What is Hidetaka Nishiyama saying?
I have been reading James Sidney's "The Warrior Path". Very good book. He has interviews with some of the best living Japanese Martial artists alive. In the chapter with Hidetaka Nishiyama he says the following, "In Japan, they have a word to describe good martial art teacher, shihan. Shi is finger and han is south. Together they mean pointing south like a compass."
Completely different than any other explanation for the kanji for shihan than anything I ever saw.
Now I assume Nishiyama Shihan know more about karate and the Japanese language than I ever will so in some sense he is probably right.
Is there anyone here who can explain this?
Thanks,
Len