SACRED SHIELD KARATE
FROM THE MID 1800's, UNTIL THE TURN OF THE CENTURY MOST MARTIAL ARTS WERE OUTLAWED BY CHINA. MANY SHAOLIN MONKS FLED THE COUNTRY TO OKINAWA AND JAPAN. MY INSTRUCTIONAL HISTORY OF THE SHORIN-JI RYU MARTIAL ARTS FORMS CAN BE TRACED BACK TO SIX MONKS IN OKINAWA. THESE MONKS HAD FEW STUDENTS TO TEACH. ONE THAT STOOD OUT WITH EXCEPTIONAL ABILITIES WAS THE FOUNDER OF SHORIN-JI RYU KARATE, CHOTOKU KYAN. WHILE LIVING IN OKINAWA, KYAN TAUGHT ZENRYO SHIMABUKURO. MASTER KYAN DIED DURING WWII OF STARVATION. HE BELIEVED TO HELP THE UNABLE OR LESS FORTUNATE.
MASTER SHIMABUKURO TAUGHT EDWARD TAKAE, A VERTERN OF THE AMERICAN ARMED FORCES IN OKINAWA. TAKAE AND SHIMABUKURO'S SON (ZENPO) LIVED AS BROTHERS IN OKINAWA AND TRAINED MANY MILITARY PERSONNEL. TAKAE RETURNED TO THE UNITED STATES AND TRAINED MILITARY PERSONNEL AT FORT BRAGG, NC. ONE OF HIS STUDENTS WAS YOSHI TAKISHITA. TAKISHITA MOVED TO RALEIGH, NC AND TAUGHT THE SEIBUKAN SHORIN-JI RYU KARATE FORMS AND MEDITATION TO THE PUBLIC AT TRINITY BAPTIST CHURCH.
I ALREADY HAD STUDIED AND HAD EXPERIENCE IN THE MARTIAL ARTS FROM ATTENDING THE YMCA WHERE I LEARNED JUDO. WHILE IN JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL I MET YUKIO MORI, WHO WAS A PRACTIONER OF JAPANESE AIKIDO. MY JUDO EXPERIENCE WAS TAUGHT TO ME BY OMAS NIOKI WHO SAW MY ABILITIES AND ENCOURAGED ME TO TRAIN IN AIKIDO WITH MORI. WHILE IN HIGH SCHOOL, A FRIEND SAW A FEW OF THE WORKOUTS OF MORI AND MYSELF. MS. MATHEWS IN TURN KNEW OF MY DESIRE TO LEARN A EXCEPTIONAL MARTIAL ART FORM. SHE WAS ALREADY A SEIBUKAN STUDENT AND INTRODUCED ME TO MR. TAKISHITA. THIS WAS MY INTRODUCTION INTO A MARTIAL ART THAT INCORPORATED ALL MY FORMER TRAINING AND ABILITIES INTO ONE ART FORM. I AM THANKFUL TO ALL THOSE MENTIONED FOR THEIR HELP OF MY TRAINING IN THE MARTIAL ARTS AND MEDITATION. THEY FOREVER HAVE MY GRATITUDE.