One of the Few?
By Yonezato Goyo
Most of you will probably have a puzzled look on your face when you read the title of this piece. But some of you may recognize this right away. It was from the old TV series Kung Fu, staring David Carradine. He played the part of a wandering Shaolin Monk in the Wild West who was looking for his long lost American father. In every episode he would have flashbacks to his days of training in the temple with the venerable old head monk. In several episodes, the head monk was asking him if he wanted to be one of the few (one of those who lived the way of a warrior monk) or one of the many (one of the thousands who knew nothing about the warriors life). The answer was obvious, he wanted to live the life of the warrior monk.
Today, all of us in Genwakai have the same choice. Since karate has become so prevalent in our cities, we can choose between many different styles. So the question for us is not, “Do you want to live the warriors life?” This question has already been answered by all of you. The real question is, do you want to study and be part of a small style or do you want to belong to a larger style? Keep in mind, the small style has its own way of doing techniques. It has been very well thought out, even in its smallest details such as tying your belt (which is different than other styles). The large style is more sport oriented, and doesn’t have many prescribed ways of doing things because these things, over time, have been forgotten or discarded. The larger style has more people to train with, spar with, and socialize with. In essence, it is a social club.
The difference between the small style and the large style is that, in the small style if you rise to ShoDan, you are a “Big Fish in a Little Sea.” If you rise to ShoDan in a large style, you are a “Little Fish in a Big Sea.” Which do you want to be?
This also begs the question; “Can’t I do both?” The answer is “No.” There is a simple reason for this answer. You cannot serve two masters (two or more styles). If you want to train in one style of Karate, do it. But if you try to do two styles of Karate, you only dilute both styles and you are neither. There can be no GenwaShotokan or Tae Kwon Genwakai. There have been several people whom I have seen fall into this trap, thinking that studying more than one style will make them more knowledgeable.
A junior Black Belt student was advised by a senior Shotokan Black Belt Sensei to “Just do Karate’” meaning perform strong, fast techniques. My question is which style do you use in performing strong, fast techniques? Do you use the Shotokan techniques or the Genwakai techniques? They are different. The simple truth is that you end up using a blend of both styles and your techniques are not as strong or as fast as they could be. Another Black Belt with several more years on his belt recently told me he quit attending another style’s dōjō because they were influencing his techniques. He stated his techniques were becoming diluted.
Gichin Funakoshi, the founder of Shotokan himself realized the dangers of this practice. He said, “In the past the philosophy of study was narrow and deep whereas nowadays it is shallow and wide.” (To Te Jitsu, by Gichin Funakoshi, published 1922)
“Just do karate,” the advice given to a junior Black Belt student, raises a crucial question, “What are you true to? What is your style? How deep have you gone?”
If you are contemplating starting your own dōjō, you should ask yourself this question, “Do I want to be remembered as the founder of a dōjō teaching a small ‘hidden’ style that surpasses other styles in theory and application? Or do I want to be an unknown Black Belt who teaches a blend of styles so my students can go to any dōjō, any style, and act the part of a chameleon, “just doing karate?”
In the life of karate-dō you have one shot. You can leave a legacy through Genwakai, a form of Budō manifested in a well thought out and extremely effective style of karate. Or, you can be one of the many who “just do karate.” Which do you want to be? Are you “One of the few?” Or “One of the many?”
Copyright © Genwakai America, Ltd. All rights reserved.
Today, all of us in Genwakai have the same choice. Since karate has become so prevalent in our cities, we can choose between many different styles. So the question for us is not, “Do you want to live the warriors life?” This question has already been answered by all of you. The real question is, do you want to study and be part of a small style or do you want to belong to a larger style? Keep in mind, the small style has its own way of doing techniques. It has been very well thought out, even in its smallest details such as tying your belt (which is different than other styles). The large style is more sport oriented, and doesn’t have many prescribed ways of doing things because these things, over time, have been forgotten or discarded. The larger style has more people to train with, spar with, and socialize with. In essence, it is a social club.
The difference between the small style and the large style is that, in the small style if you rise to ShoDan, you are a “Big Fish in a Little Sea.” If you rise to ShoDan in a large style, you are a “Little Fish in a Big Sea.” Which do you want to be?
This also begs the question; “Can’t I do both?” The answer is “No.” There is a simple reason for this answer. You cannot serve two masters (two or more styles). If you want to train in one style of Karate, do it. But if you try to do two styles of Karate, you only dilute both styles and you are neither. There can be no GenwaShotokan or Tae Kwon Genwakai. There have been several people whom I have seen fall into this trap, thinking that studying more than one style will make them more knowledgeable.
A junior Black Belt student was advised by a senior Shotokan Black Belt Sensei to “Just do Karate’” meaning perform strong, fast techniques. My question is which style do you use in performing strong, fast techniques? Do you use the Shotokan techniques or the Genwakai techniques? They are different. The simple truth is that you end up using a blend of both styles and your techniques are not as strong or as fast as they could be. Another Black Belt with several more years on his belt recently told me he quit attending another style’s dōjō because they were influencing his techniques. He stated his techniques were becoming diluted.
Gichin Funakoshi, the founder of Shotokan himself realized the dangers of this practice. He said, “In the past the philosophy of study was narrow and deep whereas nowadays it is shallow and wide.” (To Te Jitsu, by Gichin Funakoshi, published 1922)
“Just do karate,” the advice given to a junior Black Belt student, raises a crucial question, “What are you true to? What is your style? How deep have you gone?”
If you are contemplating starting your own dōjō, you should ask yourself this question, “Do I want to be remembered as the founder of a dōjō teaching a small ‘hidden’ style that surpasses other styles in theory and application? Or do I want to be an unknown Black Belt who teaches a blend of styles so my students can go to any dōjō, any style, and act the part of a chameleon, “just doing karate?”
In the life of karate-dō you have one shot. You can leave a legacy through Genwakai, a form of Budō manifested in a well thought out and extremely effective style of karate. Or, you can be one of the many who “just do karate.” Which do you want to be? Are you “One of the few?” Or “One of the many?”
Copyright © Genwakai America, Ltd. All rights reserved.