Never one to muddy the waters (or clay as it were)
but.... may I present a hypothetical story about pottery.
Say I am Japanese and from a long line of Otsu pottery makers. My great grandfather sort of took pottery serious, my grandfather less serious, my father hardly at all. Lets say I became interested in my families past and found examples of my families past pottery & scrolls. I did my best to research what scant family methods of making Otsu pottery actually survived. I consulted with some other Otsu pottery makers, filled in the blanks myself and ..viola! I reformulated my families Otsu pottery tradition from other schools input, from our own scrolls and from my own wits, claiming an unbroken lineage going back 15 generations. Heck, why not? I've got the scrolls to prove it!
A mediocre European pottery maker and magazine publisher interested in learning a rare tradition of pottery approaches me wanting to be a student. After he developes a modicum of skills in this unbroken "15 generation old" Otsu pottery ryu, he goes public and proclaims his expertise and subsequently mine to the world. He sites his studies and training under my mastery as his source of authority on what is genuine and what is not.
Now, years later and back in Europe he aggressively attacks and marginalizes via his magazine another pottery maker and her ryu as less "legitament" than his - although they make some damn good pottery. In truth many of the secrets of this other ryu were passed directly to the daughter of a European businessman who became fascinated with pottery while living in Japan in the middle of the century. Although only interested in pottery as a serious hobby instead of a profession she is initially unwilling to present private personal letters from her teacher to justuify her claims. She is eventually branded as a phoney by the"expert" in his magazine. The fact that her examples of pottery are in fact superior examples of Otsu pottery compared to his and that this is agreed upon by other experts doesn't convince the skeptical expert/publisher. After intense scrutiny subtle evidence of modern materials within her pottery finally"prove" to his mind that she is a phoney. This self appointed expert is now positive that he is the "The Real Deal" and that she is not.
After endless harrassment she finally presents incontrovertible evidence of her claim with passports, photos and the letters from her teacher. She openly admits to changing certain elements of the traditional formula which in her opinion have improved on the one passed to her. Now her legitamacy is not attacked by the self appointed expert but her audacity to change the classsical formula in the ryu is condemned. In disgust she quietly fades into a reclusive environment but continues to teach a small group of dedicated students who are undistracted by the controversy and who produce some damn excellent Otsu pottery.
So who is the more legitament? Who does the public think is more legitament? hummm...
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In a personal discussion with Ellis Amdur at his home a couple of weeks ago we lightly touched upon this phenomonon because we have both been accused of being "koryu kops" ( I don't claim Shindo Yoshin ryu to be koryu, BTW ). I understand the ire raised by those who trained under a traditionally authorized sensei only to see a phoney open up shop down the street, fraudulently parading their wares to an ignorant public. But I also know for a fact that variations on the above hypothetical story above have genuinely occurred in the west on a couple of "rare" ocassions.
The question of legitamacy is a complicated one both for the layman and the "expert" . I suggest we all tread lightly.
Tobs