Click Here to disable music It was a warm night in 1951, and Isshin-Ryu Karate founder Tatsuo Shimabuku had just finished a long hot workout. The students had all gone home, and the Okinawan karate master had retired to his courtyard and was resting on the cool water tank. He began to sip a little sake, letting the days's tension unwind. He fell asleep and began to dream. In the dream, a man walked up to Shimabuku and said, "Sensei, fight with me." Shimabuku held out his left hand with his palm open and said, "I do not want to fight you, go away." But the man did not leave. Instead, he encircled Shimabuku with a ring of fire. Shimabuku kept a cool head, reached into the water tank, and doused the flames with water. He then awoke, and the man was gone. The next day, Shimabuku went to Naha, and while walking down a street, he looked into a shop and saw a painting that reminded him of his dream. In the painting, a woman had her left hand open in a sign of peace, while her right hand was a closed fist, indicating her ability to fight if necessary. The painting was called "go shu jin sama" (go meaning "gentle man", shu meaning "block/defense/protecting", jin meaning "goddess", and sama meaning "master" or "big"). Shimabuku liked this, it represented what he was trying to teach: the defensive nature of Karate. He took the painting back to his dojo (training hall) and hung it on the wall. The name was too complicated to explain to the American GIs who attended his school, so he called it "mizu gami" (water goddess) as a short nickname that was simple and easy to remember. The water--representing Purity--puts out fire--representing Evil. Seven years later, an American GI created the Isshin-Ryu patch. The patch's red border represents the evil of the an who had tried to fight Shimabuku in his dream. On a larger scale, it represents the evil in the world that constantly surrounds us. The gray background represents night, which is when the man attacked. The water represents the water Shimabuku threw on the fire, extinguishing the evil. The three stars are Shimabuku's first three teachers--Choke Motobu, Chotoku Kiyan, and Chojun Miyagi. The dragon represents good fortune. The circular nature of the patch represents the heart of being a good person. The woman in the center has her left hand extended forward with the palm open, indicating her desire to be at peace and not fight. Her right hand is extended back in a fist, indicating her ability to fight, if she must. Written by Byron Coleman and copied from Black Belt magazine January 1990 Home
It was a warm night in 1951, and Isshin-Ryu Karate founder Tatsuo Shimabuku had just finished a long hot workout. The students had all gone home, and the Okinawan karate master had retired to his courtyard and was resting on the cool water tank. He began to sip a little sake, letting the days's tension unwind. He fell asleep and began to dream.
In the dream, a man walked up to Shimabuku and said, "Sensei, fight with me." Shimabuku held out his left hand with his palm open and said, "I do not want to fight you, go away." But the man did not leave. Instead, he encircled Shimabuku with a ring of fire. Shimabuku kept a cool head, reached into the water tank, and doused the flames with water. He then awoke, and the man was gone.
The next day, Shimabuku went to Naha, and while walking down a street, he looked into a shop and saw a painting that reminded him of his dream. In the painting, a woman had her left hand open in a sign of peace, while her right hand was a closed fist, indicating her ability to fight if necessary. The painting was called "go shu jin sama" (go meaning "gentle man", shu meaning "block/defense/protecting", jin meaning "goddess", and sama meaning "master" or "big"). Shimabuku liked this, it represented what he was trying to teach: the defensive nature of Karate. He took the painting back to his dojo (training hall) and hung it on the wall. The name was too complicated to explain to the American GIs who attended his school, so he called it "mizu gami" (water goddess) as a short nickname that was simple and easy to remember. The water--representing Purity--puts out fire--representing Evil.
Seven years later, an American GI created the Isshin-Ryu patch. The patch's red border represents the evil of the an who had tried to fight Shimabuku in his dream. On a larger scale, it represents the evil in the world that constantly surrounds us. The gray background represents night, which is when the man attacked. The water represents the water Shimabuku threw on the fire, extinguishing the evil. The three stars are Shimabuku's first three teachers--Choke Motobu, Chotoku Kiyan, and Chojun Miyagi. The dragon represents good fortune. The circular nature of the patch represents the heart of being a good person. The woman in the center has her left hand extended forward with the palm open, indicating her desire to be at peace and not fight. Her right hand is extended back in a fist, indicating her ability to fight, if she must.
Written by Byron Coleman and copied from Black Belt magazine January 1990