More about Tensho

Tensho kata remains the biggest source of both uncertainty and fascination in my study of karatedo. It is a kata which I have barely scratched the surface of, and one that needs a much more thorough investigation.

Morio Higaonna Sensei told me that the four hand movements (ie rising crane block, descending palm etc) were referred to as Rokkishu and were common to many different schools in Okinawa.  The theory that Tensho was created from scratch by Miyagi Sensei after being inspired by the chapter in the bubishi just seems to me to be another half-bothered attempt at explaining an aspect of Goju history about which we actually know little about. It is beyond my comprehension how we can dedicate our lives to the goal of perfecting a single movement, but when it comes to the theory behind it all, we satisfy ourselves with guesses and half truths. We need to be questioning literally everything we know about our art and taking nothing at face value as there is so much misinformation out there.

Miyagi Sensei in his time was considered a very well travelled, well educated, and extremely rich individual. There were opportunities much more readily availible to him than the average practitioner, and because of this, he had the opportunity to liase with practitioners of many different arts. He was pretty much doing what Bruce Lee did some 40 years later! Not to mention what the more current ‘reality based’ schools are doing now.

According to Hokama Tetsuhiro Sensei, Higaonna Kanryo Sensei was also of the same mentality, but of course from a much poorer background. Despite this, he also seized the opportunity to train with as many different pracitioners around the Kume area as he could. Both Higaonna Sensei’s Nahate, and later, Miyagi Sensei’s Goju Ryu should be considered a real ecclectic mix of whatever was going on around the area at that time. With this in mind it becomes of extreme importance to study footage of the arts that would have been popular at that time. Learn about their theories and basic truths. If we are able to get inside the head of Miyagi Sensei we will be in a better position to assess his reasoning behind including such practises as Tensho.

Okinawa – Searching for the truth (final thoughts)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As I said my goodbyes to sensei and began the long journey back to the UK I reflected upon the thoughts I’d had upon returning to Okinawa. The feelings of disappointment from my last visit had well and truly been put to rest, and I left this time with a feeling of optimism for the future of the art. The truth of Goju Ryu is a mentality and is something that transcends the merely physical. The balance of breath with movement, the never-ending cycle of In and Yo in nature, and the realisation of how your existence fits into this cycle; this is Goju. Meeting Hokama Sensei had indeed had a profound effect upon me, and in him I saw the type of practitioner I hoped I could become in another 40 years. Upon saying goodbye to sensei he told me that I would have a great success in three years time, and that he had sent me very strong energy. He had seen my future. I do not know how this success may manifest itself, but for the energy which sensei shared with me through the act of daily training and various discussions that I had with him during my stay I will be eternally grateful to him. His kindness and generosity knew no end, and through being in his company I saw the positive impact that following the budo can have upon a persons life. The question is now, what impact will the budo have upon the future of my life, and what’s going to happen in three years time?

Okinawa – Searching for the truth (part 6)

Later that same day I was taken to the grave of Higaonna Kanryo Sensei. Much different in appearance to the tomb of his famous student, the resting place for Higaonna Sensei is more reserved, almost as though he prefers to be left alone. There is a greater feeling of antiquity at this site, with the tomb itself looking a lot more weathered than that of Miyagi Sensei. As I knelt before Bushi Higaonna to pay my respects, I became very aware of the fact that I was a part of this great tradition; a very small minor one, but a part none the less. From following the roots of Goju Ryu in Okinawa from Matsuyama part, to Higaonna Kanryo, Miyagi Chojun, Miyazato Eiichi, and Hokama Tetsuhiro, I saw how each link in the chain had fought hard throughout their lives to forge their link to be as strong as it could to ensure the overall integrity of the chain. As the next link in this chain I myself would have to make an equal effort to forge both my link, and that of any students who may wish to take this art into the next generation. There really was only one choice of kata for me to perform before Bushi Higaonna, and I performed Sanchin to the best of my ability in his memory.

I was extremely grateful to Hokama Sensei for providing me the opportunity to fulfil some of my obligations to the tradition of Goju ryu. By paying my respects to the founders of the art, I could finally leave Okinawa safe in the knowledge that if I never get another opportunity to return, at least I had done everything that I had set out to do on the island.

When I began studying karate as a child, I had no idea what influence this decision was to have on the direction of my life. Like Hokama Sensei, there are few moments during my day that I am not thinking about karate. For those unfamiliar with the art, this is very difficult to describe. There HAS to be more to it than the mere act of physical violence. If you dedicated your whole life to the ability to deal with a violent confrontation, but never actually had the opportunity to put it into practice, that in my opinion would be a wasted existence. It is in the lessons learned through the pursuit of karatedo, the actual act of putting on a dogi and facing yourself each day, that the benefits of such endeavours are reaped. Miyazato Eiichi Sensei said that the greatest lesson he ever learnt from Miyagi Chojun Sensei was simply humility. This is a quality that appears to be lacking greatly in modern society, and I wonder if everybody displayed a little more humility, what a different place this world would be to live in. Whilst I definitely have no ambitions to attempt to change the world through the pursuit of karatedo, I do believe that by changing my own personality for the better, I can at least have some positive impact upon those who I come into contact with in daily life. Hokama sensei strongly believes that by making other people happy, this in turn is rewarded with cultivating happiness in your own life. In the town of Nishihara, Hokama sensei is afforded great respect from the people. He explained to me that, for the want of a better word, people see him as a shaman. Throughout my time with him, I witnessed various people come to the dojo for the simple reason of spending some time in sensei’s company. These people were not karate practitioners. Some were schoolgirls, some were doctors, some farmers. All different walks of life with different problems ranging from business worries, marriage problems, and in one bizarre case, an inability to maintain an aroused state! They would come to sensei to draw upon his energy, which they believed would bring them good luck and change their fortune for the better. Hokama Sensei believes in his ability very strongly and says that he has helped many people to become successful in their chosen fields. Hokama Sensei says that he sends these people ‘strong energy’ which then influences their futures. Regardless of whatever your personal view on this matter may be, the fact is through Hokama Sensei’s positive influence on these people, they believe that their problems will improve. This positive effect may be just enough to get people to make the change for themselves, and may have been just that little bit of assistance needed to prompt them to take control of their own destiny’s. In this way, Hokama Sensei uses his position to make a positive contribution to those people who surround him in daily life. This is the truth of karatedo.

 

 

Okinawa – Searching for the truth (part 5)

When not at the dojo training I would venture out, exploring the areas of Shuri and Naha. These areas were by now quite familiar to me and I took the opportunity to revisit the various places that I’d enjoyed so much on my previous trips. Shuri castle no longer smells quite so much of fresh paint, and now has a more dignified appearance more adequately befitting its heritage. The same is also true of the Shuri Mon. These important landmarks are two of the images that immediately spring to mind whenever you think of Okinawa, and I was pleased to see that with the passing of time these structures are growing in beauty. Whilst in Shuri I also seized the opportunity to run up the Kinjo stone pavement. For those of you who are familiar with the said pavement, I’m sure you’ll appreciate the struggle of conquering both the hill and the climate! I love to do this whenever I’m in Okinawa, as I can picture vividly in my mind Miyagi Chojun Sensei doing the very same thing as he made his way to and from his school in Shuri. The opportunity to walk, or sometimes run, in the same footsteps as those laid before us by the pioneers of our art are what makes a visit to the birthplace of karatedo so essential for all serious practitioners. It is memories such as these that I treasure most about my visits, and are what so quickly spring to mind during those moments in the day when I allow my mind to wander.Hokama Sensei as I have mentioned is passionate about karate’s history, and he has dedicated his life to investigating and recording the individual histories of it’s various masters. For those who share the same interest, Hokama Sensei organises various tours of historical sites which are individually catered to suit the interest and karate lineage of the person attending the tour. Those of you who have visited the island before and tried to find some of these sites will no doubt be in agreement with me when I say it’s near on impossible to locate some of the locations which are off the beaten track. Taxi fares, interpreter fees, and precious wasted time are all things which serve to frustrate the efforts of even the most dedicated explorer. What is perhaps not readily known is that Hokama Sensei is pleased to organise these tours for any interested persons who contact him through the museum. Having attended one of these tours I can recommend whole-heartedly this experience. Being taken to these places is excellent in itself, however it is sensei’s expertise in the field where you really gain the benefits. For example we attended the Furuherin Cave in Tomari where Hokama Sensei relayed the tale of how a Chinese master known as Channan, shipwrecked off the coast of Okinawa, took refuge in this cave. Unable to rebuild his ship alone he befriended a group of local martial artists who would practice in the graveyard outside the cave. Exchanging his knowledge of Chinese boxing with the practitioners he passed on various kata which are preserved to this day through the Tomarite lineage as made popular by the famous Bushi Matsumora. The group of martial artists, thankful for Channan’s help assisted with rebuilding his ship so that he could return to his native China. Upon his return he spoke of the kindness shown by the Okinawans and assisted with arranging for various other Chinese masters to visit Tomari where the martial arts of that area benefited greatly from the assistance of these teachers.

The graveyard where practice was conducted remains to this day, and there are thick stone walls surrounding the site which would be used by practitioners as tools to strengthen their legs and footwork. They would straddle large gaps in the walls in shiko dachi whilst practicing various techniques. They would also develop explosive power by performing static jumps from the sand floor, up on top of the walls, some of which were over 4 foot high. The walls were also used to develop the sankaku method of triangular jumping which is used to evade an opponents attack and place the defender to the rear of the opponent to deliver an easy counter attack. Without the commentary of Hokama Sensei at this site, such information would not have been known to me, and whilst it would no doubt have been very nice to see the cave and the impressive tomb anyway; what a wasted opportunity had I not had the chance to try these training methods for myself and experience firsthand this part of karate’s history. For this reason, Hokama Sensei’s guidance was invaluable.

We visited the various tombs of Bushi Matsumura, Itosu Ankoh, Hanshiro Chomo, Motobu Choyu, Motobu Choki, and many other sites of interest to karateka from all styles. Most importantly for me I was able to finally pay my respects at the tombs of Miyagi Chojun Sensei and Higaonna Kanryo Sensei.

High up in the hills of Ginowan, the final resting place of Miyagi Sensei is a beautiful location with stunning panoramic views of the Okinawan coastline. Looking down over the ever expanding town of Ginowan, I wondered what changes Miyagi Sensei had seen over the years in his homeland. As I approached his tomb, I was struck immediately by the enormity of the occasion and suddenly felt completely unprepared. There is an indescribable energy that permeates your very soul as you stand before the impressive structure, almost as though the spirit of Bushi Miyagi still lingers. The Okinawans believe that although a persons physical body is only temporary, the spirit continues to survive without the need for physical containment. Ancestor worship is still heavily practiced by most Okinawans, and Hokama Sensei truly believes that by visiting these tombs we are able to share some of the spiritual energy of the teachers who have long since past. Almost as though their spirit is provided with an opportunity to manifest itself once again through our physical presence. It may very well just have been due to the amount of respect which I afford to Miyagi Chojun Sensei, but there was something very unique about visiting his tomb, and a certain feeling that did not present itself at any other of the famous masters tombs we visited. Kneeling before Miyagi Sensei in seiza, I expressed my gratitude to the founder of Goju Ryu, bowing low and leaving a gift for his spirit. Hokama Sensei suggested that I perform a kata for Miyagi Sensei, and so I chose to demonstrate Tensho in his memory; the kata which he had developed as the ultimate expression of the ideals of Go and Ju. Trying my very best before his spirit, I hope that somewhere Miyagi Sensei is proud of his efforts in promoting the art of Goju Ryu.