An Interview

1992
Interviewer: Sensei, it appears that you favor using the makiwara punching post. Can you tell me a
little about its use?

Iha: There are two kinds of makiwara. One is called a Shuri-makiwara and it stands to the height of
the instructor's breast bone. The other is called a Naha-makiwara. The Naha-makiwara was mainly
used by goju-ryu practitioners. It stood as high as the instructor's solar plexus (the bottom of the
breast bone).

The shorin-ryu practitioner would stand up in the kihon dachi (basic short stance) and throw the
punch at the board. The goju-ryu practitioner would punch from a shikko dachi (square stance).

The dojo usually had two kinds of makiwara. One was a soft/pliant makiwara and the other one was
usually a stiff/hard makiwara. The soft one was used to develop speed and form while the stiff one
was used to develop power. Both had to be used. If they were not, then you would develop
problems with the shoulder. Nowadays, most Okinawan practitioners use only the Shuri-style
makiwara because the Naha-makiwara is too difficult and hard to use.

The soft makiwara is off center about five inches. The measurement is from the tip of the thumb to
the tip of the forefinger. By punching the soft makiwara, you end up with the board in an upright
position -- this way you make sure that you are using the correct knuckles.

Interviewer: Can you give me some training pointers in the practice of shorin-ryu?

Iha: There are many. Those that come to mind are... well, the punching fist must be horizontal to the
ground. The elbow strike is also horizontal to the ground. The knife hand block begins like a
windshield wiper and does NOT come back to the shoulder. All shorin-ryu kicks are done with the
toes. Sometimes the second toe wraps itself around the big toe to reinforce it for kicking.

The nukite (spear hand) can be done to any part of the body but preferably to a soft section. It is a
quick motion and you can hit from different directions. The idea is that you strike with the
fingertips. In the knife hand block the hand is not bent but kept straight. Some other styles like to
bend the block at the wrist. This is much too weak and can damage your hand if you really block
hard.

Okinawan karate must have focus in order to be called Okinawan karate. Without focus you are
doing nothing but sport.

Interviewer: Sensei, can you say something about your gojushiho kata?

Iha: Nakama's gojushiho and Nakazato's gojushiho are the same. They both use the wedge type
block. The Tokuda gojushiho is a block punch - this is the style that Miyahira-sensei teaches. This
makes much more sense.

Interviewer: Are there "secrets" in the teachings of shorin-ryu?

Iha: One of the secrets of shorin-ryu is called the "tan gokui." This means the "secret of the lower
abdomen." Shorin-ryu focuses on natural breathing and not forced or fast breathing. The inhalation
is slow so as not to show your opponent the rhythm of your breathing. You never fully exhale your
breath but hold a reserve of air in the lower part of your abdomen. Shorin-ryu teaches one to focus
on one's breathing and to learn to control it.
Interviewer: Sensei, can you tell me about Chibana-sensei. I see that you received your Shihan
Menkyo (Teaching License) from Chibana-sensei.

Iha: Yes, Chibana-sensei. Well, Chibana-sensei always trained hard. Even when he reached eighty
years of age he like to do things strongly. Only after the cancer began eating him away did he slow
down. He was strong as an old man and could still kick and do things with power. He was amazing.

One of Chibana-sensei's favorite sayings was that a "martial artist must also be a man of letters."
This means that a martial artist must also study the writing arts. An example would be calligraphy,
writing books, the fine arts, painting, etc. Chibana-sensei would always stress the body and the
mind. The martial artist must also exercise the mind through education, research and writing.

You celebrate the death of Chibana-sensei through a "Taisai" every year. You have a party. The
master's picture is placed on a table and you burn incense. You have a party with food and drink.
The master's spirit comes to each remembrance wherever it may be held. The most important
Taisais are the 1st, 2nd and 3rd year. Then the 10th, 13th, 20th, 23rd, 30th and 33rd. If the
individual is remembered on the 33rd anniversary then the spirit can enter the "gate." The spirit can
then rest from its wanderings.

Interviewer: Your first teacher was Gusukuma Shinpan. Not much has been said about him in
books. Can you tell me something about Gusukuma-sensei?

Iha: Gusukuma Shinpan-sensei was known for his great speed in foot movements. He took short
steps with great speed -- very much like a kendo practitioner. Gusukuma-sensei was known to have
run side-ways on a wall for five meters without falling. He practiced this technique in order to force
the feet to move faster. It worked.

Even though Gusukuma-sensei died in 1954, all the old people of Shuri and Nishihara remember
him well. He had three sons and one daughter and had his original dojo in Shuri City. He later
moved to Naha in 1953 - the year before he died. He had a three tatami dojo (sanjo) and did
acupuncture on the side to make ends meet.

You could go to his dojo at any time of the day or night. If he was there, he would give you
instruction. If he was not there then you were expected to train by yourself. He taught the old style
of shorin-ryu -- sui-te in the Shuri hogen language. He never corrected your kata until after you had
done it. He had a very good memory and would point out all of your mistakes. He always had you
do the kata by the "no count method." In this way you were made aware of the "rhythm" of each
kata.

Interviewer: Please tell me something about your present teacher, Miyahira Katsuya-sensei.

Iha: The Shorin-ryu Shidokan Miyahira Dojo was founded by Miyahira Katsuya-sensei in 1951.
The fortieth year anniversary was held in Naha, Okinawa, in March of 1990. Miyahira-sensei
started with Chibana-sensei in 1933. He was originally a school teacher and was sent to Manchuko
(Manchuria) during World War 2.

Upon the death of Chibana, Miyahira-sensei received the hanko (seals) and presidency of the
Okinawa Shorin-ryu Karate-do Kyokai. He is still the president and holds annual Taisai celebrations
(at the time of Chibana's death).

Miyahira Katsuya-sensei taught differently but just as strictly. Miyahira corrected each movement
just like Chibana. He was always very scientific and always had you do the kata "by the count."

Interviewer: I understand that Gusukuma-sensei taught the pinan kata first as oppose to Chibana-
sensei who taught the naihanchin kata first.

Iha: It is always a lot easier to teach the pinan kata before the naihanchi kata. The naihanchi forms
need dedication and students find them hard to do initially. Under Gusukuma-sensei the kata order
was as follows: the kihon 1 & 2; pinan 1-2-3-4-5; pasai-sho and kusanku-sho; patsai-dai and
kusanku-dai; chinto; gojushiho; followed by the naihanchi series.

Interviewer: Sensei, I see that you really stress kicking as part of your training. Can you explain
some of your ideas about kicking? Also, I see that your round house kick is done with the toes as
oppose to the ball of the foot. Which way is better?

Iha: Kicking is very interesting to me. Americans like to kick and Gusukuma-sensei had a fondness
for kicking. That is who I picked the ideas of kicking from. Now the round house kick, this is also
done with the toes. The foot is in a straight line with the bones of the feet and it is not bent. It is not
at a 90 degree angle like a heel kick and it is not fully extended as a front toe kick. It is in the
middle.

The front kick is an excellent kick but it must hinge out to the target. The kick is always chambered
next to the supporting leg before it snaps out. The kick is then retracted to the knee area of the
supporting leg before it is brought back to the ground.

In the "old days," the kick was never extended past the extended punch. You always kicked within
the extended fist. It is too difficult to do nowadays and students just ignore this concept.

Nowadays, the students often seek the easier way and extend their kicks way past their fist. This is a
sport kick but it is okay for those that do not really understand kicking.

Remember that in kicking, the foot itself must be tight with the leg loose. You then "hinged" the
kick out. The kick must be chambered -- then kick -- and then re-chambered before the foot is set
down. All the kicks in shorin-ryu are done with the toes. I think that 85% of all the kicks are done
mid-body. We then do have a thrusting front kick made to the head but only about 15% of the time.

Interviewer: Can you explain something about punching and the back fist techniques?

Iha: The punching is done straight forward with the arm being horizontal to the ground. The hand is
held "softly" at the side -- that is, without tension. The hand goes out with speed and only focuses at
the end of the punch. Shorin-ryu punching is based on speed first and power second. The elbow is at
the side and it rests on the soft portion of the body between the hip bone and the floating ribs. The
shoulder is down. The hand fully rotates at the end of the punch.

Remember, it is important, that the fist is tight but the shoulder is loose. This is very important.

The backfist is only found in the naihanchi forms. All the rest that look like backfist are different.
They are extended and you have a tendency to hit with the forearm before you go into the face.

Interviewer: Can you explain something about blocking?

Iha: Yes, the shoulder. First, the wrist is even with the shoulder at the middle block level. In
naihanchi shodan, Chibana-sensei initially had the back knuckle strike come from the inside. In
1964-65 he changed it to the outside. This was because of the bunkai. If you practice the bunkai
with the kata you must do the technique to the outside. If you don't practice the bunkai then there is
no need to do it to the outside.

Blocking takes skill. Initially, while you are young, you concentrate on developing the power of the
block. As you become older and more mature in your technique, you develop soft power. This soft
power may be a mixture of timing and knowing when and where to block.

Chibana-sensei was an expert in soft blocking. He would always want you to strike at him strongly
but his blocking was so smooth and correct that you would often lose your balance when he
blocked. He often stated that breaking the attacker's balance is often more important than just
merely blocking.

Interviewer: Can you tell me something about these training devices you have here in your dojo? I
saw them everywhere in Okinawa but very few Americans know anything about them.

Iha: The most common training device in Okinawa is the chi-ishi. Everyone just "knows" how to
use it. There are about eight different exercises that were taught in the Chibana dojo. They were
specifically used to develop wrist and arm strength. You would do one exercise until you got tired
and then switch hands. You would continue with the chi-ishi exercises for about 15 to 20 minutes.

The Japanese were always amazed at how well muscled the Okinawans were. They did not know
about the chi-ishi and the nigiri-game training devices. They quickly adopted these methods.

The chi-ishi comes from China but is practiced by all Okinawan styles. It is not practiced in the
United States because there are not that many who actually trained in Okinawa. The chi-ishi and the
nigiri-game develop real karate-spirit. It is hard training.

The nigiri-game is also a strength building tool and it is used to develop the grip. There are about
three or four exercises and it is also an ancient training device used by all Okinawan practitioners.
Look at the old karate pictures and you'll see them in the dojo.

One of the chi-ishi exercises that is not used in shorin-ryu is the double arm movement that looks
like you're punching with a bo. This exercises forces a student to stutter when he moves and this
type of movement develops bad habits. The goju-ryu practitioners use this movement a lot but it is
not done by shorin-ryu practitioners.

The common weight is about 3-5 pounds for a beginner and 7-10 pounds for an advanced student. If
you want to develop more power then you can use 22-25 pounds. You must always remember that it
is never the weight but it is always the quality of the movement. Learn to do it correctly and learn to
concentrate (focus) on what you do.

Background and Interview by Ernest Estrada, Okinawa Shorin-ryu Kyoshi