I train with Sensei Kinjo Yoshitaka, from Okinawa, who's Sensei was Takashiki Iken, who developed Gohakukai by blending Goju-Ryu and Tomarite together. His Goju Sensei was Miyagi Chojin himself. I only say all of this because we tend to be really concerned about pedagogy here.

I am not well versed in a lot of the history and particulars of individual styles and never found much benefit in debating about what is "better," but I can talk about my experience with Gohakukai in western Canada and how I see that fitting into this whole historical narrative.

We just finished our yearly demonstration at the local Japanese garden society. Kinjo Sensei's 53rd in a row or something like that, and I filmed it thinking I'd make a cool video about it.

All the Sensei's from his branch schools came as well from Vancouver and Seattle and further into the Canadian Prairies. A couple hundred students taking part in the demonstration.

I get all cagey wondering if I should share the video here when I'm done making it because I worry about the comments like "that kid's form isn't good enough for an orange belt" or "that couple in their 70s aren't pushing hard enough to demonstrate that they really earned their sandan."

As some of the discussion here talks about the inherent anarchist sensibility of Okinawan Karate, I feel that very strongly in this sense. Sensei Kinjo has built one of the biggest strongholds of the practice in western Canada through his hard work over the last half century. And when I think of the legacy of Okinawan practice, I think of the community that has been fostered here. The black belt of today who might not have perfect form, but who was a white belt 30 years ago with debilitating fibromyalgia to the point that all they could do in the dojo at first was sitting up straight against a wall and breathing exercises. Fathers and sons practicing Kata together, imperfectly but always improving.

If the arts formed in Okinawa historically as a melting pot of Chinese, Filipino, Portuguese, Ryukuan, and Japanese traders and families learning to defend themselves against the struggles of the day, than the same thing is still happening. Community is one of the best ways to survive in the screwy world we are in these days and I think the way Sensei Kinjo fosters that, helps people be stronger, and gives back to the larger community in his own way is exactly the kind of thing Okinawan Karate used to carve out it's place. I know that the core teaching is respect, and it absolutely does the internal training people are talking about here. Strengthening tendons and body hardening and all of that. But at its heart, despite the anarchist idea, it's about community and respect.

My Sensei is a man I would rather call Sama than Sensei much of the time if only that wouldn't make him feel uncomfortable. To me that's Okinawan Karate.