Kaishugata and Timing Part 2

Kaishugata and Timing Part 2



In part one, I asked three questions... 1. Do you know what the objective of the kata is... What does the name of the kata mean? 2. How can I apply my techniques to meet that objective... Does the execution of my technique do the kata justice? and 3. How can I make the kata mine... Do I understand the objective and understand the bunkai of the kata?

These three questions have been the focus of my training for the past few years when focusing on kata.  While continuing to practice the basics or kihon of my style, I've really needed to look at the bunkai to understand how my kata is developing... and trust me it is not pretty.

In the past few of years, I've had a pretty enjoyable time working on my required katas. I would say they are my favorite within my style.

1. Sanseiru = San Dan Kata = 3rd Dan Requirement
2. Shisochin = Yon Dan Kata = 4th Dan Requirement
3. Seipai = Go Dan Kata = 5th Dan Requirement

These kata are the precursor to the most challenging katas within Goju Ryu, which are, Seisan, Kururunfa, and Suparimpei (Pechurin).  However, these katas above (besides Seiunchin) tested your abilitly to comprehend advanced bunkai in Goju.  Once you are able to break down the katas and understand their purpose it is very enlightening and will help you when you go to execute said katas.

While there are many interpretations of the katas above, I'd like to share some thoughts on them through my experience.  PLEASE REMEMBER... I am not stating that my interpretations are the end all... if my interpretation conflicts with what you are taught on the above said katas... please do take my interpretations with a grain of salt.  We as karateka evolve through our own experiences and I just hope my insight gives you another perspective.  Also... while there are a lot of kata explanations out on the Web... 2 sources I would recommend for the essence of Goju Kata explanation would be 1. The Goju Ryu Bible (green book) issued by JKF Goju Kai and 2. www.gojuryu.net. In the event you can not find either two... then Wikipedia and http://www.uchinadi-kan.org/kata/katalist.html have also a good listing and explanation of the 12 Goju Ryu kata.

*Kata List Picture Credits to http://www.uchinadi-kan.org/images/500_katachart.jpg

Sanseiru - 36 Hands - 三十六手

To me, this kata represents the ability to limit the mobility of my opponents.  The introduction of "kansetsu geri" is very significant because it is a very devastating attack for having the potential of being able to destroy joints and break bones. However, in order to execute such techinque in this kata requires correct posturing, stance, muscle tension, and the ability to quickly rebound from said technique and change directions.  Unlike Sanchin or Tensho, you'll have to be able to "pop" and "lock" in order for the kansetsu geri to be effective.  Many practitioners like to really show off their kick but most tend to "over thrust" and therefore find themselves in an awkward position when they move to turn.  Biggest problem is that their "jyohanshin" (upper body) and their "kahanshin" (lower body) are not in sync and the flow of the kata suffers from it. (mainly from not being able to properly use their core and their hips)

Shisochin - Four Directions of Conflict - 四向戦
The look of simplicity of this kata makes it the perfect kata to test future instructors to see if they have managed to master basic enbusen and attack angles. This kata heeds no yield to the practitioner.  It gives your instructor all the angle he or she needs to see you as clear as day.  Challenging points where hip rotation and core strength are a key are on both front and back progressions of the ura kake uke and the lower harai uke. Challenge comes from transitioning in zenkutsudachi (leaning forward stance)... where many people end up in kokutsudachi (reverse leaning forward stance) or a zenkutsu that is too long or one that the embusen is way off.  If this happens then the ura kake uke and lower harai uke can not easily progress to the grab and breaking of the arm.  Again, "jyohanshin" and "kahanshin" must be in sync in order for timing to come together.  This is a definite must if you understand the bunkai to this section of the kata. NOTE - One of Miyagi Chojun's favorite kata.

Seipai - 18 Hands - 十八手
My favorite kata. While it was said that this kata was developed in China by masters who wanted to weed out "technique thieves" by developing advanced kata, I can see why because you may easily learn the steps to this kata but may never know the depth of it.  This kata has many favorite techniques of mine, including multiple releases or escapes from being grabbed, not a groin strike but a "love tap" to the testicles, an arm break or submission from a standing position, and a finishing take down move.  However, but as I mentioned before, you would never understand that these techniques are incorporated into this kata without studying the depth and is carefully hidden within the "steps" of this kata. 

This kata focuses on embusen as well.  Without your embusen and the proper flow of kata (will be discussed along with go-rei (counting) in Part 3) it is very hard to get the timing of these techinques.  Again, upper body and lower body must be in sync (start to see the pattern??) in order for the techniques to be viable to ebb and flow.

I was told many times when I was younger that when I practice that "jyukusei ga tarinai" (and even now at times) meaning that I am not practicing with feeling, with intent, or application.  This means that I was only practicing the steps.  I'd be tired and only wanting to complete the kata so that I could go home.  That is when my senseis would push me.  They would come out and force me to think about the kata rather than to just think of the steps and that alone would help me get through the kata. 

***Warning*** I would urge caution if you are to use this methodolgy for your junior students... meaning becareful if you are going to criticize them for only practicing the steps.  They are still coming into their own... most just trying to memorize the steps... unless they are preparing for purple belt, brown belt, or Junior Black Belt... then hence they should start to understand bunkai and be able to execute the kata with intent and application.

With the requests coming through, this post looks like its going to be a continual thread.  In Part 3 I'll focus on counting and try to explain how the flow of katas is hard to teach for some instructors. 

Fatherhood and Training

How do you balance 1. Work, 2. Being a Father, and 3. Your Training?  This is a delicate equation that I am trying to balance and I am miserably failing on this account.  Let me tell you for any of you first time fathers out there you are definitely going to have to choose your priorities.  For myself, I have been concentrating on the first two priorities and thus have created this blog to fulfill at least my continuous training of the mind.  While, currently, I am not able to attend the dojo much due to my current obligations, I keep connecting with my dojo and the ever so humble and accomodating Karate Community to keep my mental training going.  But this is a big problem for me and I know it will be for you future Karateka fathers out there.

I had a good chance to connect with a good Karate brother of mine, +Johnpaul Williams, who is my sounding board when my head gets too loud.  He has 3 kids and has been training as long as I have.  My question to him was "how do you do it?"  His answer was simple... "just take him with you." I just laughed because the answer was just that simple.  It made sense but I'll have to find another way to get around the second issue I have.  Logistics.  I live in Anaheim, CA.  About five minute to Disneyland and about 2 miles west of Angel's Stadium. I work in Little Tokyo, Downtown Los Angeles.  My dojo is at the +East San Gabriel Valley Japanese Community Center (#ESGVJCC) which is located in West Covina, CA.  You Los Angelinos know what kind of traffic I have to contend with especially if I work a nine to five type of schedule.  It's not a friendly commute. Sigh.

My son Nathan, just turned 17 months, and I know I'll get some support if I took him to the dojo (which I need to find a way before my wife goes crazy)... but right now isn't the best time.  We're working on his potty training, he's staring to learn how to speak, and we are trying to keep him on a strict sleeping schedule.  My dojo opens it doors about 7:30pm and if we are willing to work, Hamabata Sensei will work us until we drop or he tells us to go home.  As you can tell, this would not be the ideal condition for an 17 month old child.  In turn, I think my wife would give me hell.

So I continue to look for options to balance out the 123 equation.  Eventually I will have to teach my own son or send him to Sensei Grandpa (Sakaue Sr.) for personal training before I get him in the dojo by 6 or 7... we're still a few years out.  You can see the big picture that I am faced with.  I know eventually I will figure it out but if you, those in the real world, have faced this challenge... I am all eyes and ears and would like to know your solutions.  So you dads out there... please hit me up and give me some ideas!  ONEGAISHIMASU!!!

In training and fatherhood.

Kay

Kaishugata & Timing Part One

Kaishugata & Timing

A little while ago we talked about what Heishugata is all about.  I know it was just an basic overview, to which you'll learn more and more as you advance with your own sensei as well as figure things out on your own by drilling, asking questions, drilling some more to develop your muscle memory and your breathing. However, Kaishugata is another thing.  Goju Ryu Black Belts, especially those who are training for your Japan Karatedo Federation (JKF) rank must also work on the required Kaishugata depending on their rank.

JKF Requirements Besides Sanchin and Tensho

• Shodan = Saifa
• Nidan = Seiunchin
• Sandan = Sanseiru
• Yondan = Shisochin
• Godan = Seipai
• Rokudan = Seisan
• Nanadan = Kururunfa
• Hachidan = Suparimpei

Now just so that I don't upset the traditionalists or the modernists, I'd like to put out there that I used to practice competitive kata however, now I focus mainly on Shinsa (testing) kata, which is more traditional as JKF Goju Kai is trying hard to bring it back to the roots by allowing the top Goju minds, including Jundokan, to study and deciminate the information back down to its branch organizations. 

Seiwa Kai USA has some good seminars they hold in the USA by inviting certain Goju senseis who really focus on the mechanics as well as take time to break down how they are currently teaching kata in Japan. Said guests to include, Saito Sensei, who is a top competitor in the Japanese National Karate scene as well as Seiwa Kai head, Fujiwara Sensei, who are both phenomenal in how they bring the topic of Kaishugata to the table.  I, myself, have been lucky enough to translate for Fujiwara Sensei and other great senseis who have visited through our sister Goju Kaiha, Seiwa Kai.

Eibu kan, under Hamabata Sensei has had the honor of learning from our Shihan, Hisanaga Yoshihiro, and let me tell you he has been an eye opener when we have the opportunity to have him visit our dojo.  Our dojo training becomes a one or two week seminar to go over all Goju Ryu Kaishugata and sometimes we feel that we can't soak up the information enough.  While it is difficult for many of the beginners to keep pace, our Black Belts assimilate the information as much as we can and then compare notes after each of Hisanaga Sensei's visits.  Shihan's teaching always include kihon mastery.  Without it kata is a disaster.  

Each Goju Kaishugata has meaning and purpose.  I believe that if we don't understand the spirit behind each kata, we will not understand the depth of each kata fully. Unlike Heishugata which focuses on tension, Kaishugata focuses on timing of the tension depending on the techniques executed.  Transition of movement or transition from stance to stance is very important... your embusen... must not be too shallow or must not be too deep depending on the angle of attack or angle of defense.  45, 90, 180 etc degree turns require accurate timing and "kime" however that "kime" can only be determined by the application of said tension at particular points during technique execution within the kata.  This is what makes Kaishugata different from Heishugata, where Heishugata continually maintains said tension mainly throughout the kata without completely losing it, and where Kaishugata you focus on tension at particular points.

My thought is this when practicing particular Kaishugatas.

1. Learn what the objective of the kata is.  What does the name of the kata mean?
2. How can I apply my techniques to meet that objective?  Does the execution of my technique give the kata justice?
3. How can I make the kata mine?  Do I understand the bunkai of the kata?

Just some thoughts that go through my head when I work out any of the 10 Kaishugata in Goju Ryu.  BTW... breaking down bunkai is great!  What's even greater is when you sit down and learn bunkai from some of the current top minds in Goju as they show you how they interpret our katas.  I suggest if you can sign up for some of the upcoming seminars through Seiwa Kai USA or California Goju Ryu Association, I would do so just so that I can experience the mastery they bring to our art.

Kumite: A Story

Kumite:  A Story



What do you think about when you think about Karate?  When I was a child, I used to get all excited when I saw old Kung Fu movies or when there were Bruce Lee specials on during holiday.  All the high kicks, jump kicks, spin kicks and nunchuku kung-foolery had me on my toes and my father had me on lock down whenever I came close to putting my foot through the wall or my mother's favorite lamp. 

Growing up, I had all the delusions of grandeur thinking that I was bigger than myself.  This continuously got worse as I entered adolescence and noticed that I was capable and that I was bigger than everyone else in my age brackets whenever I competed.  The one thing that I lacked was confidence.  If my kumite started out strong and if I had my opponent on the run, I was very hard to beat.  However, if I had made a mental mistake or if I could not figure out my opponent, there were many a time where you could literally see me sink in quicksand and not be able to recover because my self-confidence was shot.

Luckily, I had very patient senseis willing to work with me and found ways for me to work on my self-confidence so that my kumite outings were more consistent with my ability.  However, this did not happen overnight.  My senseis really had to work on my perception on what Karate was really about. 

The problem was that I was a little man trapped in a big man's body... meaning that I wanted to do little man karate in a big body.  It didn't help that my senseis, Takafumi Hamabata (7th Dan Eibu Kan / JKF) and Katsuhide Kinjo (6th Dan Eibu Kan/JKF) are both mid to high 5 feet weighing about 140, respectively.  In contrast, I am 6 feet and weighing in about 250.  Coming from an organization that does not believe in churning out students that are cookie cutter versions of their senseis, I believe it was a major project for the both of them to try and figure out how to get me to become an effective fighter, both in and out of the ring (competitive and traditional).

Looking back, I believe that their solution was brilliant.  Taking a young karateka with self-confidence issues and focusing on a reactive style of kumite so that blocking was a primary factor in the style of combat was their answer to his many Karate issues.  Lessons and drills included many blocking and intercepting drills to negate offensive momentum, working on instinctual training by focusing on timing and jamming techniques, and finally the endless drilling and repetition back and forth on the dojo floor after class until my body learned how to react without having to think (developed mushin and my zanshin through repetition).  While this worked for this Karateka, I yet to test this similar style of training with my kohai because it may not be what is necessary for them.

I now can say that I have taken what was developed and have made it my own. I can proudly say that no one in my dojo has my exact style of kumite... and I can proudly say that my senseis do not want exact replicas of each other either... they would like to see more individual growth like myself and the other black belts in my class.  When I step out on to the floor, I have the confidence to say, "come and hit me... if you can..." and be in position to go toe to toe with anyone.  This is a good feeling to have.

Have you thought about how your senseis have drawn your Karate out of you?  Do you know your own story or are you still currently figuring that one out.  Sit down and think about it.  Your Karate is continuously being developed.  What is your focus?  Traditional or Competitive?  Both?  There is a lot to think about in developing your Kumite.

ps.  While my adolescent training in Kumite was mainly for competition, the training forced me to see application of kata better because of the defensive mind set I was trained with.  ALL Goju Ryu Kata begin with blocks... and that was the start of another chapter in my Karate life.

The Goju Ryu Eibu kan Organization



The Goju Ryu Eibu kan Organization - Who is Sakaue?

A recent search result in my daily blogger analytics sparked the idea for this post.  Many practitioners or web goers who are interested in Goju Ryu Karate in the United States (or around the world - as I have seen inquiries from Canada and Russia) may be asking what is Goju Ryu Eibu kan or who is this Sakaue who maintains an individual blog about his personal travels in studying Goju Ryu Karate?  Before I get into "Who is Sakaue?" Let me give you some background on how Goju Ryu Eibu kan settled here in Southern California.

Uniquely, Eibu kan has multiple roots extending from Shorei kan and Yamaguchi Goju Ryu due to our extraordinary instructors. 

Takafumi Hamabata, Kyoushi

7th Dan Eibu kan

7th Dan JKF

Goju Ryu Karatedo Eibu kan, Chief Instructor


Katsuhide Kinjo, Renshi
6th Dan Eibu kan
6th Dan JKF
Goju Ryu Karatedo Eibu kan, Senior Instructor

Hamabata Sensei hails from both Shorei kan and Yamaguchi Goju Ryu and has taught Goju Ryu Karate in Southern California, mainly through the East San Gabriel Valley Japanese Community Center in West Covina.  Kinjo Sensei comes to us through Okinawa, where he learned Goju Ryu Karate through his high school club.  Both Senseis are currently under the tutelage of many different Goju Ryu and Goju Kai Senseis in Japan but mainly through Eibu kan's Founder, Yoshihiro Hisanaga.



Yoshihiro Hisanaga, Hanshi

8th Dan JKF

Kagoshima Goju Kai

JKF Goju Kai, Okinawa Region Kyushu Prefecture Chairman

Goju Ryu Karatedo Eibukan, Soke

The three instructors above are the lifelines to Goju Ryu Eibu kan in Southern California.  Along with our sister Goju Ryu organizations such as Seiwa Kai (headed by Vassie Naidoo Sensei - Santa Monica, CA) and Okinawa Kyokai (headed by Ramon Veras Sensei - Houston, TX), Goju Ryu Eibu kan is one of the leading dojos supported by instructors from the Japan Karatedo Federation (JKF) to promote traditional Goju Ryu Karate here in the United States.



Kinjo Sensei, Left; Hisanaga Shihan, Center; Hamabata Sensei, Right

While Eibu kan is a small dojo with roughly 30 active Karateka, our roots grow deep as one of the earliest Goju Ryu dojos developed in the United States.  Where Eibu kan is relatively unknown, the reason being was that it was taught as Goju Kai Karate at the East San Gabriel Valley Japanese Community Center since the mid to late 1960s and at most demonstrations it was only publicized as "Karate."

Now going back to "Who is Sakaue?" again... I am Sakaue, however, the story you want to hear is about my father, Masato Sakaue, not to be confused with Masataka Sakaue, who is my uncle and a principle instructor at Covina Kendo Dojo also which is also being taught at the East San Gabriel Valley Japanese Community Center.

Just a little background... (sorry no pic... like Saigo Takamori, he doesn't like to take pictures much)

Masato Sakaue, Renshi

5th Dan Eibu kan

5th Dan JKF

Goju Ryu Karatedo Eibu kan Advisor (Ret)

My father grew up in a small town called San Dimas, CA (some of you may know it from the movie Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure... yes it does exist) after my father's family immigrated to California from Kagoshima, Japan.  During the 1960s, the Japanese-American community was still very small, especially for Post WWII Japanese-Americans, and many gravitated to Japanese Community Centers.  There families gathered and exchanged knowledge and helped each other and coincidentally is where he met Hamabata Sensei.

Both Hamabata Sensei (and Albert Ige Sensei, another Eibu kan Instructor) and my father took lessons under Kiyonori Ikumura Sensei, Shorei Kan (who was Hisanaga Sensei's Kohai, at the time it was unknown) until he was recalled to Kagoshima, Japan.  The recall to Japan was so abrupt, that Ikumura Sensei was to leave a sole black belt at the time to take over his classes so that training could continue without his presence.  While there were no issues with training continuing, the fact that there was no true authority figure to help guide their training left a fundemental worry that my father could not ignore. To quench that worry, my father traveled to Japan to re-established connection with Ikumura Sensei.  That meeting led to Ikumura Sensei introducing his senpai and the founder of Eibu kan, Hisanaga Sensei, to my father.

Hisanaga Sensei's tutelage has helped evolve the organization's Karate to what it is today.  While still training using traditional methods, Eibu kan's instructors has found an equilibrium to develop their karatekas not only with the traditional methods but training using those methods as the foundation as we learn from some of the top Goju Ryu Karate minds from Japan.  Through our collaboration with Seiwa Kai and Okinawa Kyokai, we have had the honor with training with the late Tasaaki Sensei and his successor Fujiwara Sensei as well as Shiomi Sensei, Muramatsu Sensei. and Kiyohara Sensei... all high level Goju Kai Instructors in Japan.

So, "who is Sakaue?" He was one sensei of many who were acting as a catalyst in developing Goju Ryu Karate in Southern California.



Kay Sakaue

5th Dan Eibu kan

2nd Dan JKF Goju Kai

Goju Ryu Karatedo Eibu kan, Instructor

三戦 - The Three Battles (Sanchin)

三戦 - The Three Battles (Sanchin)

Goju training is deeper than you think.  Even as we train, we may not know the how deep our technique goes.  Kata Sanchin is one good philosophical example within the Goju discipline and maybe I can help you understand why Sanchi is so important.

Sanchin is traslated into "3 Battles."  The three battles in Goju is the representation of the continuous battle between your body, mind, and spirit.  While Kata Sanchin has zen buddhism (zazen to be specific) aspects of training, it is practiced not only to strengthen the "GO" or hard aspect of Goju but bring the three elements of training together in alignment.

Breathing, posture, muscle tension, basic technique, stance, and movement... there is a lot to deal with when practicing Sanchin.  With help from your senpais and your sensei, working to improve your muscle memory in the correct fashion will help you develop your body.  The mind and spirit are another story. 

I have always equated the development of my spirit to the development of my self-confidence.  I have always looked at the improvement of self-confidence to be the culmative successes of short-term and long-term goals. These successes, no matter how small or how large, affect who we are and affect our perspective in life.  Our failures only amplify the successes we achieve. 

Your mind is the hardest to develop.  For practitioners, this is undoubtedly the most frustrating to develop as well because it ties both your physical attributes as well as your spiritual ones.  Our mind, our consciousness, is the start.  How many times while training have you thought, "wow... I would like to learn that technique?" And how many times have you gathered enough courage to attempt that technique only to utterly fail in your first attempts? 

This is becuase our minds are the gateway to bigger and better things.  When our minds touch something that touches our heart... then passion is born.  When passion is born... we physically get involved.  As a good friend told me... this is a cycle... Wash, Rinse, Repeat.  This cycle, regardless if you succeed or fail, is one of the most natural cycles that we as humans face.  It applies to many different things and can be experienced at different levels of intensity.

While it is easy to "ingnite" your mind through passion, keeping or maintaining that passion is the hardest to do.  This is where it gets difficult to train your mind. We have a natural tendency to travel the path of least resistance and find ways to make things easy for ourselves.

Thinking, moving, and developing your personal faith (religious or just personal resolve... doesn't matter) is easily done when focusing on the aspects individually.  Even when praticing Kata Sanchin, it is very simple to learn, memorize, and understand the basic concepts of this basic kata.  However, the Kata does not come "alive" until you have learned how to bring all the aspects together.  Kata Sanchin teaches us this and was developed as such. 

While Kata Sanchin has the most simplest of movements in all 12 Goju Kata, It is definitely the most difficult technically.  This is because of the demands on the body.  Simple (basic) movements means that the karateka must show his mastery of the techniques.  With demostrating mastery of basic technique, your body and breathing must be in sync with the natural flow of the Kata.  Any practitioner will tell you that this more difficult that it seems and can be quite frustrating as many have experienced light headedness from trying too hard.

There are many aspects beyond what I have explained above that need to be mastered by the body (zazen) and the body alone. The mind and spirit fall into balance when that can be accomplished (which is developed simultaneously).  You cannot make progress with Kata Sanchin unless you hone all three aspects together.  It is the continuous battle between the three aspects that helps us find our own unique equilibrium. 



Why do I study Karate?

While my direct instructor pulls lineage from Yamaguchi Goju Ryu and Toguchi Shorei-kan, I have been very lucky to be studying under Takafumi Hamabata (Eibukan 7th dan, Kyoshi) as he has been able to pull in his experiences with both aforementioned lineages of Goju Ryu Karate along with JKF Goju-kai standards, and Eibukan; under the tutelage of Yoshihiro Hisanaga (Eibukan Soke / Kagoshima Goju Kai - 8th dan, Hanshi).

I began my Karate journey January 1st, 1990 - 22 years ago.  It was an odd morning, as I remember curled up in a warm bed.  There was a heavy marine layer that built up along the foothills of the Angeles Crest and I recall heavy moisture in the morning air.  As I heard Rose Parade announcer blaring from the TV in the other room, I'd figured that the rest of my family was immersed in eating Osechi (traditional New Years food) along with Ozoni (either made from vegetables and chicken/seafood or sweetened red bean and rice cakes) while watching the parade coverage before the Rose Bowl game came on.

That morning, my father, Masato Sakaue (Eibukan 5th dan, Renshi - RET) threw a Karate Gi at me and told me that I was going to start my "training."  Now mind you that, I had been immersed in Kendo under the tutelage of my uncle, Masataka Sakaue (Covina Kendo 6th dan) for six years at that point and now THAT training was over.  According to my father, Karate was going to be my path. When you are 12 years old, you do not really understand much.  Heck when I was 6 years old and thrown into Kendo... I didn't know anything at all.  However, it took almost another 6 years of training for me to understand and accept my "path" in life.

In 1996-1997 I received my Shodan... during my pre-yudansha training I worked hard on my kihon, most of the time coping with my time between playing high school football, wrestling, and just being a teenager.  Per my senseis at the time, competition was mandatory to test our skills outside of the dojo regardless if we won or lost as pre-requisite qualification for intra-dojo ranking, especially for black belts. The other pre-requisite was to compile a essay justifying your reasoning of why you study Karate. While these are not mandatory for other dojos or for even JKF / JKF Goju kai, it was mainly adapted so that one could understand that his or her Karate is effective in practical / simulated use.  Our senseis didn't care about the points... they cared about developing quality karateka.  The first was no problem.  I liked competition and I like taking what I learned in the dojo and applying them in free form competitive kumite.  However, the latter, I had trouble with.  How do you express yourself when your path was laid down in front of you to follow? 

Sixteen years later, I find myself asking the same question and in another capacity.  Why do I study Karate?  Sixteen years ago, I don't think I could have told you.  I think I was still in the experimental mode.  I thought it was fun and competitive but lacked the depth of knowledge to explain the reasoning why. Today I can explain it very simply.  I study Karate because I like it.

I like the people who I train with.
I like the people who train me.
I like the depth of Goju Ryu Karate.
I like the connection that Goju Ryu Karate has with my family and my family's history.
I like that Karate has developed me as a person.
I like that Karate keeps me connected to my cultural roots.

The list goes on and on.  If I can pass any of the "likes" above to anyone who wants to learn or who wants to be apart of the Eibukan Family, then it is worth my travel as a karateka.  There is no other reason for me to study Karate.

The Path. Choose Wisely.

Most karate practitioners may not know beyond the basis of their own dojo or ryuha / kaiha.  However, that is to say that many karateka yet to master their own style before pursuing another.  While I have dabbled in many different types of martial arts, I am one of the philosophy that one style is enough regardless of what strengths or weaknesses may lie in the foundation of the style.  The depth in technique and philosophy alone can be studied a lifetime and depending on your instructor and your development complete mastery can never be achieved.

That is what the "DO" in Karatedo, Kendo, Chado, Sado, Judo, etc. represents.  The continuous path of which the practitioner chooses to study the depth in length.  The "kanji" or the Chinese character represents this by bringing two distinct characters 1) longevity and 2) Neck to describe the spirit behind your training.  It is training that you are willing to pursue with your neck stuck out in a vulnerable fashion representing that it can be cut at any time. (Sorry for the Samurai reference).

Many traditional karate practitioners may ask... what does Samurai and Bushido have to do with Karate?  Especially when known that Karate comes from the oppressed Okinawan regime by the Satsuma Government predating the Meiji era.  The founders of Eibukan feel that while Bushido and Karate were formulated at different times and for different purposes, the ideals behind the 7 precepts are valuable to any karateka.

Eibukan and Bushido:  How they tie together

1 – GI (Justice / Moral Righteousness): A Karateka should deal openly and honestly with others and cleaves to the ideals of justice. Moral decisions do not come in shades of gray, only right and wrong.

2 – YUU (Heroic Courage): A Karateka should never fear to act, but lives life fully and wonderfully. Respect and caution replace fear.

3 – JIN (Benevolence / Compassion): A Karateka should take every opportunity to aid others, and create opportunities when they do not arise. As a powerful individual, a Karateka has a responsibility to use that power to help others.

4 – REI (Respect / Polite Courtesy): A Karateka has no reason to be cruel, and no need to prove his strength. Courtesy distinguishes a Karateka from an animal, and reveals one’s true strength.

5 – MAKOTO (Honesty / Complete Sincerity): A Karateka’s conscience is the judge of his honor. The decisions he makes and how he carries them out are a reflection of his true nature.

6 – MEIYO (Honor): When a Karateka has said that he shall perform an action; it is as good as done. He need not make promises; speaking and doing are as if the same.

7 – CHUUGI (Loyalty / Devotion / ***Duty***): A Karateka feels responsible for his actions and their consequences, and is loyal to the people in his care.

***One should reflect upon the samurai’s loyalty to his lord and understand that it was unquestionable and unquestioning.***

(Outdated… however the spirit of this is what helps us understand CHUUGI)