken Tokashiki Sensei (L), George & Student
Robert Starke (L) & Jerry Nelson Jerry Nelson, George & Kenji Amano (all
sweaty!)
Kickboxing practice @ Tenkaichi GymKotaro Nitta (1880-1965)
All the best to you in martial arts!
Anyone interested in membership in the Okinawa Hakutsuru Kenpo
Association/Shorin Ryu Karate/Jujitsu/Sword or any of our other marital
disciplines check out the new website and contact me. Both the ISKKF and
OHKA are traditional Okinawan martial arts organizations. All of
our certificates have the royal seal of the Ryukyu Kingdom and the Sho
Dynasty, the royal family of the Ryukyu Kingdom. This seal represents
the authority of the Okinawan king and commemorates the dynasty that
existed during the 1700s, the early days of karate's development on
Okinawa. The ISKKF and OHKA have this unique distinction. Anyone
interested in having one of these unique certificates please contact the
honbu dojo.
alexyama@mindspring.comwww.worldbudokan.com.
Sincerely,
George
George W. Alexander, Hanshi 10thDan President
Okinawa Hakutsuru Kenpo Association
International Shorin Ryu Karate Kobudo Federation
Shorinji Ryu Jujitsu Federation
World Budokan Kendo Federation
Yamazato International
180 Yellow Jacket Drive
Reliance, TN USA 37369
Tel. 423-338-4972
Toll Free 1-888-299-YAMA (9262)
Fax 423-338-5651
www.yamazato-videos.com
www.worldbudokan.com
alexyama@mindspring.com
