-David B.
Wednesday 9/25/2019:
Sensei came through today, not only bringing naihanchi back up, but also letting me swing around a little nunchaku when I first arrived. Mostly just for exercise, but he emphasized holding them in different grips and feeling their weight in different ways, and using different muscle groups to emphasize the training of the wrists, forearms, and shoulders. I hope I get to see his sai some day, he's apparently quite accomplished with it.
やった！今日はナイハンチとヌンチャクも出来た。ヌンチャクは実用より運動のために振っていて、色んな持ち方で振ると肩、前腕、手首も全部強くなると説明してくれた。いつか先生の得意のサイを見せてくれれば嬉しいと思う。
I asked him a question about the "double punch" strikes in passai sho and dai. Yes, they may look like it, but have you ever seen anyone use a double punch in a practical way? All of these moves aren't specifically prescribing a particular block or strike, just engraining movement into your body, which can be used in a variety of ways, but for the sake of "bi," many of them need to be performed on both sides to maintain "balance" in the kata. However, these "double" moves hide an even deeper meaning: one hand is always a block, and the other may be a strike. By putting out both hands at the same time, you are masking your intentions in the kata. "Kata contain all the answers" he repeated Soken sensei's maxim; you don't just practice the kata just to do specific moves perfectly, you use it to practice your kihon and general posture and movement, and do it over and over to explore its depths. Even if I were only taught the Pinan kata and kihon, that should be enough for me to develop on my own if I focus on my stances.
パッサイの両手突きについて聞いた。あ、突きに見えるけど、実用的には使わない。型の動きには永遠の意味がある。これは受けでこれは突きだというより体で覚えた受けでも突きでも使える。美のために両手で技をやった方が安定感がある。片手が受けでその他は攻撃になる。その反対でもなるそうだ。答えは型の中にある。型の動きを丁寧に覚えるべきだけじゃなく、基本をやり続けて、型の練習も基本として強く影響があるはずだ。今年基本とピンアンだけ覚えても構わないぐらい奥深い。
Speaking of which, deepen your stances and test your balance; if a movement feels too hard or unnatural, you may need to correct your balance. No cat stances, and no straight legs, you should be 50% on each foot at all times. Bringing me back to the wall, he had me square off and extend my fists as before. Now bend your knees and drop into a deep horse stance. Your posture should be no different, it should feel like the same stance. When your legs start to shake, that’s what it feels like to deepen your practice.
そういえば、ちょっと足を開いてバランスを確認して；崩れやすいと訂正しなきゃならない。猫足立がなく、足もあまり伸ばさない自然体でちょうど半分の重量配置で。壁の前に立たされて、深くたって、背中真っ直ぐで、上半身がそのまま沈む。足が痺れると稽古が効いているということだ。
Thursday 9/26/2019:
Went to yoga at Asato Dojo and hung out a bit with James afterwards. Very interesting conversation, he noted that there was almost no knife work in Okinawan karate, except for a style that does some sword and tanto work, and Nakamoto sensei (I think this is a kobudo sensei, I saw a book with his name in the Shureido store), but "it's pretty clear that he's just making that stuff up,” cause it's not very good. Hokama sensei does some knife stuff but that's because he's spent time in the Philippines doing escrima, so it's admittedly not karate. It's especially surprising because there's been quite a bit of exchange with the Philippines; in the hard times in Okinawa a lot of the agricultural workers went down to the Philippines to make a living. We pontificated that it might be because knives are so dangerous, and students might feel emboldened to either take on an armed assailant or use knives themselves, potentially building a violent reputation for karate as someone is bound to get seriously wounded when blades are involved.
木曜日安里道場のヨガのクラスに行ってからジェームズさんと話が出来て、とても面白い人です。空手の話に変わって、沖縄の拳法でナイフや刀を使う流派は珍しい。「なかもと先生」を聞き覚えたけど、古武道の先生かどうか分からないんだ。「でもあの技はちょっとだから。。。」と。ほかま先生もちょっとナイフを使うことがあるけど、フィリピンでエスクリマを研究したから、空手とは呼ばない。歴史的にフィリピンと沖縄は近いしもっと交流されたかもしれないと思って、エスクリマの影響でナイフの技も入ってきたんじゃないかと。考えたら、きつくて難しい時期の中、喧嘩が多かったから、ナイフを使うと怪我をしたり人が死んだりしてしまう。そうすると、空手は暴力と同じだとみられちゃうから、そこまで武器を使わず喧嘩を早く終わらせるのは空手の覚悟だった。かなんとか。。。
I asked James about Sogenji park down the street, with the huge Banyan tree, because I thought I had seen it in the Great Journey of Karate Bonus DVD where Yoshitomo Yamashiro talks about Karate history and performs an ultra slow naihanchi shodan. Apparently it used to be a buddhist temple where the former emperors were enshrined, so visitors would stop to pay their respects to the deceased emperors on their way to go to visit the current emperor. The area has been built up but that road used to be right at the shore, and runs all the way up to Shuri Castle.
近所の崇元寺公園のことを聞いた。Great Journey of KarateのDVDで山城美智の取材が撮られた。ジェームズさんによると、昔は亡くなった王様のお寺だった。訪問する人は亡くなった王様たちの寺に途中でお祈りする習慣があった。現代はもっと都市の中だけど昔は道一本で船場から首里城まで行ける話があった。
Fun fact, a lot of styles have a bo kata called "shushi no kon," and it turns out that Mr. Shu was a Chinese/taiwanese guy that used to live behind the temple, and either as his main or side gig taught people staff techniques. So literally that's "Mr. Shu's bo kata." There's a lot of cultural exchange between Okinawa and Taiwan, as they are so close together. James has been doing Praying Mantis boxing for 3 years, mostly going to Taipei to train at their Hondo.
面白い点：たくさんの流派は「周氏の棍」という棒の型を打つ。本物の周氏がいたらしくて、お寺の跡であの型を教えてたそうだ。沖縄と台湾の交流が豊かで深い。ジェームズさんは三年前から台北の本堂でカンフーも稽古している。