Post by Mod on Sept 22, 2012 8:05:05 GMT -5
Date: Wed, 5 Oct 2011 19:01:10 -0700
Oct 2011 Newsletter
Taketo Nakamura - Grandmaster
Okinawa Kenpo Karate Renme
N. Flores - President
It is August 1945 in Okinawa and everything is calm ... young children are playing and then all of a sudden a mother yells "Taketo come inside quick". Taketo had just turned 13. A Japanese sergeant approaches Taketo's house in Nago. He yells, taraima! Greetings from the emperor of Japan. Your son has been chosen to be a soldier to defend the homeland. The mother grabs little Taketo but he is torn from her arms and, although crying, she says nothing because she knows the sergeant is also very young and his mother must have been brokenhearted when the sergeant was taken from her. Others meet the same fate towards the south ... others are in the same situation ... in Henoko, 15 year old Maehara, in Ishikawa, 14 year old Henzan. He was put to working on zero's at the Kadena air base. He was destined to become a Kamakazi when he was of age. In Agena a 16 year old Odo. Oyata was already in the navy, he was a lieutenant. To the south around Naha in the cliffs by the sea whole families were were jumping to their deaths. Mothers with children in their arms. It is now known as suicide cliff.
I, Sensei Flores, was in Vietnam as a marine in August 1965, compared to the Okinawan people in 1945, it was just a playground compared to Okinawa 20 years earlier. In Vietnam we lost 58,000 military personnel. In one battle, around 1945, Okinawa lost 69,000 civilians. Most of the old Senseis born in the 1800s were killed or starved to death. You don't know what hard is, including myself ... I just had a taste of it.
Having said this, karate can't be taken lightly ... it is not a game, it is a lifetime endeavour, hopefully never to be used. The most insulting thing to real Okinawan karate, are people calling themselves kiyoshi, Shihan, Hanchi, and who knows what other phony baloney titles. The Ninja Turtles are more honorable than these phonies. The title of Sensei is the highest honor that can be bestowed upon a karateka in Okinawa. In real Okinawa Kenpo it is forbidden to use these phony titles. In American karate going by these titles seems to be normal. But not in Okinawan Karate. The more a person elevates himself, the lower he becomes. The more a person humbles himself, the greater he becomes. If you are going to elevate yourself, why don't you proclaim yourself God -- go all the way. That is what roman emperors used to do. Otherwise come back down to earth and just do karate. When someone is going to try to kill you, you will react as you trained. If you trained in karate jutsu, (full contact bogu) you will react as you trained. If you did sports karate and called yourself traditional or not and you pulled your punches, you will react as you trained. One can choose to train for a plastic trophy or train to for saving your life in life and death situations.
Comment from Dean Stephens (posted in Okinawa Kenpo Kubudo Information Exchange)
I see that a lot of people seem to think that it is all right to make changes to the kata. Sensei Odo taught each of us how to adjust our stances to fit our bodies. Example my front stance is wider than Nick Flores because I have broader shoulders than he does. While someone with longer legs than I would have a deeper stance I would have. While someone with a smaller fist than I have would have the elbow closer to their stomach than I do. These are not changes, these are so that each individual can fit the kata to their own body. I think that you will find that those who studied under Sensei Odo for any length of time were taught how to adjust the kata based on their own body dimension as a part of their training.
But to make a change to the kata that was taught to you by your instructor (that is the pattern of the kata) should take a long long time if at all. Don't change it because it just fits better with your personal Bunkai of the kata. Because then you are throwing the baby out with the bath water.
No we are not doing the kata the same way as the founder of a particular kata, yet we are doing the kata that is system particular. Not generic kata that is done by all systems. We are doing Okinawa Kenpo kata or Isshinryu kata, Shorinryu kata, Gojuryu kata, etc., etc., etc.. We have a responsibility to pass on what we learned from our Senseis to our students the way and the pattern of the kata. That does not mean that we do not teach other things and our own interpretation of the kata which might use a different movement than what is contained with in the kata. That is what Henka (variation or modification) is all about. Just make sure you identify it as that to your students. In other words give credit where credit is due.
Keep practicing and be of good will and cheer.
related web links:
okkkw.webs.com/
okkkr.webs.com/
okkkre.webs.com/
email: nfdojo@yahoo.com
twitter: nfdojo
October 2011 Newsletter
Oct 2011 Newsletter
Taketo Nakamura - Grandmaster
Okinawa Kenpo Karate Renme
N. Flores - President
It is August 1945 in Okinawa and everything is calm ... young children are playing and then all of a sudden a mother yells "Taketo come inside quick". Taketo had just turned 13. A Japanese sergeant approaches Taketo's house in Nago. He yells, taraima! Greetings from the emperor of Japan. Your son has been chosen to be a soldier to defend the homeland. The mother grabs little Taketo but he is torn from her arms and, although crying, she says nothing because she knows the sergeant is also very young and his mother must have been brokenhearted when the sergeant was taken from her. Others meet the same fate towards the south ... others are in the same situation ... in Henoko, 15 year old Maehara, in Ishikawa, 14 year old Henzan. He was put to working on zero's at the Kadena air base. He was destined to become a Kamakazi when he was of age. In Agena a 16 year old Odo. Oyata was already in the navy, he was a lieutenant. To the south around Naha in the cliffs by the sea whole families were were jumping to their deaths. Mothers with children in their arms. It is now known as suicide cliff.
I, Sensei Flores, was in Vietnam as a marine in August 1965, compared to the Okinawan people in 1945, it was just a playground compared to Okinawa 20 years earlier. In Vietnam we lost 58,000 military personnel. In one battle, around 1945, Okinawa lost 69,000 civilians. Most of the old Senseis born in the 1800s were killed or starved to death. You don't know what hard is, including myself ... I just had a taste of it.
Having said this, karate can't be taken lightly ... it is not a game, it is a lifetime endeavour, hopefully never to be used. The most insulting thing to real Okinawan karate, are people calling themselves kiyoshi, Shihan, Hanchi, and who knows what other phony baloney titles. The Ninja Turtles are more honorable than these phonies. The title of Sensei is the highest honor that can be bestowed upon a karateka in Okinawa. In real Okinawa Kenpo it is forbidden to use these phony titles. In American karate going by these titles seems to be normal. But not in Okinawan Karate. The more a person elevates himself, the lower he becomes. The more a person humbles himself, the greater he becomes. If you are going to elevate yourself, why don't you proclaim yourself God -- go all the way. That is what roman emperors used to do. Otherwise come back down to earth and just do karate. When someone is going to try to kill you, you will react as you trained. If you trained in karate jutsu, (full contact bogu) you will react as you trained. If you did sports karate and called yourself traditional or not and you pulled your punches, you will react as you trained. One can choose to train for a plastic trophy or train to for saving your life in life and death situations.
Comment from Dean Stephens (posted in Okinawa Kenpo Kubudo Information Exchange)
I see that a lot of people seem to think that it is all right to make changes to the kata. Sensei Odo taught each of us how to adjust our stances to fit our bodies. Example my front stance is wider than Nick Flores because I have broader shoulders than he does. While someone with longer legs than I would have a deeper stance I would have. While someone with a smaller fist than I have would have the elbow closer to their stomach than I do. These are not changes, these are so that each individual can fit the kata to their own body. I think that you will find that those who studied under Sensei Odo for any length of time were taught how to adjust the kata based on their own body dimension as a part of their training.
But to make a change to the kata that was taught to you by your instructor (that is the pattern of the kata) should take a long long time if at all. Don't change it because it just fits better with your personal Bunkai of the kata. Because then you are throwing the baby out with the bath water.
No we are not doing the kata the same way as the founder of a particular kata, yet we are doing the kata that is system particular. Not generic kata that is done by all systems. We are doing Okinawa Kenpo kata or Isshinryu kata, Shorinryu kata, Gojuryu kata, etc., etc., etc.. We have a responsibility to pass on what we learned from our Senseis to our students the way and the pattern of the kata. That does not mean that we do not teach other things and our own interpretation of the kata which might use a different movement than what is contained with in the kata. That is what Henka (variation or modification) is all about. Just make sure you identify it as that to your students. In other words give credit where credit is due.
Keep practicing and be of good will and cheer.
related web links:
okkkw.webs.com/
okkkr.webs.com/
okkkre.webs.com/
email: nfdojo@yahoo.com
twitter: nfdojo
October 2011 Newsletter