WALLS OF SILENCE BY PROF RICK CLARK

Have vital point techniques been systematically withheld from martial artists? The knowledge and skill in the esoteric aspects of the martial arts have been kept secret from the general population so that those in the upper ranks could maintain their position of authority. Even early writers described how secretive martial arts instructors were about keeping knowledge of these points from the general public. Koyama & inami !"#"$% state &the knowledge of 'iu 'itsu !sic% has only recently been made general in (apan.&!p.)% The &upper classes* 'ealous lest their influence over the populace should wane* tried to keep it to themselves.&!ibid p.)% History is replete with e+amples of those in power to attempting to maintain their position by the restriction of weapons or knowledge. ,or e+ample* bron-e when it was first used for weapons was vastly superior to other material and its production became a state monopoly. Today* a similar analogy is the knowledge of .uclear weapons systems and how they are a closely guarded state secrets. /n feudal (apan only the warrior class !bushi% were allowed to carry two swords and practice the various forms of martial arts. 0u'utsu was considered to be the e+clusive domain of the warrior class. &1ommoners* while not totally without weapons* nevertheless were forbidden to possess the types used by the bushi and were refused permission to study the bu'utsu.&!2rager "#3$ p.4$% Kendo can be used as an e+ample of how of 0u'utsu techniques were changed in the early seventeenth century to a form of 0udo. 5ith this change &the essence of kendo was stated at that time to be more spiritual discipline for the improvement of personal character than an activity directly concerned with combat.&!2rager "#64* p.)3% 7riginally it was designed for situations of life and death it now Kendo looked to the spiritual perfection of the individual. 5ith this shift in emphasis to the non8combative aspect it was &the first time that swordsmanship in any form had been openly offered as available to all classes of people.&!ibid p.)3% Thus* the techniques of combat* which had been restricted to the warrior class were now being openly taught to the general public. The moderm 0udo forms of 9ikido and (udo were being taught not as a form of combat* but for spiritual and physical development in these early years. 9ikido and (udo came from similar backgrounds* i.e. (u'itsu. (udo* the older of the two styles* was systematised in "33: by (igoro Kano. ;ater 9ikido was organised by orihei <yeshiba in "#:4* which was then known as aiki8 'u'utsu. /t was given a name change in "#=: and has retained then name 9ikido !2rager "#6$ p.l$#%. 0oth men modified older systems of (u'itsu to create newer styles which &in the main >are? unrelated to real combat&!2rager "#6$ p. "$3%. Kano was quite open in his acknowledgement that he removed the dangerous techniques from the syllabus of (udo. /n fact* (udo relegated the practice of Kyusho !striking vital points of the body% to Kata !Koi-umi "#)6% so it was not necessary to strike these points on an opponent. The development of Kyusho8'itsu or 9temi8 wa-a in the (apanese martial arts &lagged behind the more advanced systems of 1hina and the 1hinese8influenced fighting systems of Korea and 7kinawa&!2rager "#6$ p.l$=%. /t was during the Taisho era !"#":8:)% that @ichin ,unakoshi others introduced 7kinawan

Karate to the mainland of (apan. Aet* it would seem likely that ,unakoshi did not widely teach Kyusho8'itsu to the general population. /t is even possible he did not teach the advanced techniques to his senior students. ,unakoshi !"#64% stated he &set about revising the kata so as to make them as simple as possible.&!p.$)% The simplification of kata* however* can be first credited to one of ,unakoshiBs teachers 9nko /tosu. /n the early "#CCBs he developed the five Dinan kata* which were then taught in the 7kinawan school system. 9n alert military doctor noticed the physical condition of 7kinawan conscript* which was attributed to the practice of Te. Karate was then included in the physical education curriculum in "#C$.!2rager "#6$ p.4#% This was of course prior to the introduction of Karate into (apan in "#::. (ust as Kano developed (udo so that the dangerous techniques were removed allowing (udo to be taught in the school system of (apan* it appears that ,unakoshi also taught Karate in such a way as to be appropriate for the school system. &Hoping to see karate included in the universal physical education taught in our public schools* / set about revising the kata so as to make them as simple as possible.&!ibid. p.$)% ,unakoshi even states that Karate as taught in (apan is &not the same karate that was practised even as recently as ten years ago* and it is along way indeed from the karate that / learned when / was a child in 7kinawa.&!ibid p.$)% /t must be assumed that ,unakoshi did not teach a deep understanding of kata to these beginning students. /t was not uncommon at that time to teach only a small number the real secrets of a system. To illustrate this point (iu8(utsu !sic% regarded the strikes to vital points of the body as secret techniques and did not impart this knowledge to novices. The master of a system would only teach the full system to the individual who would be the &inheritor of his entire method& !Aamanaka "#"3* p.:C3%. /f you understand that kata was designed as a method for remembering various self8defence techniques it is easy to understand when ,unakoshi !"#64% states &if you merely move your hands and feet and 'ump up and down like a puppet* learning karate is not very different from learning to dance. Aou will never have reached the heart of the matter* you will have failed to grasp the quintessence of Karate8do.& !p."C=% ,unakoshi held fast to the principle that the true secrets of Karate were to be found in the various kata. ,unakoshi!"#33% states &;ooking over the thirty8odd kata* he >a student? should be able to see that they are essentially variations on 'ust a handful. /f you truly understand a single technique* you need only observe the forms and be told the essential points of the others.& !p.==% @rasping the essence of Karate8do is an elusive goal reached by few. /t takes a mentor who truly understands Kata to point you in the proper direction. The &martial arts masters of old would confer a diploma and reveal key elements only to those disciples whose training* almost unbearably hard and austere* had lead them to e+perience directly the spirit of budo.&!,unakoshi "#33* p.==% ,rom the perspective of modem day martial arts two of the key elements to grasping the essence of Karate8do is the understanding that kata contain viable self8defence techniques which centre around strikes and manipulation of vital points. 0asic to their interpretation of kata is the lack of* what would normally be interpreted as* blocks. These aspects of karate8do were probably withheld from high school and college students because of how lethal the techniques are. 1onsider for a moment* if you could teach individuals to lightly strike various parts of the body and knock out your opponent would you want every high school student in your city to have that knowledge? 7f course notE This type of technique would be withheld from all but a very few of

the best students of an instructor. 7r if you were an instructor with this knowledge of deadly techniques would you teach the real secrets to those who had recently conquered your nation? / think not. 7kinawa was a conquered nation under (apanese rule. How likely is it that ,unakoshi ever revealed the true secrets of Karate8do to his senior students? /n the words of one of ,unakoshiBs early students Fhigero Egami!"#6)%* speaking of the &Aoi& or ready posture* he states &/ know that there are changes in function among the various kata* but / must confess that / do not know the reason* nor why they change according to the kata.&!p. "C6% /f such a senior student of ,unakoshi does not fully understand kata how likely is it that 9merican servicemen after 55.// would be taught the real meaning of Karate. This doubt of instructors teaching the advanced or deadly techniques to westerners is clearly stated by Koyama & inami!"#"$% when they state &There are some 'iu 'itsu manoeuvres that have never been e+plained to Europeans or 9mericans 8 and probably they never will be.& &These death blows are remarkable. Fome are delivered on the spine* others on the neck and head* and two on the face. There are almost numberless manoeuvres that temporarily paralyse nerves and nerve centres* and others that stop the circulation of the blood in various parts of the body.&!p.48)% This conviction is held by Gairamuttu!"#4= p.:"% who echoed Koyama & inami when he statedH &5hether the real secrets of advanced 'u'itsu* which are so greatly treasured by the (apanese and imparted under vow of strict secrecy to pupils of unquestionable moral character* have ever been divulged to 7ccidentals* is very much open to doubt.& The Breal secretsB to which Gairamuttu referred were the methods of attacking the vital points of the body and the resuscitation after the administration of such blows. This veil of secrecy is found throughout the various martial arts. To illustrate this point* 9ikido masters have been taught groups of techniques known as Kaeshi85a-a. Kaeshi85a-a are techniques which involve a blending from one movement to another which will allow the initiated to emerge victorious over their opponent. Faito!"#6=% offers an illuminating discussion of Kaeshi85a-a which are handed down to high rank black belts in 9ikido. &/n olden days* ,ounder orihei <yeshiba used to initiate his leading disciples into the art of Kaeshi8wa-a instruct secrecy as a Bmanual for martial competitionB prior to sending them out in the world as undefeatable instructors. The instructors* armed with Kaeshi8wa-a* were thus able to gain leadership always in their training sessions even when they were in a defensive position.&!p.":4% /t is clear from this that <eshiba withheld secret techniques from the lower rank (apanese students to maintain the superiority of his upper rank students. <eshiba then* it appears* went one step further and purposely withheld techniques from any student who were not (apanese. This statement is supported by Ftevens!"#36% when he quotes a passage from orihei <eshibaBs privately circulated te+t 0udo published in "#$3 that gives the warning BThis manual is not to be shown to non8(apanese.B!p.63% 5hat was it that <eshiba would teach his instructors? Faito!"#6=*p.":48")4% demonstrates techniques which are counterattacks to 9ikido throws and 'oint locks. 7ne assumes that would be the basis of the Kaeshi8wa-a of <eshiba. However* there appears to be more to <eshibaBs art than counter techniques shown by Faito. Ftevens !"#36% describes an event that occurred during <eshibaBs so'ourn in ongolia. & orihei* too* became an instant lama* giving lavish performances of chiokon8kishin techniques and applying the laying on of hands to cure illness. 5hen he demonstrated his prowess as the King of Drotectors by causing powerfully built ongol

warrior to collapse by merely touching them 88 the ignorant fighters were unaware that he attacked their vital pressure points.&!p.:#%. The use of vital points appears to play a vital role in the martial art <eshiba. .ot surprisingly* this does not appear to be taught to westerners. <eshibaBs ability to Bmerely touchB a person and cause them to collapse must indeed have been a wonderful art. Fuch attacks to vital points would seem to be something very worthwhile to pass on to your students. Aet* in an e+amination of 9ikido te+ts by Faito !"#6=%* Tohei !"#)3%* <yeshiba !"#):%* 5estbrook !"#6C%*Aamada !"#6=% and Fhioda !"#):% did not reveal any specific references to vital points or such applications as attributed to <eshiba. /nvariably these te+ts would suggest an 9temi8wa-a !strike to vital points% prior to performing a technique. ost te+ts would offer general locations to strike for particular throws or pinning techniques. /llustrations of such general instructions can be found in the te+t by Faito !"#6= p. ":=% who offers the following information on 9temi85a-a 5hen performing Fhio8nageH &9temi to our partnerBs face with your right hand&* &Kicking his right knee sideways to dislocate the 'oint.&* &9temi to his side with your left elbow.& These 9temi8wa-a are presented in such a way it seems they are used only to distract the individual. .ot as an integral part of the technique. /t is interesting to note all of the te+ts will give quite detailed e+planations of the throw* yet* are e+tremely vague on the 9temi8wa-a 5hat is even more interesting is a te+t in (apanese language by Hashimoto !"#)=% where there is a comparison :6 Kyusho !vital% points used in 9ikido to the points used in 9cupuncture. This list is quite detailed and gives the nomenclature used both in 9ikido and 9cupuncture. Hashimoto lists vital points used in 9ikido which are found on the 1hest* Head* ,ace* Hand* ;eg and 0ack. 5hile the e+act locations of vital points have not been described in English language 9ikido te+ts* it is quite clear they are openly discussed in (apanese te+ts. Drior to 55.// there were several publications which discussed vital points and how they could be used to knock out or kill a person. Feveral of these books give quite accurate information* if you know what to look forE To give several e+amples itchell!"#$)% demonstrates at least three workable knockouts!p.l$48"=$%. Hunter!"#$3% lists and describes vital points on the human body and describes a knockout!p. l 38:=%. He additionally describes various Katus or ways of bring back a person to consciousness !vol :* p. 68#%. /n general these te+ts are quite vague concerning e+actly how to go about knocking out an opponent. /f the reader were already familiar with vital point theory and techniques these knock outs would be self8evident. There were not any te+ts reviewed which tied in Kata and vital point practice e+cept Koi-umi!"#)C%. Each knock out was described as an individual technique and not connected to kata. 5e* the martial arts community* have allowed this knowledge to virtually slip away. To give a specific e+ample Handcock and Higashi !"#C4% published a book which pointed out a number of Kyusho !vital% points and detailed methods of Katsu !resuscitation%. This book was republished in "#)" by 2over Dublications. 9t the beginning of the book the following notation was printedH &This 2over edition* first published in "#)"* is an unaltered republication of the work originally published by @.D. DutnamBs FonBs in "#74* e+cept that the last two sections !:) pages% on serious and fatal blows and Kuatus* or the restoration of life* have been omitted* because their use to the public is doubtful and they do not affect the over8all value of the book. &5hile the publisher may have felt the overall value of the book would not be effected* the deletion of these two sections is a significant shortcoming. There are ma'ors flaw in these early works* as well as contemporary works dealing with vital pointsH

They lack the direction and angle to strike* and the results from the strike. They lack the way in which these points are set up to allow you to knock out the person ost importantly is how these techniques are to be found in various traditional Kata. These important aspects of the martial arts has been neglected for much too long of a time.

It is critical at this juncture we redisco er the true !eanin" o# $Karate%do&$