Do/Michi [道]

The character/ideogram means "road; street; way; path; course; route; lane; the way (of proper conduct, etc.); one's way; morals; teachings (esp. Confucian or Buddhist); dogma; way; method; means." Also "Taoism."

This is the yin of martial arts. The yang is the physical combative aspects. Both together give you the one whole of all martial arts. You can see this division when you study the complete and fundamental principles of all martial systems, i.e. the principles of theory, physiokinetics, technique and philosophy. 

The ken-po goku-i also alludes symbolically and metaphorically to this division and within the overall division of yin-yang, each smaller part contributes its yin-yang to the whole for a complete practice of martial arts. This is the yin or way, path or method to the yang or jutsu, technique or application of the physical that is the combatives of fighting, combat and war. 

To leave any part out of the whole leaves the martial arts broken and lacing completeness or wholeheartedness. To be complete human kind must have both male and female - it is just nature. Nature involves two complementary but different halves to make things whole and this goes especially with martial arts. 

To have a practitioner of martial arts without the yin half leaves a brutal and often misguided application of techniques. It is leaving reality out for the sake of the fiction that is today's martial art community - mostly. 

To teach something that is not relevant to reality, i.e. self-defense or combatives, is to leave out the yang for the benefit of more yin. Humans abhor violence on the whole and will naturally avoid it. This tends toward acceptance of the more yin aspects leaving the yang to flounder on the shore out of the life sustaining water that is the whole of martial practices. 

Embrace the whole to achieve true martial arts. Leave the halves joined, moving and changing to be a martial art that is both art and practical for today's world still with violence as a part of the one whole that is mankind. 

When the Physical Trumps Other Principles

Many of the first karate instructors in the west started out with nothing more than the physical teachings of the system. What I mean by the physical teachings is they learned the mechanics of the basics, kata and rudimentary kumite, i.e. a few boxing like combinations coupled with kicks. I have often theorized and hypothesized that this was due to the influences of the change from jutsu to a model more attuned to younger folks and the school systems of Japan and Okinawan, after WWII.

In the Isshinryu community the first generation students, many of them but not all, fell prey to the same issue. It can be assumed, for the moment, because of a statement from Shinsho or Cisco, Tatsuo-san's second son, where he explains why Tatsuo-san wanted those first generation students to embrace the ken-po goku-i. He stated, “My father wanted Americans to know more about “gokui (essential points) of Isshin-ryu karate but they only had a year to learn on Okinawa. So he only taught the basics or the physical applications.”

This was the foundation of western karate and in particular western taught Isshinryu. I am not saying that what I perceive is the actual truth but until I encounter facts that support another viewpoint my theory stands, for now. The goku-i or essential point of the way of the fist does provide a means to extract such things as the fundamental principles, i.e. a person's balance is the same as a weight, that speaks to several of the fundamental principles of martial systems and/or effectiveness. Balance comes from proper breathing, adequate and correct posture which comes from spinal alignment, structure; then their is the principles of heaviness, relaxation. centeredness, etc. All principles of martial systems that are the foundation of all combative arts.

This particular example also explains a part of the principles as explained by the term "chinkuchi." My readers all know how I love to talk about that one especially since it connects to the complete spectrum of principles as I understand them and that connects to the goku-i and its inferences per Tatsuo-san's desire for Americans to study the ken-po goku-i.

What this original model of teaching the physical while leaving the more important aspects alluded to through the goku-i left most karate instructors focused only on the application of the physical covering only part of the principles of physiokinetic's while leaving out the principles of theory, technique, and philosophy.

What I believe was the true intent of Tatsuo-san and Shinsho-san in presenting the goku-i was each of us must seek out the full spectrum of martial arts, i.e. the full shu-ha-ri that embraces the full model of the principles of martial effectiveness/systems. It also makes me understand his early promotions of some to roku-dan with emphasis that afer fifteen years or so then accept the grade because he was hoping and assuming the Americans would learn from the goku-i, discover things like chinkuchi and the principles behind it and karate and then assume a teaching role to pass all of it along to their students.

Maybe I got it right and maybe I don't have a clue. I just know that even those who profess to fully understand the system and the wishes of Tatsuo-san are not forthcoming with said teachings. They tend to hold them near and only pass their teachings along to those who are within that circle. It is a shame as this kind of stuff could change the beliefs, as it has for me, of the Isshinryu community resulting in a one unified wholehearted Isshinryu - something I believe Tatsuo-san wished for his system.