Way Too Hard

I elected to wait a full year before testing after I received the 6th dan criteria from Sakamoto-Sensei. The requirements included an essay on the technical theory of Ryusei karate, writing the Japanese  characters used for Showa and performing all kata from Seisan to Ryushan, and the Nage-no-Kata bunkai. I was also required to learn a new kata: Tensho.

The kata was not the Tensho of Goju-Ryu. The more elaborate, flowing version that Sakamoto-Sensei does is based on the Tensho that O-Sensei performed, learned from his teacher Higaonna Kanyro (Goju-Ryu founder Chojun Miyagi's sensei as well). Apparently Sakamoto-Sensei also has a video of O-Sensei performing this kata.

The first time I saw Sakamoto-Sensei peform Tensho was at a demonstration in Toronto, in 2000.

I decided it would take at least a full year to learn a new kata. But that begged the question how would I learn it? The only person who could teach it was Sakamoto-Sensei. And he was in Japan.

I sheepishly e-mailed Sakamoto-Sensei with the problem. He replied that the koryu (old style) kata could not be taught. You had to learn them on your own.

I thought I understood. But usually this traditional model of learning requires the student to be geographically close to his master, so he can at least spy a performance.

The only option I had was to gather all my Ryusei DVDs with demonstrations by Sakamoto-Sensei and scour them for Tensho. Eventally I found four different executions. Not only was the transferred video footage difficult to make out, each one of the performances was substantially different.

After repeated viewings, I pieced together a basic pattern, mixing and matching the parts I liked best. To practise the moves, I related them to ones I knew in other kata.

Here I am stumbling around like a drunken monkey,
trying to learn Tensho.

In performing Tensho, I decided the key was to have the correct breathing and state of mind. Although the outer body had to be kept softer and suppler than usual, the concentration in the tanden should be just as intense as Sanchin. And the mind had to be calm, free of distracting thoughts, so the moves would flow.

[Previous Page | Next page]