TERUO CHINEN
BRIDGING PAST AND FUTURE
By Dong Tran
This interview with Chinen Sensei took place at the Jundokan
International's Spring Gasshuku on Sunday, May 31, 1997, in
Montclair, New Jersey.
Sensei, thank you for granting me this interview. As your student,
I see you as a living bridge between the past, from the roots of Goju-ryu
in Okinawa, and the future, when the traditions will have been firmly
transplanted to American soil.
Sensei, [if] I understand correctly, you were born in 1941, in
Kobe, Japan, and moved to Okinawa at a young age. There you lived three
doors down from Miyagi Sensei's house and were formally introduced to him
by your uncle to begin your training in Goju-ryu. Your main instructor was
Miyazato Sensei, who taught you under Miyagi Sensei's watchful eye. After
Miyagi Sensei passed away in 1953, you helped Miyazato Sensei move the
training equipment to the new dojo, which was the
Jundokan.
ESTABLISHING THE ROOTS OF GOJU-RYU WORLDWIDE
Q: Sensei, when did you come to the USA?
A: I came to this country in 1969. Between 1958 and 1969, I was in Tokyo at
the Yoyogi dojo, helping Mr. Higaonna Morio teach gaijin (foreigners).
There had been an outpouring of demand for Goju-ryu teachers in Europe,
South Africa, and South America, and I was supposed to go to Brazil,
but because the situation there was unstable at the time, I went to the U.S.
instead.
Q: What was your original intention?
A: I only expected to be in this country for three months; however,
when I came to Spokane and saw the deplorable level of Goju-ryu there,
I took time and great pains to correct it. After six months--twice the
length of time I had planned to stay--I realized that it would be easier
to start from scratch than to fix the problems. It's usually better to
rebuild a house than to remodel it!
Q: Why did you stay permanently?
A: Finally, I figured that since things were still chaotic in Brazil,
I might as well stay in the U.S. I supplemented my meager dojo income by
teaching karate at universities and colleges; I also taught at the YM-YWCA
and at the Lions Club. I decided to stay because I felt I was a good
ambassador for Goju-ryu.
Q: [I] Remember first meeting you in 1984. You were like a missionary
among savages! What did you think of the level of Goju-ryu practitioners
back then? What did you think your role was in correcting the situation?
A: Even though I was in the U.S. from 1969 on, I did not focus right away
on American karate. Between 1973 and 1979, I was busy traveling to Europe
and South Africa, laying the foundation for the IOGKF (International Okinawan
Goju-ryu Karate-do Federation, chaired by Higaonna Morio Sensei) which I
co-chaired. Mr. James Rousseau, myself, and a few other Europeans built a
strong international organization.
I did not start concentrating on American karate until 1979. At that time,
the people who accepted me and recognized me were Shotokan people--the JKA.
I went to their tournaments, and they put me in charge of the Goju-ryu division
in AAKF. It was the Shotokan people, mainly on the west coast, who gave me
recognition.
Then somebody wrote an article about me in a magazine and,
gradually, I was introduced to mainstream American practitioners. The
Goju-ryu that I saw when I finally visited dojos across the country was
very poor, but I knew it wasn't anybody's fault. I understood there had
been many teachers before, many bridges, and the messages often got
crossed. There was such a gap between those practitioners and me! I didn't
want to make any instructor uncomfortable. My job first was to encourage
people, not discourage them. I started correcting the basics and built the
katas on them. Once we had some common ground, I could build on it. It was
harder working with the instructors than with the beginners, because they
had high rank and their pride prevented them from training with me in
front of their students. And sometimes their students were better than
they! But I understood the situation. So I gave them private instruction
whenever I could, usually during breaks.
THE FUTURE OF TRADITIONAL KARATE
Q: Throughout the years, have you noticed any change in the level of
training in this country?
Yes, there has been a definite improvement. The instructors' teaching skills
have gotten better, too. People are more open-minded, and they are in better
condition to absorb more techniques.
Q: Do you think there is a greater awareness of authentic, traditional karate
in the U.S. now?
A: I think the public's awareness of traditional karate has increased.
I also hope that with my greater contact with practitioners around the country,
the situation will be even better.
Q: Sensei, what countries around the world have you visited?
Do you think there is also a greater awareness of traditional karate
there as well?
A: Over the past twenty-eight years, I have visited about fifty
countries--too many to mention, and some of them are no longer on the map
due to political events!
People's awareness depends on the countries. Some countries,
unfortunately, are still struggling with very basic issues of survival.
Others, such as South Africa, have a very high awareness of good karate.
South Africa is JKA Shotokan country!
Q: To what do you attribute such awareness? Do you feel you have contributed
to that awareness?
A: The level of awareness of the public is due to the efforts of the Senseis,
instructors, and the practitioners, who react to low quality karate. But
it's the public that ultimately makes the decision. We cannot make the
decision for them. They will choose based on what we make available to
them. I feel I have definitely contributed to that awareness. People come
first.
Q: What are your hopes for the future of karate in this country?
A: I have often thought about this question. Especially two years ago,
when I was very ill (of undiagnosed diabetes), I thought to myself,
"I can't die yet! Let me finish my work. My people are not ready yet!"
But thanks to modern medicine, I have recovered, my health is under control now,
and the future seems brighter.
I hope that the next generations will not only improve technically but also
know how to share their knowledge. People must pass on the traditions and not
lose them. In the old days in China and Okinawa, the teaching was done behind
closed doors. Now, thanks to the media, Karate is no longer a secret.
There's more sharing now.
Q: Do you think there should be a unifying federation for all Okinawan martial
arts in the U.S.? If so, would you consider playing a major role in establishing
it?
A: No, my personal opinion is that martial arts are very individual.
An organization overseeing distinct and separate martial arts such as the
Okinawan systems would eventually hurt the quality of those arts. Culturally
and traditionally, the Okinawan martial arts are too individual and distinct
to be grouped together arbitrarily.
THE FUTURE OF THE JUNDOKAN
Q: What do you see as the future of Jundokan International?
A: I see the horizontal relationship between instructors growing in a positive
direction. I am concerned about passing on the flavor of Goju-ryu to your
brothers and sisters in Jundokan International.
YAMANNI-RYU AND THE CHINEN FAMILY
Q: Sensei, what is your relationship with Chinen Masami Sensei of
Yamanni-ryu?
Yamanni-Chinen-ryu
has always carried two arts: one is the weapons
system and the other is Shorin-ryu karate. Masami Chinen was my
grand-uncle. He lived in Shuri, Okinawa, and worked at the Shuri City
Hall, as did my brother. I used to call him grand-uncle Shobi. The kanji
for Masa was alternately pronounced "Sho" or "Sei" in Chinese. That was my
family line.
My family practiced both Shorin-ryu and Yamanni-ryu
weaponry. According to my brother, my father taught weaponry in Kobe,
Japan, as an amateur stylist. But because he was a Japanese naval officer,
he adopted the Japanese ways and did not use the Masa name for his
children. Consequently, my brothers and I all received Japanese
names--Akira, Hirokazu, Teruo, and Toshio. No more Chinese names, no more
Masa line!
Q: In closing, Sensei, do you think weapons training is a good complement for
karate?
A: Absolutely. Even Kendo training, for suburi (cutting practice). The
Okinawan weapons system (such as the kon/bo, sai, tunfa, nunchaku) provide
a form of kigu-undo (supplemental training) that is invaluable for wrist
work, arms, body coordination, and kime (focus). Also, weapons students
must have good karate basics, good foundation.
DT: Thank you very much, Sensei, for this interview. You have given us much
food for thought, and I hope that students and readers will have gained a
better sense of perspective and responsibility as they stand at the threshold
of history.
CHINEN SENSEI ON TOURNAMENTS AND COMPETITION
Kumite, as long as it follows tournament rules, is good practice.
I encourage people to compete. You pay an entrance fee and spar with total
strangers. This gives you an approximation of a street fight. As you do it
over and over, you get used to the situation and it toughens you. I used to
compete, not just in karate, but also in judo and kendo. I was an excellent
loser!
But tournament is okay for kyu-grade holders and young black belts. Too much
of it makes you lose the classical flavor, because tournament rules force
uniformity on people, and styles and individuality is gone.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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Sensei Dong Tran is a 4th dan Jundokan
International instructor who has been training under Chinen Sensei since
1984.
He has also achieved the rank of Nidan in Yamanni-ryu under
Toshihiro Oshiro Sensei.
His dojo, the Asian Arts Center, is located in West Caldwell, NJ.
Its Web Site is:
http://www.asianartscenter.com.
A note from DOSHIN:
Videos by Teruo Chinen Sensei are available from Blackbelt Magazine
Video. Click on the picture for more information from Blackbelt.
Videos by Toshihiro Oshiro Sensei from TSUNAMI Productions are
available through our association with AMAZON.COM -- click on the
picture for more information.
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This article is reprinted with the kind permission of
Mr. Angel Lemus, Editor,
Bugeisha.net
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