Karate, one of the more popular martial arts disciplines in the world is not Japanese but is rather Okinawan. The islands of Okinawa, once called the Ryukyu Kingdom, is a close neighbor to Japan, Taiwan, and China. Historically the people of Okinawa spoke a different language and had a distinct culture form the Japanese. Whereas the Japanese martial arts, Budo, are mostly classified as Jiujitsu today, the Okinawans originally practiced Te, and then NahaTe (the capital of the Ryukyu Kingdom was Naha, the current capital of Okinawa, located on Okinawa Island). Trading of material goods with China, whom were a tributary state of, allowed the spread of Chinese Martial Arts to Okinawa. The invasion and occupation by the infamous Satsuma samurai clan of Japan added the influence of Japanese Martial Arts to the mix. As the Japanese occupiers were more hands on in colonizing Okinawa and banned the use of weapons, Okinawans had to adapt their now more-so unarmed art in secret. Also, Karate which once translated to “Chinese Boxing” became “Unarmed Boxing,” during this time. US airmen stationed in Okinawa after World War II would bring the Shotokan and Ishin-Ryu Karate styles back to the states in the 1950s.

One of more famous Karatekas, who was also a pioneer in Japanese Pro-Wrestling (puroresu) was born Yeong-Eui Choi “Baedal” ( a Korean term to denote their people from a legendary dynasty from prehistory), July 27, 1923, in Gimje, North Jeolla, (what is now South) Korea. As subjects of Japan, his parents were able to send him to live with his sister in Manchuria, and it was there at age nine that he began martial arts training with the family gardener in Chinese Martial Arts. In 1938, he moved to Tokyo, Japan for the expressed purpose to join the Imperial Japanese Army, not because he believed in a war creating a Japanese empire but the romantic dream of forming a utopian pan-Asian Union (This author remembers his lofty dreams at 15). It was during that time that he met Shotokan Ryu Karate founder Gichin Funakoshi-sensei and studied with him at Takushoku University. It was also during this period in his life that he would follow the advice of his mentor and Japanese Diet member Matsuhei Mori, and would come to be more famously known as Masutatsu Oyama. In 1943, while he was a member of the Imperial Japanese Army, Oyama-sosai was already a 4th Dan Black Belt in Judo at the age of 20 (sosai is a Japanese term to denote president and kancho is captain. Kancho is also Japanese for enema). As Oyama-sosai was a patriot of his adopted homeland of Japan (who had lofty dreams), he felt the postwar depression after Japan’s defeat. However, another Korean immigrant, So Nei Chu, student of Goju-Ryu Karate founder Chojun Miyagi, convinced him to train in Goju, which he did so with So and famed Goju Ryu sensei Gogen Yamaguchi in Tokyo. On April 04, 1952, at the age of 29, Oyama-sosai would join Judoka, Kokichi Endo, in the US and tour as the Togo Brothers over 32 states including the Chicago territory of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). This author doubts if any matches they did were shoots as works were already prevalent in Pro Wrestling since the turn of the century (though a number of Kyokushin students contend that they were “real” fights). It is during this tour that he reputedly killed a bull with his bare hands after knocking its horns off with one punch. Supposedly then in 1954, Oyama-sosai traveled to Lumpinee Stadium in Thailand and defeated a “Black Cobra” in front of a capacity crowd. Note, everything about Oyama-sosai that supposedly took place between his birth up to 1954 written by this author are not infallible facts as a number of his other students made lofty claims about their teacher, according to former protégé, and infamous martial arts toughman, Jan Bluming (especially the claims about the bullfighting and fighting Black Cobra, and the omissions of the fact that he was a Pro-Wrestler), who stated that Oyama, with fellow student and Muay Thai pioneer Kenji Kurosaki as witness, never told these stories as part of his exploits though Oyama-sosai did supposedly showed him grainy filmed footage with him maneuvering around a sick bull.

On February 12, 1963, after a number of years of booking plans, Kyokushin Kaikan Oyama Dojo sent three fighters to fight three representatives from Thailand’s fledgling Muay Thai commission at the infamous Lumpinee Stadium (see Fools’ Gold One). The three Kyokushin combatants were: Tadashi Nakamura (who later found Seido Juku), Akio Fujihira (who had a career ass the kickboxer Noboru Osawa), and Oyama’s enforcer, good friend, Kenji Kurosaki, who was the team captain, and did some basic Muay Thai training to prepare for the series. Nakamura and Osawa won their fights already ending the series 2-0. Unfortunately, team captain Kurosaki via knockout. The defeat caused Kurosaki to continue his Muay Thai training. Shortly after the grand victory of his team, Oyama-sosai renamed his organization, Kyokushin Kaikan International or the “International Karate Organization, Kyokushin,” (I.K.O) in 1964. On January 15, 1965, Oyama-sosai awarded a man who would become a long time friend, Jan Bluming, a Black Belt 6th Dan, the highest level any foreigner, let alone member of his dojo would receive. When the Japanese media made a fuss, Oyama offered $10,000 and his resignation if anyone can take on Bluming.

Then “Godhand” Oyama-sosai passed away on April 26, 1994. At the time of his death, there were branches of Kyokushin in 120 different countries, with 10 million registered applicants. There was also approximately 24 “flavors’ of Kyokushin Karate with some of Kyokushin’s more famous students leaving and forming their own organizations. Less than a month later on May 18, 1994, his student Akiyoshi “Shokei” Matsui declared that Oyama has named him as his successor as President of the IKO in his will. However, the Oyama family nine days before had looked at that will and believed it to be a forgery. The Oyama family and many of Kyokushin’s branch chiefs would engage in a civil suit against Matsui, which as of 2003, was in their favor, resulting in Matsui’s group not having sole ownership of the Kyokushin name, seal, and other trademarks. Thus since then, there has bee no less than six claimants of succession as the President of the IKO, with the three most prominent ones known to Kyokushin smarks as IKO-1 (led by Shokei Matsui, the 1987 World Champion), IKO-2 (now led by Kenji Midori, the 1991 World Champion), IKO-3 (led by Yoshikazu Matsushima), and IKO-4 (founded in 2000 by Toru Tezuka).

Bill Duff
Legal Name: William Brian Duff
DOB: February, 24, 1974
Hometown: Delran, NJ, USA
Height: 6’4”
Weight: 280 lbs
Style: Toa Su Do Brown Belt, FolkStyle Wrestling, XFL (the most dangerous style), NFL, Bodyguard Training
2 x NJ State Heavyweight (High School FolkStyle) Wrestling Champion
2002 World Bowl Champions (Berlin Thunder member)
Co-Captain SEC League University of Tennessee Volunteers (college football)
NJ Hall of Fame inductee
“Undefeated in bar fights”

V.S.

I. In Naha, Capital of Karate: Shichinohe-sensei’s Kyokushin Union Dojo

The episodes began with Bill and Jason watching a Kyokushin fight that had High Roudhouse Kicks and Rolling Solebutts. After receiving the issued challenge by the Kyokushin Union founding member, Yasuhiro Shichinohe-sensei of the Union’s Okinawa Branch Dojo, Bill and Jason are invited to learn the basics the said training hall, where our unprejudiced hero, Bill Duff, wants to learn how to fight those “fast little guys.” However, before they venture to train, our heroes enjoy some hijinx getting fitted in gis. The gi apparently was borrowed from Judo (Mas Oyama had great respect for the Judokas of the Kodokan). The history of Karate being brought to the US is glanced. Then they arrived at their destination in mopeds.

The Okinawa Branch Dojo was very cleanly, and was up to the standards to modern gyms around the world. The class actually halted for these two gaijin devils~! The training of Bill and Jason, which had the students clear the training area unless assisting in our hosts’ training, began with padwork (note: Muay Thai kickpads were introduced early on probably by Kenji Kurosaki or Mas Oyama, possibly from influences they picked during the Muay Thai challenge era).

Then they are introduced to the 40 MPH Joudan Mawashi Geri. To execute, whip your rear shin down at an angle towards the opponent’s head with the twist of the hip while in the fighting stance. If you need a visual, this is Mirko Cro Cop’s High Kick or Glaube Feitosa’s Brazilian Kick. Jason practices on it on the pad and he figured it was good for him. Bill did not think he would work well with the high kick. Then they worked on kata before traveling back in time.

In 1982, the First All-Japan Karate-Do Championships (in SeidoKaikan) was held in a supposedly sold-out Osaka Furitsu Gymnasium (8,000 capacity), and received local TV coverage. In 1983, a team led by Ishii defeated a Kungfu team at Hong Kong’s Queen Elizabeth Stadium. It was during that year that Ishii became the President of the All-Japan Budo Promotion Association, a local union of Karate/Kempo gyms. In 1988, Toshiyuki (Ryuishii) Yanagisawa and Masaaki Satake became the Champion and the Silver Medalist, respectively, at the Karate Real Champion Tournament, a full-contact Karate fighting event sanctioned by SeidoKaikan that was open to other styles. In 1991, Satake defeated Willie Williams (the African-American Kyokushin Karateka who placed third in the 2nd World Championships, and lost a Pro-Wrestling match to Antonio Inoki. He was expelled during the time of the match because his defeat did in fact mar Karate’s public perception for a short while, which allowed Pro-Wrestling to appear as Strongest). In 1992, the Karate Japan Open, which was won by Satake, became one of Japan’s first (boxing) gloved Karate events.

K-1 is currently the biggest Kickboxing and MMA promotion in Japan now since PRIDE is now defunct. However, due to a guilty verdict in tax evasion, Ishii-kancho is currently in prison unable to enjoy the fruits of his labor. Currently SeidoKaikan is run by Nakimoto-kancho, with Nobuaki Kakuda assisting.

II. At The Palace of Ryukyuan Royalty, Shuri: Seikichi Higa and The Shodokan

The boys head to Shuri Castle (in Shuri), the palace of the Ryukuan royalty, originally built in the 14th Century. In 1478, the Ryukyu King Sho Shin, who reign was dubbed the “Golden Age of Okinawa, (this was of course not mentioned)” decreed a ban on swords within this palace as there was no longer a need for arms in peacetime. Thus unarmed combat became dominant from his reign from 1478 to 1526.

After going through some kata, the philosophy of ShuriTe, “Keep things simple is explained.” And it was time to teach our hosts the Uchi Uke. This blocking/parrying technique starts with the forearm at midlevel inside your stance and goes outward striking the opponent’s fist with a forearm. Jason is worried of the pain over the training of his attack to his wrist so Higa-sensei starts pounding on his wrist. Bill fumbles it somewhat. Our heroes decided that Higa-sensei needed to teach them a follow-up technique.

Aside(Pangai Noon To Uechi Ryu): Before heading to the next scene, there should be an aside for the history of Uechi Ryu (this episode had less history on the styles covered than there is on the history of Okinawa overall). Kanbun Uechi (1877-1848), a young Okinawan radish farmer who studied Bojutsu (the fighting techniques with an Okinawan quarterstaff), traveled to Fujing, China at the age of 20, in 1897, to avoid the draft of the Imperial Japanese Army and pursue his dream of training in Chinese Martial Arts (another radical dreamer). His good luck occurred when he finally met TsuHo Cho, master in Southern Shaolin Wukong (Chinese call it WuKong and not KungFu), who took him as his disciple, and taught him the techniques in a school of Wukong, translated from Chinese to Japanese to English as Pangai Noon (that possibly is not what it was called). Thus Uechi opened a dojo in China from 1904-1910, before he finally decided to go home to Okinawa. In 1925, he opened the Pangai Noon Institute in Wakayama City, Wakayama, Japan, which would later be renamed the Institute of Uechi Ryu by hi students in 1940. After Uechi-sensei’s death in 1948, many splits occurred between his students stemming from differences ranging in changes in conditioning drills to the name of the school, itself. In 1981, the teacher of the next segment, Kiyohide Shinjo, formed the Kenyukai as a fraternal association between Uechi Ryu practitioners.

III. At the Fortress of Zakimi Gusuku: Uechi Ryu’s Strongest Fist, Kiyohide Shinjo

Zakimi gusuku (fortress) is a World Heritage Site located in Yomitan, Okinawa. Our hosts encounter a man smacking his students violently across the back and chest. This is iron body training of Uechi Ryu master, “Okinawan Superman” Kiyohide Shinjo of The Kenyukai. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the training a wooden support beam was battered on someone’s body. Apparently the beam may have been part of the fort itself because there were holes for nails and grooves in it that suggested it was part of a support structure somewhere. “Physical toughness is a key to victory,” is apparently Uechi Ryu’s motto.

Kote Uchi is a technique resembling either wrestler Kenta Kobashi’s Burning Lariat or his former-rival Takao Omori’s Close Ranged Axe Bomber, except initiated with an opposite grip wrist grab. With your defending arm, grab your opponent’s forward wrist and then swing with your wrist at an arc (like a Haymaker) and strike either the jaw or back of the head with the hard bone of the wrist. Shinjo-sensei displaying the Karateka’s showmanship, demonstrate his Kote Uchi’s power by smashing through a solid Louisville slugger, while Bill was holding by its handle. Duff is amazed as he was barely able to hold the bat against such force. Of course since this Clothesline to Hell is aimed at the head and could kill someone if done any more brutally, it was not going to help their training for the fight as it was not a legal hold. Some time before the next segment, our heroes procured bicycles, which they used to pedal to their next location.

One of such students was Chojun Miyagi (1888-1953), the adopted son of a rich businessman, who met Higaonna-sensei at age 14, in 1902. After Higaonna-sensei’s death in 1916, Miyagi traveled to Fujian where he learned the Shaolin Martial Arts his teacher learned and a style similar to TaiChi, Baguazhang, an art based on the trigrams of the classical Chinese philosophy text, the I-Ching. Combining the rigid straight-line movements of his Shaolin training with the circular movements of the softer Bagua, Miyagi-sensei opened his dojo of the fighting style he renamed Ronin Goju. Some of his more prominent students include Jigoro Kano, who trained some throwing techniques with him, and a young Morio Higaonna…

IV. Return to the Capital: Higaonna-sensei, Preserving Goju, Preserving Okinawa

Returning to Naha City, Jason and Bill were psyched to enter the dojo of the renowned Okinawan 9th Degree Black Belt of Goju-Ryu Karate, Morio Higaonna (who probably is not related to Kanyo Higaonna), who is the leader of the International Okinawa Goju Ryu Karate Federation, a group dedicated to preserving the teachings of Goju-Ryu based on the work of Chojun Miyagi. After asking for and then receiving permission to join his dojo, Higaonna-sensei had his students, including the boys, work on breathing exercises to strengthen their internal organs. Then his student would bring out the “village boulder,” of which he smashed sizable chunks off with his fists. A close-up of his hands showed that they were calloused and blistered with scars and ashiness.

As part of the show’s sightseeing aspect, the sensei and the hosts went to a Konshibyo, Confucian temple. In, 1609, the infamous Satsuma samurai clan defeated the Ryukyuan dynasty to become the new rulers of Okinawa (thus making it a colony for their liege, the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan) and in their victory, outlawed Karate. Here at this old temple, the legend of the Karate saint, Kosaku Matsumora (1829-1898), an ancestral sensei of Higaonna’s Goju lineage was told by the Black Belt. In small village near Shuri a samurai tried to abduct a young girl. A local warrior, the aforementioned Matsumora, came to the rescue and defeated the samurai, unarmed, knocking the weapon out of his hand. Because of this, many Okinawan schools venerate the spirit of Matsumora, and ask for their patronage in maintaining their lineage.

As a final treat for the hosts, Higaonna-sensei brought them to a small private temple they were taught Kyusho, the Okinawan pressure point fighting system based on the Bubishi. Exposing acupuncture meridians, this method of attacking targets nerve centers. An account of a news story of how a kick was killed by a hockey puck to the heart was narrarated. Of course Kyusho is not legal in Kyokushin but Bill and Jason felt much honored to be given this treat.

Aside (Speaking of Sports Karate, 3 Modern Karateka): Between Antonio Inoki’s defeat of American Kyokushin Champion Willie Williams on February 27, 1980 and the first K-1 World Grand Prix of 1993, Karate’s was popularity had a slight decline in the Japanese media. That did not drop enrollment numbers but may have caused political tension within the ranks of what was the most popular school, Kyokushin. Thus many schisms occurred, though this was interesting to the fans of combat sports as more were spawned from the numerous splits.

In the same year Soeno left to form Shidokan, the 9th All-Japan (Kyokushin) Karate Open Champion, Takashi Azuma became the founder of Kakuto (translation: Combat) Karate Daido Juku in 1981 at Sendai City, Japan. Daido Juku translates to the “Group of the Great Path.” Being a 3rd Degree black Belt in Judo, as well as a 4th degree in Kyokushin, Azuma-kancho was a versatile Martial Artist who wanted a realistic fighting style that would prepare one for any means of combat. Thus unlike most Karate groups, Daido Juku’s tournaments were under their HokutoKi (translation: Big Dipper Flag) rules which allowed headbutts, submission holds, and throws. Later, Muay Thai, Sambo, Submission Wrestling, and finally Brazilian Jiujitsu techniques and training methods were incorporated into Daido Juku as Azuma-kancho and his students challenged and then learned from the styles they fought. Eventually, for his work and effort in promoting the system of Daido Juku, Jan Bluming awarded Azuma-kancho an 8th Degree Black Belt in Kyokushin Karate. In 2001, at a press conference, Azuma-kancho announced that Daido Juku would now become non-profit and has received a special status from the Japanese government decreeing it a Japanese Cultural Budo Sport, a status granted to Judo, Aikido, and Kendo also. He renamed the sport aspect to KuDo (the Empty or Open Path) and revised some of the rules to encourage its growth (such as the removal of headbutts, and Ground and Pound). At the 2005 (2nd) World KuDo Championships in Tokyo, 45 countries were represented.

V. Masaaki Shimajiri vs. Bill Duff (Battle of Burning Exploding Hearts)

After completing as much training as they could with Higaonna-sensei, the duo enters Okinawan Prefectural Budokan Hall (not the most famous Nippon Budokan Hall in Tokyo) for a match with Masaaki Shimajiri. It was decided that Bill would do it since he felt he was absorbing the lessons very well. This writer does not know too much about osmosis but Shimajiri outweighs Chambers approximately 30 lbs and Chambers was battered already by Pableo and was weathered a bit by Yoddecha, so it would be natural for Bill to fight, if the shows were taped in this sequence it is played in.

Bill apparently has had striking training in the past with his Brown Belt in Toa Su Do. Bill is much taller and weighs more than Shimajiri. This may be an advantage if Bill can get out of low kicking range and score with those Seiken Choku Tsuki chest punches since he as the power. Otherwise he probably does not stand a chance. Watching the preview trailer for a number of these episodes may cause one to wonder if he will lose his cool and get a DQ.

And so the fight begins and it was a brawl filled with chest punches. Bill began trying a leaping knee. Shimajiri brutalized Bill with Kyokushin patented Seiken Choku Tsuki punch right to the chestbone repeatedly~! Bill attempted his own but they were not the strongest. Bill finally got a clean hit and then downed Shinajiri with a foot sweep. Shimajiri no-sold it and continued his assault and battery to Bill’s body. Unfortunately, Bill lost his temper at the heat of the moment and potatoed Shimajiri with a Right Hook to his jaw. The ref admonished Bill, and Bill apologized. Shimajiri smiled and then waylaid him with the Gedan Mawashi Geri to the outer thigh (Low Roudhouse Kicks). Bill was bruised black and blue, and worse still, was gassed.

The fight was one-sided. But seriously Chambers and Duff are still taping the Sambo episode in Russia. They have six months to tape 13 episodes and have 13 fights. Since an average only fights at most every two or three months, and Duff never had any pro fights this fight was fair until Duff committed the foul. At any time Shimajiri could have hit a high kick. He is apparently a humble guy so he took the fight seriously, maybe too much so, and did not vary his technique too much like Yoddecha or Pableo had with Jason. That or someone told him about how Duff was rough in training even though the Networks told the hosts’ training partners to go light on the two, and Shimajiri did not want to cause controversy.

Statistics
Human Weapon Hosts Win/Lost/Draw Record: 0 – 2 – 1
Jason Chambers: 0 – 2 – 0
Loss: R2 Decision to Yoddecha SitYodThong
Loss: R2 TKO to Percival “Val” Pableo

Final Notes: OK, as much as I love doing this I am losing sleep and spending time at work to type this. If I get caught I probably will be released. However I feel I am the only one who can get such eclectic ideas out. It is more than obvious that the professional Internet combat sports newsletter journalists such as Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez really do not have easy jobs (I have wrote for a number of combat sports journals in the past but never with one-week deadlines between each. Although these deadlines are self-imposed I feel if I lax then these will not come out as well). Thus aside from the Judo installment at the end of the month , the next installment, Savate and the one after Judo, Pankration will be less than 9-pages long even though I have 10x more interest in either than I did in Escrima (I did a class and respect it a lot but it does not interest me so much). Hopefully as I have less interest in Krav Maga or Marine Combatives, those two episodes will be back to back so I can just put those two reviews as one 8-page issue with four pages on each. At this time I have no thoughts on either the Bokhatar or Silat issue as I no familiarity with the previous and very little with the latter. In October when the Sambo episode finally debuts, and it is not Halloween, that will probably be a 17 page installment.