The Code of Isshin-ryu
The
Art of Combat & Life
1.
A Person’s Heart is the Same as Heaven and Earth-
2.
The Blood Circulating is the Same as the Sun and the Moon-
3. The Manner of Spitting and Drinking is Either Hard or Soft-
4. A Person’s Unbalance is the Same as a Weight-
5. The Body Must be Able to Change Direction at Any Time-
6. The time to Strike is When the Opportunity Presents Itself-
7. The Eye Must See in All Ways-
8. The Ear Must Listen in Every Direction-
I remember seeing and reading this Code of Isshin-ryu, for the first time, as a Roku-kyu in 1958. As an average American, I had little comprehension of what Tatsuo Shimabuku, Soke was trying to impart, to the students of his art. Over the years that followed, I heard others interpretations of these obviously Far Eastern tenets. At the same time, I was gaining more and more competence, by watching the manner in which my Sensei, mentor and, eventually, closest friend walked, spoke, taught, moved upon the deck and off it. I have said in other essays, that Master Nagle had a manner of walking into a room, like a jungle cat, eyes sweeping the room, noting what was passive and what might be aggressive, while in his eyes you saw and instinctively felt that this was a person who was dangerous. There was always an air of mysticism about him. We would be on the deck and he would walk into the dojo and you immediately knew what kind of night it might be for the students. Once he became a plain clothes police officer, to the best of my knowledge, he always carried three pistols. Knowing that did not make you any more comfortable around him. But listening to fellow officers and/or his partners over the years, in private conversations, would tell you of the countless times he rushed past the group during a raid and went through the door alone. When the other members of the detail arrived in the room, the alleged perpetrators would be on the floor, subdued or unconscious depending on whether or not they tried to put up a fight or go for a weapon. At one period, Jersey City became a target of the Black Panthers. One of the leaders, who purportedly was an extraordinary karate-ka, let it be known that he was looking for Nagle (an empty boast, since Sensei could be found on the deck, in his dojo, every night, plus Saturday) and was going to take him out. It was well known that this particular man was well armed, as well. His partner told me, over a cup of coffee, that they were in an unmarked car and pulled into a gas station to get cigarettes. The partner spotted the Panther at a gas pump, motioned to Nagle and was told that Sensei had seen him as they pulled in. They parked the car in a space near the store area. His partner started to open the door, but Sensei grabbed his arm and said, “He wants me, not you. Stay here, it will be fine. With that he approached the suspect, without being seen or heard, something that was natural to Master Nagle. He was elbow to elbow with this boastful young man before he realized Nagle was on top of him. When he realized who it was, he was startled. Nagle said, “I hear that you are looking for me, to beat me to death,” and then stated, “I just don’t think so.” At that point, the suspect jumped back a few feet, smiled and launched an attack, kicking and punching. According to his partner, Nagle looked bored, which was something that his students noticed when they fought him, a nonchalance that said, “Whatever you do, it won’t be good enough and I will finish you when I want to.” Nagle, in a relaxed mode, blocked quickly, hit the assailant with a backfist to the side of the head, straightening him up and then blew him ten feet back, unconscious with a side thrust kick. He frisked the man, handcuffed him, pulled him over to their car and threw him in the back seat. His partner was staring at him and Nagle said, “Can you still drive. Let’s get this bum to the hospital.” As Donald Bohan said, “Nagle was the meanest man he ever saw on a deck.” I always felt that it wasn’t meanness, it was instead, a cold, predatorily instinctive thing that was inherent, like a jungle cat. He never thought about what you were doing, it never mattered, he would take you out.
Fighting him, as often as I did, and being basically of the same type of build, with athleticism born of sport participation from childhood, it was natural for me to try to emulate his style. A few years ago, I did a seminar on fighting technique at Ernie Temple’s dojo. That was somewhat daunting, since Master Temple was a Championship fighter himself and his students were perennial winners at tournaments in both kata and kumite. But that night was joyous, and they were a pleasure to work with, although there were about 60 of them on the deck. I would demonstrate a situation and the technique to utilize. Then I would make them pair off and try it on each other. At that point, I would rush around the deck, correcting those who were having trouble. As this went on for hours, I received the highest compliment I have ever gotten, since I started in karate. Master Temple and several of his students told me that they had Sensei Nagle at the dojo for a seminar a few years prior to his passing and that I moved exactly like him. One young lady, said, “It feels like he is here again.”
Therefore, after 47 years on the deck fighting and teaching, I believe that I have come to be comfortable with the tenets of The Code of Isshin-ryu. I would like to tell you what I believe the points of the code are telling us. This is simply my inner belief and you may agree or disagree or fall somewhere at mid point. But whatever side you fall on, I hope that it stimulates you to think about what Shimabuku Soke, a simple, yet complex man has given us in his magnificent gift of Isshin-ryu and his beliefs concerning how a man must live to earn and utilize fully the blessing of Isshin-ryu.
I believe that the first three points are symbolic of his art of the “Way of the One Heart.” It is the control of mind, soul and body, in turn. Heaven and Earth are the historic pull between the righteous decision and that decision which would more satisfy our body, rather than our soul. We must become attuned to our inner selves and make peace with our shortcomings by overcoming them as well as is humanly possible. That type of discipline brings strength of character and a reliable moral certitude. In this world, this has become more difficult than ever before. However, if we cannot resolve to reach that piece of mind, we may inadvertently misuse our gift of Isshin-ryu.
References to heaven and earth are the two sides of a coin, the major directional decision of our lives. It concerns our moral base and our integrity. These are not pliable, changing and diversifying, they have been constant from the moment the earth was created. Good and evil are constants, which never change, despite the passing of millennium after millennium. Our conscience will always speak of the righteous decision. It is so in our daily dealing with our fellow man, with our lifetime application of the knowledge we possess in Isshin-ryu, the Art and in our life’s path. Without integrity there is no manhood or leadership. Soke tells us that we cannot change from moment to moment, to suit our desires or urges. We must be steadfast.
The reference to the moon and the sun is relative to our lives. Everything starts with sunrise and ends as the moon rises. The moon and the sun have a direct relationship to our daily life and the manner in which we behave. The food that we eat requires the sun to bear fruit; the tides are affected by the moon. Both have a relationship to our moods. We are joyous when the sun shines brightly and serene when viewing the moon, on a starlit night. So it is with life and our relationship with “The way of the One Heart.” We rise and fall upon the manner in which we dedicate ourselves to Isshin-ryu. Personally, I have been through times of great trouble and decades of bright accomplishment. We must do our best, not to allow our lives to be a series of highs and lows. We must become steadfast in our devotion to family and life. And, so it is with Isshin-ryu, Soke’s creation, which becomes a strong, binding power within our lives. While he possessed the physical ability, his life was one of daily hard workouts, to remain fit, into old age, and to perfect his spiritual connection with Isshin-ryu, the child of his mind and soul. As the sun rises and falls, Shimabuku Soke, saw dissension and dismay, but persevered and gained recognition and justification, at last. This is a lesson that we can take to our heart and live with every day of our life. There are days when we awaken and realize that we are not at the top of our capabilities. However, I have always found that a good workout, pressing beyond what we initially felt possible, brings with it a well spring of energy and satisfaction. With or without this dedication, the sun and the moon will rise within their turn, with or without our permission, enthusiasm or even our notice. But, if we are to succeed, every day must be met as a welcome challenge to do our best and not allow a single day to pass without accomplishment. This is the difference between a mediocre student and an extraordinary fighter and teacher.
The manner of spitting and drinking may not be the most subtle of the tenets, but is also illustrative of our pursuit of life and Isshin-ryu and determines whether or not we succeed. Both of these actions and their correlation to our lives bring us back to Shimabuku’s creation. As some styles of karate are viewed as either hard styles or soft styles, the Soke of Isshin-ryu has chosen to blend these elements of life as a simile of Isshin-ryu, for, as I have also written in the past that Tatsuo Shimabuku, Soke constrained himself to patience and inner peace, until an event challenged him, to bring forth his strength. In moment of personal conversation he told a small group of four or five of us, that the lion relaxed all day, until the exact moment of contact with the prey, the impact, the kill, was the hard side, as in Isshin-ryu, impact is the moment of total body tension and then is gone, in the blink of the eye. The relaxed postures of Isshin-ryu, as opposed to the deep, tense stances of other styles, is the relaxation of the lion. We should be totally relaxed as we face our opponent or aggressor, retaining our energy. In a match or in actual combat, our body secretes adrenaline, that you can feel pounding in your ears. If you allow this to become uncontrolled, you will suddenly realize that your arms and legs are shaking with exhaustion. If we truly see the meaning of the Master, we will reserve our strength, show patience, awaiting the attack and then, with the first block or redirection of the opponent’s strike, we should focus each of our blocks and strikes for a second, as each contact is made. All of the strength of our body, all the energy of our chi, is placed within the opponent and relaxation immediately returns, between impacts. Spitting and drinking hard or soft is our individual decision and mindset (built upon practice and diligence), as is the way of fighting with Isshin-ryu. I believe that the first three tenets are linked together, in mind, body and soul and are a symbol of a resolute nature.
The fourth tenet of the Code is a physical relationship and, may even, be a castigation of the stances utilized in the other styles, which do not support quickness and flexibility, strength of Isshin-ryu. These stances invite clashes and exchange of blows, where Isshin-ryu should look to avoid the attack and thereby, unbalance the opponent. Unbalanced and in an unrecoverable deep stance, means that they are not naturally balanced, as in Isshin-ryu with feet settled under the body, allowing shifting and quick movement. In a deep stance, or even if an Isshin-ryu neophyte over reaches with a strike or kick, as a result of lack of spacing knowledge or experience, it is as though you are suddenly obliged to avoid a counter attack while holding a fifty pound weight in your arms. Remain relaxed, feet spread no wider than your shoulders or stretched before you anymore than would allow you to move either foot, without a special use of energy. This fourth tenet is linked to the fifth and sixth to elaborate on the importance of proper relaxed stance.
The fifth rule or tenet is a warning that you must be ready for a sudden change of positioning and attack by your foe. If our stance is too wide, when that attack comes, we will not be able to instantaneously move aside, changing the perspective of the opponent’s attack. We will be in a clash of wills and technique that might spell defeat. When we attack another, we must always keep in mind that the opponent is allowed to strike us, on the way in. That was always the manner in which Master Nagle won his matches, with speed, balance and the ability to change the foe’s target opportunity. The three rules of Isshin-ryu that I learned from my Sensei were speed, balance and focus.
I place the sixth rule of the code with the fourth and fifth, because I believe that drawing the opponent into mistakes of unbalance and improper stance, making quick movement impossible. That results in the opportunity to strike presenting itself, which we can take advantage of. These opportunity need not wait for the opponent to make a mistake in their movement, since it is as easily set up, by a feint, head bob and strike or by changing stance often enough to confuse the foe and get them in a vulnerable position. Nowadays, contestants at tournaments often take a Sei-san stance moving forward and backward along a specific line. This is not Isshin-ryu. Go through all of your katas and evolve into a fighter who can change stance and hand aspect, often enough to confuse an opponent and overload their internal computer. When they can’t handle the data, you strike.
Tenets seven and eight are linked to what every good Sensei teaches their students, as soon as they begin to take classes. The average person has little awareness of what is taking place around them. That is why there are so many accidents and defensive driving has become a popular course. When assault victims are questioned, they often cannot describe those who attacked them. They say, “They came out of nowhere.” That is impossible, people are not invisible. If you walk with your head up, looking forward to develop a feeling for anyone standing or loitering in your path, making quick decisions to avoid passing them in close proximity. Often look to the left and the right and behind you, to see if someone is coming up toward you, with their eyes upon you. Awareness is safety and will give you the time to make optional decisions. Sensei Nagle taught us never to walk near the buildings on the side of the street that you are on, but to walk closer to the gutter. If you glance into those doorways and see someone lurking there or in an alley, you can cross the street or at least set yourself for an attack. Look, Listen and Think. It could save your life.
The Code of Isshin-ryu is as applicable today, as it was when Shimabuku, Soke first wrote them down.