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Isshin-ryū

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Isshin-ryu (一心流) is a style of Okinawan karate founded by Shimabuku Tatsuo on 15 January, 1956. Isshin-ryu karate is largely a synthesis of Shorin-ryu karate Goju-ryu karate, and Kobudo. The name means, literally, "one heart way". The style, while not very popular on Okinawa, spread to the United States via the Marine Corps, and has also spread to other countries. Many variations of the system exist.

Mizugami, the symbol of Isshinryu.

Kata

The system is summed up in its kata, or formal practice methods. In many of the various forks of the system, thirteen kata (eight empty-handed, three bo, and two sai kata) are agreed upon as belonging to Isshinryu.

Empty-handed kata

(listed in order of progression of learning)

Some Isshin-ryu schools teach Sanchin as the last kata of the open-handed curriculum. Some schools also teach Wansu before Naihanchi.

Bo (staff) kata

Sai (forked weapon) kata

Other kata

  • Traditional training exercises
  • Chart One (Upper body Basics Te Waza)
  • Chart Two (Lower Body Basics Geri Waza)

These drills were developed by Shimabuku Tatsuo to supliment or replace the use of Pinans or "basic katas" for the training of a new student how to learn a Kata. Instead of being a Kata these are drills designed to be used at the start of every class to insure that the student stays fimelure with all the basic strikes, and to insure that the student maintance his/her physical condition. Unlike Pinans these drills are to be done by all students from black to white.

There are other "unofficial" weapons kata that are practiced by some practitioners. Some of the more common are:

  • Kyan no sai, which Shimabuku taught but which he appears to have stopped teaching later on. The end section of Kusanku sai, which goes beyond where Kusanku ends, is taken from this kata.
  • Chiefa or Hamahiga no tonfa. This was demonstrated on a video taped performance by Shimabuku, however he seemed unsure of parts and never taught it as an official kata. The name is believed to be a misspelling of "tuifa", another way of writing tonfa. Some believe that he had recently learnt it at the time and was just demonstrating, but not meaning for it to become part of the system.
  • Nunchaku (flail)/Kama. Some schools also practice one or more Nunchaku and/or kama kata.

Isshinryu schools may also include two-person weapons katas, such as Bo-Bo Kumite and Bo-Sai Kumite. Occasionally a Bo-Tonfa Kumite is included as well.

Origins and Meanings of the Katas

  • Seisan means "13" and was taken from Shorin-ryu and is one of the oldest katas
  • Seiuchin means "war kata" and was taken from Goju-ryu
  • Naihanchimeans "iron horse" and was taken from Shorin-ryu
  • Wansu means "dumping form" and was taken from Shorin-ryu
  • Chinto means "fight to the east" and was taken from Shorin-ryu
  • Sanchin means "three battles" and was taken from Goju-ryu
  • Kusankumeans to "view the sky" and was taken from Shorin-ryu
  • Sunsu means "son of old man" or "strongman" and was invented by Shimabuku Tatsuo himself because he wanted to add the aspects that he thought were most important to Isshin-ryu into one kata. There are many moves from other katas that can be seen in Sunsu.

Goju-ryu means "hard soft way" and the two katas that Isshin-ryu takes from Goju-ryu, Seiuchin and Sanchin, are two katas that are often practiced with emphasized breathing and dynamic tension. These are advanced breathing techniques and when preformed well it is easy to see the Hard/Soft in both katas.

Organization

The current Okinawan head of Isshin-ryu is Shimabuku Kichiro, the oldest son of Shimabuku Tatsuo. However there are many political disagreements, and some would rather follow the younger son, Ciso, or Shimabuku Tatsuo's son-in-law Angi Uezu, who heads a separate organization in Okinawa.

There are also many Isshinryu organizations that exist independent of Okinawan control or leadership, each with its own separate leaders. These organizations include:

The United States Isshinryu Karate Association (USIKA) Under the Leadership of Hanshi-Sei Phil E. Little

International Isshin-Ryu Karate Association (IIKA)

American Okinawan Karate Association (AOKA)

Okinawa Isshin-Ryu Karate and Kobudo Association, (OIKKA)

United Isshinryu Karate Association (UIKA)

United Isshin-Ryu Karate Federation (UIKF)

Order of Isshin-Ryu (OI)

Tatsuo Kan Society (TKS)

United Isshin-Ryu Council(UIC)

Don Nagle, an American Marine, opened the first Isshin-ryu dojo in the United States in Jersey City, NJ. That school still operates today.

The Isshinkai is an Isshin-ryu Karate & Kobudo Association organization dedicated to preserve the teachings of Tatsuo Shimabuku to the best of their abilities. It was founded in September 1998 by several direct students of Master Shimabuku including: Tokumura Kensho, Arsenio J. Advincula and Robert Safreed.

American Budo Kai

History

Tatsuo Shimabuku

A native of Okinawa, Tatsuo Shimabuku studied the Shorin-ryu and Goju-ryu systems. He began training under his uncle, and then under Chotoku Kiyan who would be his most influential instructor (and after whom he initially named his style). He also studied karate from Chojun Miyagi and Choki Motobu. He then studied Ryukyu Kobudo, the art of traditional Okinawan weapons, including the sai, bo, and tonfa, under Taira Shinken and Yabiku Moden. From the open-hand and weapons techniques of these styles he formed a new art, which he called Isshin-ryu. It stresses close-in techniques necessary for self-protection. One of the signature features of Isshinryu is the Isshinryu punch or vertical punch. Most other karate styles use a corkscrew style punch where the punch ends palm down. The vertical punch of Isshinryu also has the thumb pressed down on the second knuckle of the index finger, while in a corkscrew punch, the thumb is wrapped over the clenched fingers.

Mizumagami

The Mizumagami is the symbol of Isshin-ryu, it is represented on the Isshin-ryu patch and is often displayed on the front wall of the dojo next to a picture of Shimabuku Tatsuo. The legend behind the mizumagami is that Master Shimabuku saw it in a dream where a man came into his dojo and challenged him, Master Shimabuku declined because he did not use his force and skill unless he needed to. When Master Shimabuku declined the challenge a dragon appeared and spit fire in a circle around Master Shimabuku. When Master Shimabuku had no means of escape a water goddess (the Magami) came and put out the flames. Master Shimabuku decided that he wanted to base his new style off of the principles of this goddess.

There are many interpretations of the symbolism in the mizumagami. The mizumagami depicts a goddess with the torso of a woman and the bottom half of a sea serpent sitting in choppy water with a dragon and three stars in the sky. The goddess has one hand raised in the air open and holds the other down with a closed fist. There are many examples of yin-yang some of which are: The open fist and the closed fist which represent peace (open) and power, force, or skill of karate (closed), The calm sky and the choppy water, the woman's torso (again peace, love, or kindness) and the sea serpents bottom half (violence, power, or force). The dragon is thought to either represent the dragon from Shimabuku Tatsuo's dream or Master Shimabuku himself, Tatsuo means dragon or little dragon. The three stars have many meanings including: Shimabuku Tatsuo's three most influential teachers, Heaven earth and mankind, Mind body spirit, and The three main styles that fathered Isshin-ryu (Shorin-ryu, Goju-ryu, and Kobudo). Some people consider the three arts to be Shorin-ryu, Goju-ryu, and Tamari-te. Also some organizations have added stars to the patch so that more father schools can be represented.

Notes

See also

References

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