Spring 2010

Author: Thomas L. Freeman

Announcements......................................................................................3

Ryukyu East Asian Martial Arts Coalition........................................4 - 6

June 26, 2010 Las Vegas NV.

“Exploring New Levels Seminar”.....................................................7 - 8

May 1, 2010 Springfield, IL.

Featured Dojo

Grand opening of Oki Sei Kan “ Okinawan TruthfulAcademy”..........................................................................................9 - 10

March 6, 2010 Gardner, KS.

Article: “The Aims of Ryukyu Kempo Kata” ............................11 - 14By Mr. Matt Seymour, Sensei

Spring 2010

Author: Thomas L. FreemanHello and welcome to our 5th issue of

Unante Kenkyukai Kaiho.

Since our last issue, a lot has beenhappening for me personally and in mystudies of Okinawan Karate. Change meansgrowth and to grow you must break awayfrom the standardized versions of yourstudies and look deeply into your kata’s.This is one reason it is said that karate is forlife. There are so many levels to be found.

Featured Dojo

On March 6, 2010 I had the privilege toattend the grand opening of Mr. GeorgeHansell’s “Oki Sei Kan” - OkinawanTruthful Academy in Gardner, Kansas.Along with the grand opening, Mr. Hansellhosted Seibushi Stark and Koubushi Gossettfor a seminar. As always, the level ofknowledge was amazing.

On May 1, 2010, I was lucky enough tobe able once again to host Seibushi SteveStark and Koubushi Bill Gossett for theirannual seminar in Springfield, Illinois at thehistorical “ Route 66 Hotel “.

“Announcements” It’s official, on June 26, 2010 in LasVegas, Nevada, founders Mr. Steve Stark-Hanshi and Mr. Bill Gossett-Hanshi,announced the birth of a new coalition.

“Ryukyu East Asian

Martial Arts Coalition”

This is an exciting time for Classical karatein America. With the knowledge thesegentlemen have acquired over 30 years oftraining with a Martial Arts Genius, “TaikaOyata” and their willingness to pass on andshare this knowledge, the future of “The LifeProtection Arts of Okinawa” looks to beopening up.

Kicking off the birth of the coalition was the 1st Annual “Ryukyu East Asian MartialArts Coalition” seminar and testing. Lookingforward to next year already with new levelsto come.

It is with great pride that “UnanteKenkyukai Kaiho” has been askedto announce the official formation ofthe Ryukyu East Asian MartialArts Coalition.

On June 26, 2010 at the LasVegas, Nevada Palace StationHotel, founders Seibushi SteveStark - Hanshi and Koubushi BillGossett-Hanshi hosted their 1stAnnual Seminar and testing.

Mission Statement:

Responding to the need forsubstantive martial arts training inthe world.

Offering multi dimensional and indepth instruction in the ancientRyukyuan martial arts.

Striving to achieve courage,commitment and strengthening ofthe soul for every individual whorecognizes and walks theRyukyuan martial arts path in life.

“Exploring New Levels Seminar”May 1, 2010 Springfield, IL

On May 1,2010 I had thepleasure ofhosting onceagain SeibushiStark andKoubushiGossett fortheir yearlygathering in Springfield, IL. This event washeld at the historic “Route 66 Hotel”.

The accommodations and staff were topnotch and were there to help with anythingwe needed.

For me it is always a honor to be able tobring to central Illinois, not one, but twomartial artist’s with the knowledge andexperience that these two gentlemen have.

The knowledge that they have acquiredfrom “Taika Oyata”, a martial arts genius, isbeyond words. Over the years I have seenkarate-ka who could perform awe inspiringweapons kata, the key word here is perform.What makes these two gentlemen special isnot only can they perform/work a kata, theycan actually make the movements work.

In the past “Unante Kenkyukai” hashosted two seminars a year in the Springfield,IL area. I am sorry to say, in the future, I willonly be hosting them once a year. So markyour calendars for May of 2011 for the nexttime you will be able to train with instructorswith this level of knowledge in “Okinawa’sLife Protection Arts”.

“Announcing”

The grand opening of the Oki Sei Kan dojoin Gardner, Kansas. Translation of Oki SeiKan is Okinawan Truthful Academy.

On March 6, 2010 I had the privilege ofattending the grand opening of GeorgeHansell sensei’s dojo. The day washighlighted with a seminar conducted bySeibushi Stark and Koubushi Gossett.

Sensei and owner George Hansell, who has17 years of martial arts experience and 10years of experience with this ancient formof self defense. Mr. Hansell trains withHanshi Steve Stark who began his trainingin Ryukyu Kempo in 1970 as a personalstudent of Taika Oyata. The Oki Sei Kanoffers a complete range of martial artstraining in the classic Okinawa style of selfdefense, including Kempo self defense andkarate, Tuite Jitsu, Kyusho Jitsu, RyukyuKobudo and more.

Ryukyu Kempo Shinkikan

Article: "The Aims of Ryukyu Kempo Kata"

The martial arts are not merely methods of combat or "sport". It is not the battle of others whichis the ultimate aim. It is the inner battle within each of us that is fascinating and challenging. Theunification, perfection, and protection of mind, body, and spirit is the ultimate aim. Martial artsare not just fighting, not just childish competition, but art. They should be taken seriously, asthey are concerned with the betterment of human lives and the protection of them –– a seriouspursuit indeed. To study martial arts is to learn about human tendencies, human nature, theprotection of life, and the self.

According to Oyata Seiyu Sensei, in his book "RyuTe no Michi" (the Way of Ryukyu hands), themeaning of "Bu" is deeper than some assume. The right side of the character represents "hoko"(spear). The smaller section of the kanji, found on the left, means "to stop".

Therefore, the literal meaning of martial arts is "to stop fighting" rather than "combat".Unfortunately, this concept has been misinterpreted. The meaning of the words are rather oppositein the modern world, in both the west and the east.(section 3-19, RyuTe no Michi)

My first martial arts teacher, Jeff Runnels Sensei, had an Academy Creed at his Ryugikan Dojo. Itreflects the spirit of Ryukyu Kempo superbly…

I come to you in peace, offering friendship and respect. I have trained my mind, body, and spirit inthe ancient warrior ways of the masters who have gone before me. I bind myself by their code ofnon-violence. If, however, you choose to raise your hand against me, know that I will use all myresources to protect myself and those that I love. I hope our way can be one of harmony.(Runnels' Martial Arts Academy)

The martial arts reveal the character of those who study deeply. The austere training and moralteachings of the Dojo Kun (school guidelines) shape the character of those who study over time.Indeed, maturity must be promoted in the dojo so as to promote self-awareness. Children shouldbe striving to grow into good and mature human beings. Adults should strive to enhance theirgood qualities, while suppressing the iniquitous side of their nature.

This self-awareness also involves that of the body. Through long-term training, one becomesmore conscious of their body and how to control its movement. Solid structure comes throughkata (form) training and allows for physical self-control. It is easier to effectively control anotherhuman being' s movement if one has control over their own structure.

Ryukyu Kempo Shinkikan

I was recently teaching a student who has good Tuite-jutsu (Okinawan grappling) technique. Hecan apply his technique on most people and they respond with the predictable response that isexpected of that particular type of technique. In addition, he can create a significant painresponse in most subjects. However, upon applying his technique on me personally, it was notwholly effective. This is not because he does not understand how the technique works. He haddifficulty for 2 reasons: 1) I have had much Tuite-jutsu applied on me and have become flexibleand resilient, and 2) once the technique began to be applied, his own structure began to weaken.I believe this is due to a lack of proper kata training. He has had experience applying Tuite onindividuals, but has not had the proper kata to guide his own body control and structure.

Some people neglect kata training because it does not seem as applicable as two-personpractices. This is certainly true to some extent, but kata training is critical for the Karatepractitioner to excel at his art. The kata training builds one' s foundation and structure. Itnurtures one' s basics and the continued practice of kata enhances and maintains one' s basics.

Many Karate schools do spend a significant portion of their training progression on kata. Butsome are training the right thing for the wrong reasons. They concern themselves withtournament success. This misguided study dilutes the value of kata. Many such schools are notguilty of not practicing enough kata, but they are guilty of not applying the kata. While a bit ofcompetition can be productive and exercise can certainly be beneficial, these aims were neverthe purpose of kata' s inception.

In regards to tournament participation: I believe this to be inherently flawed. Many people whopractice Karate and are active in the tournament circuit drastically change the forms forappearance sake. They change the body mechanics in favor of flash over function. This is notjustified. The old kata should be preserved. This is one of our duties as practitioners of theancient way of Okinawan Karate.

In addition, I would venture to say that many tournament judges do not understand kata anymore than the participants. They base their opinions on the appearance and atheistic beauty ofthe performance. Lots of high kicks, jumps, and colorful uniforms are not at all uncommon atmodern tournaments. The judges do not really know how well the student knows the form andmost judges do not understand the form themselves.

So what makes "good" kata? Is it the outward beauty? Or is it the beauty contained and hiddenwithin?

In order to have good kata, one should understand more deeply the principles and applicationsof the pattern, rather than just look like a professional dancer. In order to have good kata, onemust consider effectiveness.

This presents another aim of Ryukyu Kempo Kata: "Bunkai".

Ryukyu Kempo Shinkikan

The study of kata is what allows the Ryukyu Kempo practitioner to understand the art. It is thestudy of bunkai that is so valuable within the kata (in addition to building basics). Bunkai can betranslated from Japanese to mean "break apart". In the martial arts, it refers to the analysis andinterpretation of kata motions. Without authentic bunkai, one is practicing little more than adance when doing kata.

Kata are not exclusive to Budo (martial ways). They are utilized in the education andpreservation in much of Japanese art. From Sado (tea ceremony) to Ikebana (or Kado), kata areprevalent in the Japanese arts.

Kata are basically prearranged patterns which form the basis of a given art. In Karate, they aresolo forms which contain the encyclopedia of the art. Without the Kata, you cannot have Karate.But the mere practice of solo motions is not the art either. One must have depth in their study ofkata. This is "bunkai".

Through the study of bunkai, the Karate ka can learn to apply the kata effectively to counter awide myriad of attacks and threats. The repeated practice of kata instills the fundamentals ofmovement that come out in life-protection situations. They also provide the practitioner withtactical solutions to many "problems". These applications are not discernable to the untrainedeye; indeed it takes much reflection and study by the experienced practitioner to decipher thekata motions.

Traditionally, bunkai was (and in many cases still is) reserved for trusted, dedicated, adultstudents. These hidden applications within the kata are what make the kata study so deep andrevered. Sometimes the uninitiated may observe a kata application, but they make nocorrelation to the kata from which they are derived.

One of the guiding principles of Nakamura Shigeru Sensei' s dojo was:

In the past a single Kata was studied for three years. A long time ago a particular master analyzeda single Kata for over ten years. Do not think you have mastered a Kata and become proud of yoursuccess. Pride will lead to hurt your achievement in virtue and technique; thus pride can be like apoison to the world.(Okinawa Kempo Karate Dojo, 1964)

It is common knowledge in the Karate world that the masters of old studied kata (many timesonly a few kata) for many years. Once initiated into the study of Ryukyu Kempo kata, one maybegin to understand why they and their teachers valued kata so much. They provide the basicsand provide an opportunity for those basics to become advanced applications.

There are many schools of Karate today that practice their kata as a separate part of thecurriculum. They practice sparring (Kumite) and then kata, and perhaps some self-defense

Ryukyu Kempo Shinkikan

techniques. They draw no correlation between the areas of practice. Kata should not be a"separate" practice for exercise, tournaments, or rank testing. It must be a focus of one' s studyand correlate to everything else one does.

"Shugyo" (austere training) comes through the kata. This allows for more than basic or evenadvanced physical life-protection application. The kata train more than the body. The body ismerely a vessel; one that must be valued and protected. But, much like kata, what is containedwithin is more important. The mind and spirit of the practitioner are nurtured through katatraining.

You cannot dream yourself into a character. You must hammer and forge yourself into one.(Henry D. Thoreau)

The value of kata is undeniably present. It must not be ignored or set aside. It must come to theforefront of your training for it to be studied as it should. The kata provide the practitioner withhis or her basics, which is extremely important. But they also provide so much more.

© Matthew Seymour,

Matthew Seymour Sensei began training inRyukyu Kempo in 1993. He has trained inRyukyu Kempo and other martial artsthroughout the United States, Japan, andTaiwan. Seymour Sensei lived and trained inFukuoka, Japan and has traveled extensivelyto further his knowledge of Bujutsu (martialarts). He continues to train under topinstructors, including senior students of TaikaSeiyu Oyata. Seymour Sensei is a formerAdjunct Professor at William Jewell College(Kansas City, Missouri), responsible forteaching the college Self-Defense courses. Hehas experience teaching seminars, and hastaught both beginners and black beltpractitioners.

Ryukyu Kempo Shinkikan

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