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Thread: Vintage Footage of Akamine Eisuke

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    Default Vintage Footage of Akamine Eisuke

    Hi folks,

    Thought you might like to know about a new DVD just released by Don Warrener featuring vintage footage of Akamine Eisuke.
    Patrick McCarthy
    International Ryukyu Karate-jutsu Research Society
    http://www.koryu-uchinadi.com

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    Default

    since these aren't coming up in google yet, I figured I'd put the links to help people find it if interested.
    http://www.risingsunproductions.net/...oducts_id=1083

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    Default Hiroshi Akamine Sensei, President of the Association is unaware of this production

    Hiroshi Akamine Sensei the Thrid President of the Ryukyu Kobudo Hozon Shinko Kai is unaware of this production and neither is his mother and surviving widow of Esuke Akamine Sensei.

    They would like to know the intentions behind this video.

    It seems that as common courtesy contact with surviving family members would be standard protocol before such a release.

    If anyone wants to see footage of Akamine Sensei, coming to Okinawa and training at the Hombu with the shihan that he trained and with the family he provided for remains the best and most courteous way. If you want to train Ryukyu Kobudo then doing it on the floor he built for that purpose is a great opportunity and the Dojo remains open to visitors of good moral character who are willing to train hard.
    Yours in budo.

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    Exclamation A potentially good thing, done a bad way ...

    This is a difficult topic.

    On the one hand, it is always wonderful when new, historical footage is made available to the general public. As a member of the Taira --> Akamine lineage, this release certainly has the potential to be a valuable historical record. I will buy a copy, if only to evaluate it's merits and be able to provide an educated reply when asked about it.

    On the other hand, as Tim so clearly states, I am disheartened by the fact that this video is being released without so much as a courtesy call to the Akamine family. Unfortunately, this video is not unique in that regard. More and more, people come out of the woodwork with an 8mm film shot 30 years ago at an embu or shiai and simply release it to the public. They feel if they shot the video, it is theirs to do with as they will. To a large degree, this is a misguided idea. Ask any professional photographer or documentary film maker and they will preach about the need for a photo/video release for any projects that are to be released commercially.

    Legalities aside, we come back to the basic tenet of all martial art ... courtesy. The individuals involved in these releases all purport to be senior "masters" of budo. However, they neglect the most fundamental principle of courtesy. Were Akamine Eisuke still alive, I highly doubt this video would have never seen the light of day commercially. Perhaps he would not have fought the release, but the producers never would have risked it to begin with.

    Legalities and common courtesy aside, there is another, equally pressing reason to be wary of this release. <strong>Accuracy.</strong> Assuming the cover art is taken from the 8mm transfer, I have no doubt that this footage is genuine. But, is it accurate? There are several ways that the footage could be misleading or inaccurate.
    <ol>
    <li><strong>Who is Taiju Lee?</strong><br /> As some of you may know, I have written or co-written <a href="http://okinawakobudo.com/content.php?page=media">a series of historical articles on Ryukyu Kobudo Hozon Shinkokai (RKHS)</a>. In addition, I co-wrote, directed and produced the documentary "<a href="http://okinawakobudo.com/content.php?page=media">Taira Shinken: Father of Ryukyu Kobudo</a>". Each of these projects were extensively and laboriously researched with the expressed permission of the Honbu in Okinawa and direct input and regular review of Devorah "Yoshiko" Dometrich (U.S. Honbu-cho) and other senior deshi of Akamine Sensei. I mention this not to blow my own horn, but to support the following statement.<br /><br /> <strong><em>I've never heard of Mr. Taiju Lee and neither has Dometrich Sensei.</em></strong> <br /><br /> Given the time frame, Mr. Lee may have been a short-lived student or visiting student of Akamine Sensei. In any case, Mr. Lee is certainly not one of Akamine's deshi and was probably not in the dojo long enough to be able to grasp much beyond the basic <strong><em>embusen</em></strong> (path) of the katas in question. Any martial artist worth his salt will tell you that kata is worthless unless you understand the underlying waza. <br /><br /> Please understand, I do not mean to disparage Mr. Lee. Should new evidence prove my assertions wrong, I will be the first to apologize.</li>

    <li><strong>Did Akamine Sensei "edit" while filming?</strong> <br /> Given Mr. Lee's questionable status as a legitimate RKHS practitioner, it is also entirely possible that Akamine Sensei preemptively "edited" the kata. In other words, he may have left out steps in the embusen or intentionally misrepresented techniques on film to foil plans to use the video as it is being used now ... out of context and without his expressed permission. This practice is very often used in martial arts circles, which makes any production from outside of the source lineage of <strong>any art</strong>, questionable at best.</li>

    <li><strong>Did the producers inadvertantly edit out something important?</strong><br /> Assuming that no "creative license" was taken, just the act of editing old 8mm footage into something viewable (sans scratches, pops and burns) might misrepresent certain techniques or concepts demonstrated. I have practical experience with this process. I know the pitfalls.</li>

    <li><strong>Lost in Translation?</strong><br /> Assuming that the interview is translated from Japanese or Hogan, who did the translation? A long-time student of Akamine who is bi-lingual and articulate? Or, a non-martial artist translator who knows neither the vernacular of Taira --> Akamine lineage or the particular idiosyncrasies of Akamine Sensei's speech and vocabulary?</li>

    <li><strong>Does the viewer understand the evolution of the teachers?</strong><br /> When producing the Taira documentary, Dometrich Sensei and I were very careful to explicitly tell folks not to use the Taira footage as a training aid. Aside from the fact that Taira's personal waza was impacted by a long-standing leg injury, that footage was taken at least 20 years before Taira's death. During the intervening years, Taira's waza matured and changed considerably. So, what is on the video is different than what he taught then (due to injury) and what he taught later with 20 more years of additional study. The same principal hold true for this footage of Akamine Sensei. Shot in the mid-60s, the waza and kata shown in this footage is subject to almost 30 years of evolution and change. <br /><br /> While it is often true that modern arts can be watered down, it is wrong to blindly assume that older footage neccesarily represents purer waza. If the teachers and lineage are strong and committed, then all waza can and should evolve and become more refined with each generation, else the art is dead.</li>
    </ol>In the interest of full disclosure, I should note that Dometrich Sensei and I are in pre-production on a documentary regarding Akamine Sensei. While I'd rather have announced it under different circumstances, this project has been planned since 2000 and in active pre-production since May 2006. Like the Taira documentary, this work will include 8mm film, photos and history gathered, with Akamine Sensei's permission, from family and student archives. This work is being completed with the full knowledge and permission of the Akamine family. Along with the Akamine biopic, we will be re-releasing the Taira documentary on DVD. Look for both in 2007.

    In closing, I want to be clear that this post is not meant to be a preemptive rebuttal of a product which some might see as a competitor to our impending release. To the contrary, I very much hope that the two DVDs compliment one another. As mentioned earlier, I am excited by any new footage of any teacher in my lineage. It is part of my history of a martial artist.

    That said, I wish the producers had taken the time to exercise common courtesy by calling or writing the Akamine family. And, I think the points mentioned above must be kept in mind by serious students when evaluating any martial arts video, including those in which I have a hand.

    Finally, as has been said in these forums ad nauseum, video is no substitute for qualified instruction. At best, video may give one a different insight or perspective to explore under the guidance of a qualified instructor. In the case of the Taira --> Akamine lineage, interested students have the following options:
    <ol>
    <li><strong>Okinawa:</strong> Honbu Dojo, Akamine Hiroshi Sensei [<a href="http://www.ryukyu-kobudo.com">Visit Website</a>]</li>
    <li><strong>United States &amp; Canada: </strong> Beikoku So Honbu Dojo, Devorah Dometrich Sensei [<a href="http://okinawakobudo.com/">Visit Website</a>]</li>
    </ol>

    Best of luck in your training,
    Last edited by Doug Daulton; 21st February 2007 at 09:34.
    Doug Daulton

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    Default Mr. Lee

    I believe these sites have information on Mr. Lee and his background:

    http://www.usadojo.com/biographies/clarence-tai-lee.htm

    http://www.kiworks.com/Grand_Opening.htm

    Kindest regards,
    Mario McKenna
    Vancouver, BC
    Kowakan Karatedo

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    Default

    Mario,

    Good to hear from you. Did Minowa Sensei know and train with Mr. Lee? Have you met and trained with him? Or, are these links the result of some Googling? I trust your opinions and research, so these questions are not a challenge. I am just trying to put some context to the links.

    And to be crystal clear, my post was not intended to cast aspersions on Mr. Lee. From reading those links, he is clearly well respected and liked. But, this comes from left field. In every conversation I've had regarding the history of the Taira --> Akamine line, his name has never been mentioned.

    As always, thanks for the information.
    Doug Daulton

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    Default Mr. Lee

    Hello Doug:

    I do not know if Minowa sensei trained with Mr. Lee as I never asked him. Apparently Mr. Lee appears to be a long time student of Nagaishi Fumio sensei who I have corresponded with. Also, Mr. Charles Goodin knows Nagaishi sensei quite well. I will contact Mr. Goodin about this thread.

    Kindest regards,
    Mario McKenna
    Vancouver, BC
    Kowakan Karatedo

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    Default

    Excellent! Thanks Mario.
    Doug Daulton

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    Default Review of the Video

    Akamine Hiroshi Sensei, 3rd President of the Ryukyu Kobudo Hozon Shinko Kai and son of Esuke Akamine Sensei 2nd President, has requested a copy of the video. Once he receives a copy and reviews the content he will decide how to proceede.

    Also anyone considering working on a video featuring either the Akamine Family or Ryukyu Kobudo Hozon Shinko Kai material should clear their projects with the Association President. That is the best way to ensure that all facts are represented as accurately as possible and the best possible result achieved. It is also standard protocol.
    Yours in budo.

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    Default Video

    Tim:

    I think you need to made your request directly to either Mr. Lee, Mr. Warrner or Mr. Nagaishi.

    Kindest regards,
    Mario McKenna
    Vancouver, BC
    Kowakan Karatedo

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    Default Sensei is in contact with Mr. Warrener

    Mario,

    Thanks as always for your support.

    Akamine Kaicho is in contact with Mr. Warrener and they are exchanging mails.

    The request for people to contact him for any other projects that people are working on or may begin working on is for the general audiance. It really is the best way to ensure the project is the best possible and it is common courtesy.

    Regards,

    Tim
    Yours in budo.

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    Default DVD Being Reviewed

    The DVDs have arrived in Okinawa and are being looked at and discussed by the President and Senior Members of the Association.

    Thanks to Mr. Warrener for sending them on.
    Yours in budo.

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    Default Request from Hiroshi Akamine

    All,

    After viewing the DVD and having extensive discussion at the Association Headquarters and taking into consideration the feelings of Akamine Esuke Sensei's surviving widow and family a decision has been reached.

    Here is the message sent by Akamine Hiroshi Sensei, President of the Ryukyu Kobudo Hozon Shinko Kai.


    On Nov 19, 2006, at 5:42 AM, Hiroshi Akamine wrote:


    Mr. Warrner,
    Concerning the DVD the Association has held meetings to consider how to respond.
    We cannot endorse this DVD. We ask that the sale of this video be stopped as we feel it does damage to the efforts that Akamine Esuke Sensei put into preserving and promoting correct kata and technique. The reasons for this are: the source of the video was intended to be personal reference material for Mr. Lee and should not have been turned into a commercial product, in fact our Association has not produced any commercial products relating to Akamine Esuke Sensei, additionally the kata shown in the video are not correct. It was Akamine Esuke Sensei’s habit to make small changes when he was being taped to ensure that people would not use the video as a commercial product or use it as a sole source of instruction.
    We ask that no videos relating to Present or Past members be released without or prior expressed permission. This includes Taira Shinken Sensei, Akamine Esuke Sensei, and current members of the association. We do have interest in creating an official Association Video with corrected technique and information. Until that time if any unauthorized releases take place we may be forced to seek legal recourse. We ask your understanding in this matter.
    Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.

    Ryukyu Kobudo Hozon Shinkokai
    Hiroshi Akamine

    Mr. Warrner replied that we should request to Mr. Lee to stop distribution. If Mr. Lee agrees then Mr. Warrner would consider what he should do.

    Our President requests that people refrain from purchasing this video and please be patient for an official release. He also invites anyone interested in Kobudo to come to the Hombu to train or visit one of our registered dojos. As I am sure everyone is painfully aware there is no substitute to actual direct instruction.
    Yours in budo.

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    Default Contact Details for Lee Sensei

    Doug and Mario or anyone else who may know the contact details, Akamine Sensei would like to contact Mr. Lee in this matter.

    Can I ask that the details be mailed to me at tim.jurgens@ryukyu-kobudo.com please.
    Yours in budo.

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    Default Mr. Lee

    Hello Tim:

    I don't know Mr. Lee's contact information, but someone who may is Mr. Charles Goodin who can be reached through his website:

    http://hikari.us/index1.html

    Another person that you may want to contact to reach Mr. Lee, is Mr. Fumio Nagaishi who resides in Hawaii and was also a student of Taira Shinken - although I hear his health is not good these days.

    Kindest regards,
    Mario McKenna
    Vancouver, BC
    Kowakan Karatedo

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