Ancient Warrior, Modern World
Ryukyu Kempo
By Bill Gossett
As Published in "Budo Dojo " Fall 1992

Imagine this scenario: A teenager living on the island of Okinawa around 1945. He has an intense gravitation toward anything that involves Okinawan martial arts. One day, by chance, he meets a very old man in his 90's resting in the shade with a six-foot staff close
by his side.

The old man uses the staff to aid him when he slowly strolls by the ocean. As the teenager approaches, he realizes that the old man is wearing his hair in a kampo, the traditional style of the ancient Bushi warrior. The teenager, knowing that the wearing of the kampo
had been forbidden by the Japanese government. approaches the old man. The teenager strikes up a conversation and finds out that he is. in fact. a retired bushi warrior.

The bushi and the teenager have more pleasant conversation and the bushi finds out from the teenager that he is a descendant within a family lineage of bushi himself. Over a period of time. because of the teenager's warrior lineage. the old bushi decides to make the teenager one of the only students he has ever had and instruct him in his ancient warrior art.

The ancient bushi art was "Tuite Jitsu" and "Kyusho jitsu," the retired bushi was Uhugushuku No Tan Mei and the teenager was Taika Seiyu Oyata. Today. the 64-year old Taika Oyata resides in Independence. Missouri, He is considered by many to be the greatest karate practitioner alive today. His knowledge of "Kyusho jitsu" (nerve point) strikes that temporarily paralyze parts of the body and the "touch" knock out which causes his opponent to crumble like a rag doll in a temporary sleep. are not known to anyone in the world except him. The nerves used fo.r the to.uch kno.ck o.ut can also. be used to. kill an o.ppo.nent if necessary. Ho.wever, when used as a kno.ck o.ut it serves the purpo.se'o.f a warning to. any wo.uld-be assailant. '

The ancient art form of "Tuite Jitsu" (grappling art) is as formidable a weapon as the "Kyusho. Jitsu." The grappling method causes an opponent to. be held flat against the floor writhing in pain, until the opponent changes his negative attitude or Taika Oyata chooses to release him. This ancient art form in highly sophisticated and complex method of grappling that enables a person to. control his or her opponent while exerting a minimum amount o.f strength. The ancient arts of "Tuite" and "Kyusho." were passed down to Taika Oyata from UhugUshuku No Tan Mei.

In 1968, Taika Oyata visited the U.S. for a short time and that is when the terminology "Tuite" and 'Kyusho." were first introduced to Western civilization. During his short visit here, he laid the groundwork for his international karate association, the Zenkoku Ryukyu Kempo Karate Kobudo. Rengo Kai. It was officially founded in 1977, and no.w claims o.ver 5,000 members worldwide.

In 1977, upon officially founding the international association, he moved to the United States. Taika Oyata is the only karate practitioner today to have received training from Uhugushuku and is the sole heir to the Uhugushuku family system of bushi arts. The training was special and included all the ancient Okinawan weaponry as well as empty hand techniques.

The training was different because Uhugushuku had used his techniques in real battles. It included fighting theory, history and how to study techniques that were hidden in the empty hand and weapons kata. Uhugushuku trained with his lifelong friend Wakinaguri No Tan Mei. Wakinaguri was also in his 90's when Taika Oyata met him through Uhugushuku. Wakinaguri was a 6th generation Okinawan whose family migrated to Okinawa from China. Wakinaguri was an expert in vital point striking. Uhugushuku and Wakinaguri trained together for most of their lives, becoming almost inseparable when they reached their 90's.

Taika Oyata is the only man alive who was presented the Menkyo Kai Den, a very special scroll that named him as the successor to the Uhugushuku family system of karate. To be added to this scroll was the Uhugushuku family stone signature seal and permission to teach Uhugushukus'techniques. Taika Oyata trained under Uhugushuku until Uhugushukus'death.

In the mid 60's, Taika Oyata became the "AI/Okinawan," "All-Japan" Bogu Kumite "full-contact fighting" champion. A few years later, he amazed the "All-Okinawan" weapons fighting tournament with his unique hand variations using the six-foot bo.

Practitioners of other karate systems that teach weapons who have had an opportunity to witness a Ryukyu Kempo weapons form have been awed by the beauty and power of the forms. This is due to the uniquely sophisticated and technical hand and body motions that create the basis of the weapons forms.

Taika Oyata teaches that there are three types of peo.ple who practice karate: those who. talk loud and do very little kata; those that can do kata but do not understand it; and those who can do kata, understand what they are doing and know how to use it. Synthesized with this idea is the traditional mindset of the ancient bushi warrior. The "warrior mind" is one that studies the actual combat techniques while training, in contrast to the "sports mind" that eliminates all the ideas that do not fit in the frame of the sport or game being trained for.

There is a fundamental premise that seems to tie the concepts of "Tuite" and "Kyusho" to an understanding of what the true meaning o.f karate really is and what it was meant to be. This premise is inherent within the teachings of Taika Qyata and his classical art form. It is explained an true interpretation of the original kanji characters that spell the words karate. Taika Oyata teaches that the word karate means "vastness of hand," as opposed to. the normally accepted meaning "empty hand."

The "vastness of hand" is a much more abstract term that describes the limitless ability of the "open hand" to perform a "life protection art." This "life protection art" protects not only the individual, but the community and in many cases, the aggressor. It comes in the form of an open hand that is open to serving food to the hungry or open to helping an elderly person across the street. This doesn't sound like your typical definition of karate does it?

Combine this definition of karate with the classical Okinawan art form of Ryukyu Kempo. taught by Taika Oyata, and you truly have the spirit of the ancient bushi warrior present in a modern-day world. Sounds like something the world could use a little more of, does it not?

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