ITTSUKAN DOJO

Upcoming Arcenio Advincula Calgary Seminar

noreply@blogger.com (Ittsukan Dojo) — Sun, 03 Mar 2019 06:35:00 +0000

Arcenio Advincula: Rennaissance Man

noreply@blogger.com (Ittsukan Dojo) — Wed, 13 Jul 2016 02:22:00 +0000

Arcenio Advincula: Renaissance Man
By Joe Paden
Black Belt
April-May 2015

Thank you to Mr. Paden for allowing me to post his article.

Continue to Full Article

Isshinryu Kusanku Kata, Kusanku Sai, Kama and Nunchaku

noreply@blogger.com (Ittsukan Dojo) — Mon, 13 Jun 2016 09:04:00 +0000

In May of 2003 we hosted three days of training and demonstration in Calgary Alberta Canada with Advincula Sensei. This was the first of four Isshinkai Shunki Enbukai held at Mount Royal University.
As at all enbukai, demonstrations by the various participants are always something to look forward to. On this particular day I asked Advincula Sensei if he could demonstrate his Kusanku kama, a kata he created based on Kusanku kata. He has also created a Kusanku nunchaku kata much in the same way that Shimabuku Tatsuo created his Kusanku sai kata.

Advincula Sensei performs Kusanku kama - May 2003 Calgary Alberta Canada

After completing the kata and giving us a little history, he called up some individuals, all from different dojo, to perform with him. Simultaneously, they performed Isshinryu Karatedo’s Kusanku kata, Isshinryu Kobudo’s Kusanku sai, Advincula Sensei’s Kusanku nunchaku, and Advincula Sensei’s Kusanku kama. This was an unplanned, spur of the moment demonstration by the four of them. They did not rehearse or take any time to practice before presenting it, so it's not perfect.

Ian Johnston - Kusanku (empty hand), Richard Rosenthal - Kusanku sai, Arcenio Advincula - Kusanku kama, Les Fugata - Kusanku nunchaku - May 2003 Calgary Alberta Canada

Now a question related to Kusanku sai: Why did Shimabuku Tatsuo call his creation Kusanku sai and not Kusanku no sai as in Kyan Chotoku no sai, or Chatan Yara no sai? This, of course is only my speculation.
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Happy New Year 2016

noreply@blogger.com (Ittsukan Dojo) — Fri, 01 Jan 2016 06:35:00 +0000

Happy New Year 2015

noreply@blogger.com (Ittsukan Dojo) — Fri, 02 Jan 2015 07:13:00 +0000

Happy New Year 2014

noreply@blogger.com (Ittsukan Dojo) — Tue, 31 Dec 2013 19:33:00 +0000

Knife Fighting Tactics of the U.S. Marine Corps

noreply@blogger.com (Ittsukan Dojo) — Fri, 04 Oct 2013 15:00:00 +0000

Knife Fighting Tactics of the U.S. Marine Corps

Black Belt

September 1992

By Robert B Safreed

Thank you to Mr. Safreed for allowing me to post his articles.

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Combat Escrima A Lethal Weapon Indeed

noreply@blogger.com (Ittsukan Dojo) — Fri, 27 Sep 2013 15:00:00 +0000

Combat Escrima

A Lethal Weapon Indeed

Black Belt

December 1989

By Robert B Safreed

Thank you to Mr. Safreed for allowing me to post his articles.

Okinawan Sai The Deadliest of the Kobudo Weapons

noreply@blogger.com (Ittsukan Dojo) — Fri, 13 Sep 2013 15:00:00 +0000

Okinawan Sai

The Deadliest of the Kobudo Weapons

Black Belt

September 1987

By Robert B Safreed

Thank you to Mr. Safreed for allowing me to post his articles.

The Okinawan Tuifa

noreply@blogger.com (Ittsukan Dojo) — Fri, 30 Aug 2013 15:00:00 +0000

The Okinawan Tuifa

Karate Kungfu Illustrated

November 1988

By Robert B Safreed

Thank you to Mr. Safreed for allowing me to post his articles.

The Mystery of Chinkuchi-The Secret Power of Isshin-Ryu Karate's Tatsuo Shimabuku

noreply@blogger.com (Ittsukan Dojo) — Fri, 16 Aug 2013 15:00:00 +0000

The Mystery of Chinkuchi

The Secret Power of Isshin-Ryu Karate's Tatsuo Shimabuku

Black Belt

December 1987

By Robert B Safreed

Thank you to Mr. Safreed for allowing me to post his articles.

A.J. Advincula: Isshin-ryu Innovator for the 1980s

noreply@blogger.com (Ittsukan Dojo) — Fri, 02 Aug 2013 15:00:00 +0000

A.J. Advincula: Isshin-ryu Innovator for the 1980's

Inside Karate

January 1986

By Robert B Safreed

Thank you to Mr. Safreed for allowing me to post his articles.

An Okinawan Secret Revealed

noreply@blogger.com (Ittsukan Dojo) — Sat, 09 Mar 2013 08:06:00 +0000

An Okinawan Secret Revealed

Hindiandi & the Number One Strongman of the Island

Inside Karate

August 1986

By Robert B. Safreed

Thank you to Mr. Safreed for allowing me to post his articles.

NFL Connection: Chargers Taking Martial Arts into the Trenches

noreply@blogger.com (Ittsukan Dojo) — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 06:44:00 +0000

NFL Connection:
Chargers Taking Martial Arts into the Trenches
Inside Kung Fu

December 1987

By Robert E. Dillon

San Diego Chargers went from a 4 – 12 season in 1986 to a 8 – 7 season in 1987

Information from: http://www.totalfootballstats.com/Team.asp?id=36&Season=1988

A Strange Shimabuku Signature

noreply@blogger.com (Ittsukan Dojo) — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 07:56:00 +0000

Recently, while looking through my book collection, my wife found something strange on an old American Okinawa Karate Association document that was published in David Evseeff’s and Milledge Murphey’s 1995 book: Isshinryu: The History &; Evolution of the “One-Heart Way”.

She asked me, “Did Shimabuku change his name?”

“Yes” I said “His given name was Shinkichi but he adopted the ‘karate name’ Tatsuo, or Dragonman.”

”Not that. Did he ever change the kanji he used? The kanji here is different than I have seen before.”

On page 115 is reprinted a letter from Shimabuku Tatsuo dated June 10, 1961. Details of the content are not so important but what is strange is the signature.

Most may be familiar with the kanji Shimabuku used for his first name shown here on the left but the kanji used in the signature on this letter is different. I haven’t been able to find any other documents with this character.

The kanji used on the letter for ‘o’ is:

and is sometimes pronounced ‘o’ and means male when used in a name. So using this kanji gives the same meaning, Dragonman, and the same pronunciation, but the ‘spelling’ is different.

May not really mean much to us here but kanji used for names in Japan or Okinawa are very important. Changing the kanji you use is like changing your name. It would be like ‘John Doe’ suddenly signing his name to ‘John Dough’. Sounds the same but has a different meaning.

Even more strange is that the character appears to be written with a different line weight as if a different person added it in later but even the kanji in the letter’s sidebar matches this kanji in the odd signature.

Here’s a copy of the letter with the questionable kanji enlarged. I really have no idea why this is as it is. It seems unlikely Shimabuku Tatsuo would change his signature for this, or any other letter, but it appears he may have.

Happy New Year 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Ittsukan Dojo) — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 05:58:00 +0000

Happy new Year 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Ittsukan Dojo) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 03:27:00 +0000

Japanese Language Translation Services

noreply@blogger.com (Ittsukan Dojo) — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 03:37:00 +0000

Ever wondered what your rank certificate really says? Have a note, letter, or article that you wished you knew more about. Wonder what the kanji on that gift your students gave you says, or the kanji on that photograph?

Ittsukan Okinawa Isshinryu Karatedo Kobudo is now offering Japanese language translation to English for martial arts related documents.

All translation is done by experienced native speakers of both English and Japanese. Ensuring that the translation is true to the original content and reliably accurate. Also, great care is taken that the finished translation is worded naturally and faithful to the cultural context of the target language.

Isshin-ryu: Carrying on the Tradition of Okinawa’s “One Heart Way”

noreply@blogger.com (Ittsukan Dojo) — Sun, 01 May 2011 06:18:00 +0000

Isshin-ryu: Carrying on the Tradition of Okinawa’s
“One Heart Way”
Black Belt
September 1982
By Jim Coleman

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Angi Uezu Isshin Ryu’s Quiet Master

noreply@blogger.com (Ittsukan Dojo) — Sun, 01 May 2011 03:43:00 +0000

Angi Uezu
Isshin Ryu’s Quiet Master
Official Karate

February 1975

By Joseph Jennings

The Uniqueness of Isshin-ryu Karate

noreply@blogger.com (Ittsukan Dojo) — Sun, 01 May 2011 03:27:00 +0000

The Uniqueness of Isshin-ryu Karate
IKF Presents Masters & Styles

July 1995

By John Bishop

The Legend of Isshin-ryu's Tatsuo Shimabuku

noreply@blogger.com (Ittsukan Dojo) — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 02:29:00 +0000

The Legend of Isshin-ryu's Tatsuo Shimabuku
Okinawa's Crazy Man
Black Belt

March 1986

By Arsenio J. Advincula

The Mysteries of Isshin-ryu Karate

noreply@blogger.com (Ittsukan Dojo) — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 02:28:00 +0000

The Mysteries of Isshin-ryu Karate
Shimabuku's One Heart Way
Black Belt

April 1986

By Arsenio J. Advincula

And hey....another Bruce Lee cover.

Advincula Seminar 1987

noreply@blogger.com (Ittsukan Dojo) — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 03:35:00 +0000

Advincula Seminar in Calgary Alberta Canada January 1987
Black Belt
July 1987

What's so interesting about this?

This was the first time Advincula Sensei conducted a seminar in Canada. The previous articles are what prompted Gary Martin of Calgary to visit him in California and then to bring Sensei in for a seminar. This was the first time I had ever met him and have been a student of his ever since.

The article mentions some problems at the airport. We suspect someone from a Canadian Isshinryu group called Immigration to be on the look out for him and that he may be working in Canada illegally.

He wasn't.

Luckily the only weapons he was carrying were baton for Escrima.

I believe this was also the seminar that Geoff Desmoulin, yes, that Geoff Desmoulin, one of the hosts of Deadliest Warriors and a student of mine and Gary Martin's, was promoted to Shodan.

"I Was Shimabuku's Makiwara"

noreply@blogger.com (Ittsukan Dojo) — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 06:43:00 +0000

"I Was Shimabuku's Makiwara"
An Exclusive Interview with Isshinryu
Grandmaster Angi Uezu
Inside Karate

July 1988

By Brian Wilkes