PDA

View Full Version : Shito-ryu, Shuko-kai and "Shukokai International"



Tripitaka of AA
4th May 2004, 12:51
Preface:I am a visitor to this forum. I have read the sticky notes at the top of the page and will make every effort to abide by the rules. I am particularly aware of the poor form shown by "trolls" and hope that my question will not come across an attempt to troll.

I have very limited knowledge of Karate history, but have a question for those in the know. It is indirectly related to the thread in Baffling Budo, but is not part of any crusade. I just want to broaden my knowledge.

What is Shuko-Kai?

How does it relate to Shito-ryu?

How does this relate to MIYAKE Kunio's "Shuko Kai International"?


I have no axe to grind, nor crime to expose... I'm just curious.




I've dipped in to read some of the threads on this forum while trying to make sure I wasn't duplicating old threads, and I've found them fascinating reading. I'm not sure I want to meet a "White Possum", :eek: but it sounds as though an evening with any of these E-Budoka would be well worth the price of the beer.

Rob Alvelais
4th May 2004, 14:26
One of the few people that Mr. Kenwa Mabuni, founder of Shito Ryu, gave Shihan licenses to was Chojiro Tani. Mr. Tani was the founder of Shuko Kai a.k.a. Tani Ha Shito Ryu.

Mr. Miyake was a Tani ha practitioner, but I don't recall under whom. Mr. Miyake formed his own organization, called Shukokai International. To the best of my knowledge, Mr. Miyake teaches orthodox Tani ha Shito ryu, but utilizes the Goju version of Suparinpei and the WKF Shitei Kata versions of Seienchin, Seipai, Saifa and Bassai Dai.

Mr. Miyake's most notable student AFAIK, is Akira Fukuda. A very nice fellow, and one hell of a kata competitor. Akira has been a USANKF National Champion, and has competed at the WKF World Championships, representing the USA.

Rob

Gene Williams
4th May 2004, 15:19
Yes, I think Shito-ryu in Europe was called Shuko Kai more than it was called Shito-ryu.

Harry Cook
4th May 2004, 18:03
In the UK the general feeling was that Shukokai was developed by messrs tani and Kimura primarily as a tournament system. With time instructors such as Nanbu introduced variations of the basic approach, and some Shukokai groups returned to a more traditional form of Shito Ryu.
Harry Cook

Shorinman
4th May 2004, 18:48
Does anyone know if Kimura's dojo was closed after he passed away or did someone keep it open?

I tried to find it a couple of years ago, but didn't have any luck. Kimura's dojo was in Tenafly, NJ on (I think) Tenafly Rd.

Tripitaka of AA
5th May 2004, 02:43
Thank you Gentlemen, that answers my questions perfectly and my curiosity is now satisfied.

hedkikr
8th January 2005, 02:58
I just discovered this great site but I'd like to clarify the matter of Miyake Shuko-kai Int. Hope I'm not dumping "old news".

I trained w/ Miyake Sensei for over 16 yrs. I started w/ him soon after he established a dojo in Westminster, CA in the days he had fewer than a dozen students. I was his 2nd black belt so I can speak w/ authority about the organization. I left MSI in 2002 due to personal reasons, one of which was the emphasis on tournament competition. It's a common misconception that Tani-ha Shito-ryu (AKA Shukokai) was developed for competition. Tani told me (1991) that using sports principles advanced the development of the concept of melding speed & explosive power, now known as plyometrics. In fact, many of Bruce Lee's concepts were being utilized when Bruce was in diapers. As you can see, Tani was ahead of his time. I have since joined another Shukokai organization that formed after Tani's death. I went to Kobe in March 2004 (to train, compete & test) and was surprized to discover only 2 high ranking Sensei knew of Kunio Miyake (they suspected he trained under Nakajima Sensei of Shikoku). Miyake told me many years ago that he didn't train under Tani. Anyway, when Miyake came to the U.S. in 1985, he established Shuko-kai International and received his Menjo & patches from Tani. When Tani passed away, he decided to become the head of his own organization rather than ally w/ another Shukokai group. He has become very involved in USANKF but my focus has always been practical karate. In the old days, Miyake would save 15 minutes @ the end of class to practice "soft techniques" (Ju-ho) from Shorinji Kempo. It is true that he is licenced to 6 Dan under Doshin So but told me he separated from SK due to the leadership of the founder's daughter not being acceptable to him. He stopped teaching these techniques for many years but revived a curiculum under the name "Shorinji Kempo Aiki Jiujitsu". After some discussion, I suggested that this name was too long and "Kempo" would be confused w/ "Kenpo" (Ed Parker). We agreed that maintaining "Shorinji" gave homage to the original art so Shorinji Kempo was reborn as "Shorinji Aiki Jiujitsu". A few years later, Miyake returned from New Jersey (presented a seminar) where Kimura Shukokai Int. is a well-established organization. He asked me how "Miyake Shuko-kai International" sounded & I told him that it sounded too "much" (you know...) but after I left, Miyake added his name to Shuko-kai Int. as his group began to grow.

A final note, Rob A. is correct in stating that Akira Fukuda is a friendly & humble guy. I'm proud to call him my Sempai because our daily training together over the years inspired me to always try harder (despite being 18 yrs senior). Akira has 8 or 9 National Golds as well as the first Pan American Games (IOC) Kata Gold Medal. He's also one hell of a fighter! He came to Miyake as a 19 y/o 2 Dan from Hawaii (Hirano Sensei, I believe), so he was well on the road to greatness by the time he came to CA.

I hope my ramblings brought some clarity to whoever managed to read my stuff. Feel free to contact me re: Shito-ryu Shukokai Union USA, my new organization. Our National President & Chief Instructor is Eric Tomlinson, 6 Dan, a former Brit who studied under Kimura. Our World President & Chief Instructor is Haruyoshi Yamada, 8 Dan, of Kobe, Japan. He was a direct student of Tani.