Hayashi-ha Shito Ryu Kai Karate
 

Hi everyone, sorry for starting yet another thread, but I'm just looking for some information.

I mentioned on my thread in the Jujutsu section that I am looking for a martial art to do after not being able to continue with the art I was studying until recently because of cost, travel distance and time.

Anyway, one of the top martial arts on my list is Hayashi-ha Shito Ryu Kai Karate, under a Rokudan.

I've searched the internet but have found very little information on the style.

One bit of information I did find was that some Shito Ryu styles require a competition record to grade, but I am very uninterested in competition, and I couldn't find any information on whether or not Hayashi-ha has this requirement. Does anyone know this?

Also, the person in question seems to teach Okinawan weapons in his class, although I think only in the higher levels. Is this normal in Karate, let alone Shito Ryu?

Another question, is there a Hombu dojo for Hayashi-ha Shito Ryu Kai, and a current head of the style? (One thing I did find in my research was that Hayashi Teruo has unfortunatly passed on.)

Finally, does anyone know of the sparring in the Hayashi-ha style? For example, is there sparring, and what level of contact is there generally?

Thank you.

When I trained Hayashi-Ha there was no requires for any competition records to grade (but I was I child at that time, but i watch a lot of senior grading and have no recollections of competition records)

Sorry, can't help you with that one...

The have sparring in Hayashi-ha (kumite) and I think the use full contact to the stomach but skin touch to the head and other weak spots

Go for it! It's a major style with a huge following worldwide. Grading standards for instructors are high, and the well-developed syllabus means that instruction is pretty well standardized among different dojo.

The major methods you'll learn will be taisabaki (body movement/footwork), raka (hard blocks/strikes), ryusui (soft blocks/deflections), and kushin (advanced body shifting/springing).

There are many, MANY kata in the system, providing a lifetime of challenges.

(Are you thinking of training under Beng Soon Koh Shihan?)

Hayashi Sensei thought tournaments, properly used, were a good teaching tool as well as a way to promote the art to the public. While you probably won't be pushed to compete -- at least in the early stages -- you will probably be encouraged to do so at some point.

In addition to being a shihan (master teacher) of two karate systems (Hayashi-ha Shito Ryu, and Goju Ryu Hayashi Kai), Hayashi Teruo was also Soke of Kenshin Ryu, a Ryukyu Kobudo system. The full spectrum of weapons in Kenshin Ryu includes bo, nunchaku, sai, kama, tenbe, etc. Bo, tonfa, sai, & nunchaku were almost universally practiced by the brown belt and black belt students I knew, although the other weapons were more rare.

I started training in bo as a white belt, and nunchaku as an orange belt (although most students in my dojo were not allowed to start so soon), and virtually all students at that dojo were training at least in bo by the time they were purple belts. Weapons training in karate, like in Aikido, adds an extra dimension that can help to uncover weaknesses and reveal strengths in your empty-hand technique.

Most of the Shito Ryu branches (Hayashi-ha, Motobu-ha, etc.) have kobudo within their curriculum, and many of the Shito Ryu masters trained under the same Kobudo master; Shinken Taira.

This may have changed since I practiced the art 20 years ago, but at my dojo there was no face contact and only light body contact allowed at white and orange belt level, no face contact and moderate body contact at purple and green belt, and light contact to the face and moderate contact to the body at brown belt. Full contact was not allowed; we used the makiwara and heavy bag for that. (Of course, one person's definition of "moderate" may not be the same as another's. That's why ma-ai, taisabaki, and uke waza are important.) [Note: belt colors associated with each kyu vary from place to place.]

Yes, he died in 2004. I only met him once, in 1990, but it was a huge honor. He was 8th Dan then, and was promoted to 9th Dan a few years later.

Having been away from the organization for many years, I don't know about the current head of the system.

HTH.

Wow, LOTS of information there, thanks Mr Owens and Mr Persson.

That's what attracted me to Shito Ryu.

Yes! :eek: How did you guess that? And how does someone from the USA know a teacher in a relatively small town in Australia? And of course, is he any good? ;)

Well, it's not ideal, but I guess I'm fine with that. A little competition may even do me some good later on.

I've actually found a Matayoshi Kobudo dojo in my area, I'm just waiting on the reply from the teacher to see if I can do it. He normally only teaches Kobudo to experienced students, but has suggested that I should study Karate if I don't have quite enough experience.

I really want to do Matayoshi Kobudo, so the Kobudo in Shito Ryu wouldn't be a hindrance would it? If so I'll probably do Go-Ju Ryu instead.

There are gazillions of karate white belts in the world, skads of Shodans and Nidans, and more Sandans and Yondans then you can shake a stick at; but when you start talking about Godans and Rokudans, espescially when you specify Hayashi-ha Shito Ryu, the number dwindles significantly.

So when you said "Anyway, one of the top martial arts on my list is Hayashi-ha Shito Ryu Kai Karate, under a Rokudan" -- and since you're in Australia and he's in Australia...

If I were in your shoes I wouldn't pass up the opportunity to train under his experienced tutelage.

There will be some similarities and some differences, but I wouldn't let it stand in your way. The basics will be very much the same, and since the kobudo sensei said you needed karate experience he must think it wouldn't be a problem.

You may even find after a while that all your needs/wants are being met at the Shito Ryu school.

HTH.

Man who chases one rabbit may catch dinner. Man who chases two rabbits goes hungry.

Thats why we use guns so we can shoot both rabbits. Then we have enough food for a couple of days instead of just one dinner.

Just make sure the gun isn't too big or there wont be a rabbit left.

I actually agree, and if I had it my way, I would only study Matayoshi Kobudo, but the person who teaches it requires previous martial arts experience.

At any rate, if I don't get accepted into Kobudo or I can't go for some reason, such as work or study, I'll just do Shito Ryu.

Just my few cents:

MITSUYA Seinosuke Shihan is doing a great job spreading the teachings of HAYASHI Teruo Soke
www.mitsuya.org