Isshin-Ryu. What is it?

 Isshin-Ryu Karate. The Whole Heart Way, The One Heart Way.

Isshin-Ryu Karate is an interesting "style" of karate. I use the term style loosely as that is how most people understand that there is a difference in Martial Art types. Isshin-Ryu is one of the most accessible martial arts I can think of. It has vital aspects of Shorin-Ryu and Goju-Ryu and Ryukyu Kobudo. Certain traits are used from these practices and implemented into Isshin-Ryu. There are some differences and similarities. 

......Let's Dive In......

Isshin-Ryu borrows strongly from Shorin-Ryu with its "Softer" approach. What I mean by softer though is (again a loosely used term) the stances are made for more mobility and speed. Though with every martial art there is always a Kimi or focus point to a technique, Shorin-Ryu uses a fast sharp explosion on every impact given and taken. This is known as Chinkuchi. A good example of this is the kata Seisan 

Check Here For Seisan

Isshin-Ryu also borrows strongly from Goju-Ryu with its "Harder" approach. The deeper more seated stances and long deep breathing. The Kimi is used differently. The Chinkuchi is present but achieving it is different. A good example of this is the kata Sanchin. 

Check Here For Sanchin

I personally have trained in Isshin-Ryu since.... ahem...... 1987. I was 7 when I first started a 2-week summer program. My Sensei (recently deceased) at the time was a very intimidating man whose personality and persona would fill the dojo every instant he entered. I started like everyone did. Day 1

Isshin-Ryu, the one heart way. Named this because not only do we use our whole heart but everything begins with one. 

  In the beginning, before me, before you, before most alive today, a young man by the name Shimabuku Tatsuo, or Shimabukuro Shinkichi (we will get to that in another post)was born. September 19, 1908, to be exact.

 He first studied Martial Arts from his Uncle on his mother's side Ganeku. Ganeku also taught the young Shimabuku to be a sanjinsoo, a practitioner who engages in fortune-telling, divining, and geomancy and deriving their knowledge from books rather than from the supernatural. The I Ching and Kuyumi, or lunar almanac besides other books on occult lore are some of the books that young Kana would have to learn. These ancient books would have been written in kanji and he would have to learn how to read the Chinese characters.

Ganeku thought he did not have enough Martial Arts knowledge so he sent Shimabuku to study Karate from Chotoku Kyan who lived in Kadena. At the time, Shimabuku who was around age 23/24, and a poor farmer's son, walked barefoot to study with Kyan. He would stay for 6 hours and come back home to do his chores on the farm. He studied Shuri-Te with Kyan for 4 years. Shimabuku would tell of Kyan practicing Chinto kata on a bridge and would say that Chinto kata was good for that purpose.

Shimabuku studied Naha-te from Chojun Miyagi around 1936. again he walks but this time a much further distance to Naha. This time he stays with Miyagi for 3 years. Miyagi was known for his gripping techniques and Shimabuku put a gripping technique into his own kata Sunsu.

  In 1938 at age 30 he studies with Choki Motobu again in Naha for 1 year. Motobu was known for his fighting ability and Shimabuku always told a story about how Motobu was peeking through a fence to learn Naifanchi kata. The reason for this was to show that it wasn't the amount of kata one knows but how one will know it.

In 1939 Shimabuku goes to the Philippines and stays for two years leaving for Osaka before the war begins in 1941. in Osaka he becomes a Bucho or General Supervisor and stays until around 1944 when he returns to Okinawa to take his family to Kyushu, Japan to protect them from the war. While in Japan, Shimabuku works as a farmer.

One year after the war, he brings his family back to Okinawa. At age 39, in 1947, Shimabuku begins teaching karate at different locations. At first, he calls his karate Chan Migwa karate after Chotoku Kyan's nickname. He also takes the name Tatsuo meaning Dragon Man at this time.

Around 1951 he called his karate Sun Nu Su Karate after the nickname he received from the mayor of Chan when Shimabuku worked as a tax collector a few years before. The mayor named him after a dance that Shimabuku's relative had made called Sun Nu Su. Sun nu su means son of old man. He later shortens it to Sunsu.

On January 15, 1956, Tatsuo held a meeting and named his style of Karate Isshin-Ryu Karate. Eiko Kaneshi, his right-hand man, asked, “Why Isshin-Ryu, why such a funny name?” Tatsuo replied,” Because all things begin with One.” *

I hope you enjoyed this. Stay tuned for more in the upcoming (insert random time here).

* taken in part from Misisshinryu.com