|
|||||||
|
|
|
|||||
|
|
|||||||
|
|||||||
|
|
|
|||||
|
|
|||||||
History and Translation of Isshin-Ryu Patch
The Isshin-ryu patch was
conceived by Arcenio J. Advincula with Tatsuo Shimabuku's
permission in February 1961. Advincula started by asking
Shimabuku for his permission to design a patch. Some American
students were wearing patches they designed.
Some wore traditional horizontal fist patches.
Some wore patches with a Shinto Tori.
Still others wore a patch of Okinawa with Isshin-ryu written
along the side.
None of these patches reflected the true
meaning of Isshin-ryu. Advincula wanted a patch depicting
Shimabuku's goddess. He drew a design showing the goddess
fighting a dragon. When Shimabuku saw the design, he laughed and
said the design was wrong and started to explain his vision of
the symbol to Advincula. It was a half woman and half dragon
called Megami (goddess). Megami's forward hand is open, symbolic
of peace and the back hand is closed, symbolic of force only if
necessary for protection (yin/yang). The three stars are symbolic
of Shimabuku's teachers who light up the unknown which is
symbolized by the dark back-ground. The stars are also in the
shape of the Japanese/Chinese character for one (-). Sensei
Shimabuku said that all things must begin with one. Advincula
believes that the three stars also mean one (ichi) or
"is" in Isshin-ryu.
Photo of Advincula wearing the first patch in
the Agena dojo. Advincula had returned to Okinawa on January 2,
1961 as a civilian after being discharged from the Marines in
1960. Photo was taken by Ed Johnson around February 1961. Notice
in the background, Mrs. Shimabuku coming in the front entrance of
the dojo.
While researching the subject, Advincula found
that more than 3,000 years ago the Chinese discovered 28
constellations, one of which is "Hsin" or the heart
with antares, sigma, and tau in the heart of scorpio. Advincula
also believes that the three stars stand for one heart or Isshin
which means whole heart. Dragon means ryu, which translates
style, mode, or way. Therefore the name of our style, Isshin-ryu,
translated one heart way, is hidden in the Megami's stars and
dragon. Megami is in the midst of a typhoon, but her face remains
calm. (yin/yang). The dragon, in Okinawan culture, is a
benevolent creature and Okinawans believe that the dragon brings
in the seasons. Tatsuo's name means dragon man. The dragon is
also a symbol of heaven. In MegamiÕs headress there is a tiger,
which is the symbol of the Earth. Megami's ears are elongated
which is a symbol of knowledge. After Shimabuku explained the
meaning of the Megami to Advincula, he asked if he could borrow
Shimabuku's picture of Megami. Advincula, along with William D.
Blond, took the picture to a patchmaker on BC Street on Okinawa.
He placed his left hand, in the verticle punch position, on a
piece of paper and drew the outline of his fist.
He said he wanted the patch to be in the
verticle fist-shape with Megami's image in the center and he
wanted a gold border which symbolized purity and karate is a
discipline that must not be misused. He also wanted Isshin-ryu
written in both Kanji and English on the patch.
The patchmaker quoted a price with gold (14k)
thread and Advincula said he just wanted gold-colored thread.
When Advincula went to pick up the patch, because of the language
barrier, he found it was not exactly in the correct shape and the
border was orange. As years went by, patches were re-ordered and
the shape changed with each new patch made. Soon the patch was
oblong shaped with a red border. This happened because people did
not understand the meaning behind the fist-shape of the patch.
Advincula is working hard to get the correct patch into
circulation. Today Advincula no longer has Isshin-ryu written on
his patches. He says it is already written there. The following
is an excerpt from Advincula's interview with Eiko Kaneshi (one
of Shimabuku's senior students) and Shinso Shimabuku (Shimabuku's
Number 2 son) about the orgin of Megami: ... Shinso says his
father was listening to the radio between 8 and 11 P.M. and was
dozing off at his home in Kyan Village. He saw a lady riding a
dragon circling him. She told him to use his own ideas about
karate and that he had studied long enough to do so, and that
innovation was good. Sensei kept drifting in and out of sleep,
and began to think about the divine spirit and changed it to a
goddess that was half dragon. According to Shinso, that is when
the Megami (he literally says "Megami") was born. The
Megami not only told him to create his own style but to create an
image of her. Shinso is not sure of the year, but his father was
already teaching a few Americans. I also asked Eiko about it and
he said his brother painted it after Sensei told them the story,
but he painted a human body with the head of a dragon, another
misinterpretation. Sensei laughed and then gave Eiko the nickname
Ryuto or Dragonman. Shimabuku, when receiving a correct likeness
to his vision, then added the other details to correspond with
this philosophies. Every detail has meaning, though some claim
Sensei found the picture of the Megami with all the symbols
already there. The odds for this happening are impossible. The
Codes of Karate can also be found in the Isshin-ryu patch.
BRIEF MEANING OF THE MEGAMI
3 Stars - The stars are in the position of one (-) in Kanji and
mean one or ichi and is the "is" in Isshin-ryu. They
represent heart, as shown in the heart of scorpio, or
"shin". They also represent Shimabuku's teachers:
Kamasu Chan (uncle) Chotoku Kyan (Kiyan) - Shorinryu, Chojun
Miyagi - Gojuryu, Choki Motobu - Kobudo, Shinken Taira - Kodudo
They also represent the following triads:
| Mind/Body/Spirit Strength/Speed/Technique Serenity/Tranquility/Humility Shorinryu (mother)/Gojuryu (father)/Isshin-ryu (baby) Shorinryu/Gojuryu/Kobudo Night - The unknown (the stars, Tatsuo Shimabuku's teachers light up the darkness) Woman's Upper Body - Karate can be as gentle as a woman Dragon's Lower Body - Karate can be as fierce as a dragon. Goddess' Calm Face - Be calm in adversity. Turbulent Water - Danger or evil which is always present. |
 |
Left Hand Open (Soft) - Talk your way out if
possible.
Right Hand Closed (Hard) - Use force only as a last resort, and
then only what is necessary.
Dragon in the Sky (Heaven) - Tatsuo who is the energy of
Isshin-ryu moves endlessly from earth to heaven. Dragon (Tatsuo)
can also be written "ryu" and is pronounced the same as
ryu (way, style or mode). Its hidden meaning -- the ryu of
Isshin-ryu.
Tiger in Headdress (Earth) - The dragon represents the spirit and
the earth represents the matter. The dragon is male and the tiger
is female. Both must be in harmony with each other to become
united as one mind and body.
Gold Border - Karate is golden and pure and is a discipline that
must not be misused.
The Isshinryu patch was conceived and designed by Arcenio J.
Advincula. Advincula was taught the meaning behind the Megami by
Shimabuku himself. For more information concerning the Isshin-ryu
patch, please write: A.J. Advincula, 1606 Buckboard Drive,
Oceanside, CA 92057.