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The Shinseidokan Dojo blog brought up a good question, “What is it about the Okinawan Karate connection that makes us assume their superiority as a source of teachings?” (my quote, not his) I can tell you that one dojo I attended for about a year held its Okinawan master with a certain reverence that literally put him on a pedestal. The funny part is that particular master gained control of the karate style by an Asian cultural default as the first born son when the father passed away. This happened even tho the father’s wishes were to pass his style onto another not his first born.
Here is something even more funny about this, a large organization that represented the style here in the United States once told me that they didn’t actually respect the master and that when they brought him over for seminars they advocated ignoring his teachings once he left to return to Okinawa. In this moment of truthful enlightenment I asked why and the guy told me it was to get his signature and chop on a official Okinawan rank certificate because most of the students thought it held some special significance coming from the birth place of karate. Yet, once they got the certificate they put it on their “Attaboy walls,” then went back to doing things they way they wanted rather than follow the master - interesting ain’t it?
Even in my early days I got to believe that having learned karate from a “First Generation Student” of my style was thought to hold a significant meaning of which to this day I cannot for the life of me figure out what makes it so special and so significant. It seems to be some belief system that they embrace as if it is written in stone and guess what, many fledgling newbie students are convinced that it is special and worth the cost (ops, could that be it, money?). Is it a focus that is for a tribal status membership special as related to “Others” that are NOT of that belief, etc.? It does smack of that nature driven survival instinct but there are two major factors involved, first is money and second is control that keeps members special and in attendance that means more money flowing into the dojo coffers. We are a money product commercially driven society are we not?
I am not saying that many karate-ka of Okinawa are not damn good karate-ka but you have to ask with today’s modern view of the “Visit the land of karate’s birth to learn from the very masters of Okinawan karate,” tourist driven product money oriented model, right? Isn’t there a concerted effort to make it more palatable to visitors to keep the industry viable and brining in the foreign bucks to prop up and support the Okinawan economy? Isn’t the very culture and belief system of Okinawa based on its industry that is based on shipping and moving (trade industry) products throughout the world much like their trade industry with China, Japan and other Asian countries in its history?
I can see wanting to travel and visit distant lands because I lived on the island in 1979 as an active duty Marine and it is where I started my practice of an Okinawan style but I never once thought that there was something special and/or unique about Okinawan karate practitioners. They did things differently but that seemed natural while the training I took even with a surface view of karate with the uniforms and belts still held a distinct and dominant American military cultural feel to it. It may be the reason why I finally, after my initial years, let go of such things as being connected to first generation students of the assumed special nature of the styles master from Okinawa. It just didn’t matter as I felt I learned karate and applied it well enough then taught it as an American, not an Okinawan. All my ranks and students ranks were dojo oriented and not connected to organizations either American or Okinawan. I feel that my few students felt they learned karate and not just some certificate with kanji and chops and signatures from guys they never met or whom never, ever, trained and practiced with them. The best kudos I ever got was one student who actually had to defend themselves and said what he was taught came through for him (even if it may or may not have been successful due to luck vs. skill, you never really know in most defense cases).
Personally, I am not impressed with most karate-ka including the Okinawan karate-ka. I am not truly impressed with my practice of it either but hope to improve one day. I don’t see the need, the specialness or the benefit of having an Okinawan Karate Sensei telling me what I already know that my karate is pretty good, that comes with higher status and meaning from within me, not others. I feel good about my karate and I feel successful regardless of all the hoopla and accolades sought out from others by others.
I actually have higher respect and admiration for a few American martial artists than anyone or any style from either or Japan and/or Okinawa. Then there are a few professionals who have actually made their martial arts work in a very dangerous work environment over time, decades, that have my utmost respect yet I have not put them on a pedestal and my belief in what they provide as to teachings is not written in stone because changes come as progress is achieved and there is more to learn. I have gained insight and knowledge and especially understanding from those professionals as much as I have from the students who actively listen, learn and ask relevant and insightful questions in the journey to learn and grow and become proficient in such disciplines.
Ain’t life great, ain’t life grand and ain’t it all really cool?
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