All Northwest Profiles of Teruo Chinen
I can't believe that I found this on the internet. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOE67_4HnKQ I would put it on my blog but, it's not working. What does everyone think of the video?
This was filmed 20 years ago. Oh, he seemed much kinder in the video because it said that he was humble and gentle. He seems much more alert and happier. I’m telling myself wow when I watch the kata at the end of the video. I think that's the best I ever seen in my life. I couldn't believe how fast Sensei was going with Sensei Mary. I have seen my Sempai do the exercise before and they did it much slower. I can tell that Sensei has aged a lot. I know that Sensei Mary doesn't move that fast either. I've never seen Sensei spar or sweat before. I've only seen him perform parts of kata and work with the makiwara.
From this video, I wanted to go back to dojo and train because he was a second ranking master in Gojo-Ryu and has so many years of experience. However, I had to remind myself how I was treated by Sensei and by some of my Sempai. Probably, he was kind and humble 20 years ago; however, he slowly changed and became the person he is today. Maybe, he just became jaded in his old age. I know that if I go back, I’ll have more problems with Sensei and my Sempai. I know that it’s not even worth it because I’ll be mistreated. I became so lost and no one was there to help except the people from the internet. It’s just too bad that he’s like that now. I wish that he could have been nicer and gentler with me. I wish that he didn’t have many of those stupid rules and he wasn’t that strict and controlling.
9 comments:
Lizzie,
There are many experienced instructors in the world, many with great technical ability, but very few with great humanity.
Chinen Sensei is no doubt a very skilled practitioner, very experienced in the ways of Goju Ryu, but so was Seikichi Toguchi and so is John Roseberry, there are many that are, Gene Villa is among them and so is Brad Weller.
Usually the most advertised are the most hyped and the most hyped may be good for commercial revinue, but not necessarily good in other ways.
The choice is yours, but continue training.
Lizzie, it is not unusual for a good person to lose his way. It sounds like this may have happened to your former sensei. While it may be tempting to return to your former dojo, just remember that the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior. If you were to return, you will be treated the same way you were before.
I urge you to consider joining the women's list I told you about in the e-mail I sent. They are an incredibly supportive group of women, some who have been involved in the martial arts for 20-30 years.
With every relationship we have our good moments, and our bad ones. What matters most is to recognize where our boundaries are, and what we are willing to allow within our lives. Once we have decided upon this, then it is important to follow that path.
I wish you much joy, and fulfillment in your path.
That is the Sensei Chinen I remember. I have some fantastic videos of him doing kata for demonstrations. One of the best is when he recieved shimei from his sempai in Las Vegas. That was Kishaba Sensei who was amazing.
Lizzie, I was the one that posted the Youtube video, I am also in it. In it I state that "He is a kind person...etc."
I still believe that. I still belong to Jundokan International and see Sensei often and talk to him once and a while.
I have been following your questions on E-Budo and The Karate Message Board in regards to him.
There's is an old adage "Believe what you see and about half of what you hear and read."
But your Sensei and Senpai are not there to be your friends. They have a job to do and that is to teach you karate. I have met some Senpai in life that I did not like. But it is immature to post comments such as yours on the net.
Chinen Sensei gave you an opportunity to apologize. Some say on this blog that "he lost his way?"
Some on the board and in this blog have coddled you and sympathized with your views.
As an instructor with over 30 years experience, I would say that a teacher/student relationship in a dojo are built upon certain rules.
One of many is the dojo kun and in particular "Be Humble and Polite" and several others were thrown out the window when you started your quest.
What you should have done is gone to your Senpai with questions and not the blogoshere.
Too bad, you HAD a good opportunity and you lost it due to your immaturity. ( I picked that up when you complained about having to clean your grandparents home ONE hour a week in order to pay the dojo fees.)
A karate dojo is not centered around one individual, so perhaps you should enter American Idol, where you can be the star!!
Hi NewEnglandBudo and thanks for visiting. I know that it was you that posted the video. I would have asked my Sempai; however, they weren't approachable. In that dojo you can't ask questions, especially, when being taught. What's the point for asking a question and having your head ripped off for no reason?
You are very right that karate isn't based on one individual. I wish that Sensei Chinen could learn that rule. However, he thinks himself a God and higher than everyone else. Anyone lower than him cannot question his authority. Sensei are suppose to be normal people, NOT gods. Sensei Chinen could enter American Idol so people can worship him. I don't want to be in American Idol because I don't like popular music and I'm not that talented with singing.
Hi, I see that this has been up for sometime. I would just like to say that I studied with Chinen Sensei from 1972 to 73 and again from 77 to 79 after leaving the Marines. I remember him being a great instructor and an extremely nice person. He was very serious while training and did not take any goofing around. After ward he was nothing but a gentleman whether at the dojo or his home. I remember Bruce McDavis (sp?) being very nice as well. Tom Howdsell again I am probably spelling it incorrectly, was a green belt and captain of the Spokane Community College club was very nice and extremely helpful. There was a black belt at the dojo whom I called bullet head, not to his face who pushed me harder than anyone else and let me know that I was not performing up to brown belt level which I was at that time. It bothered me, and pricked my ego, but I also became better. He also would compliment when it was in order. I count myself as one of Chinen Sensie's worst students due to many problems that kept me from giving my full attention to training at that time in my life. I have continued studying since and while I was in Okinawa. I now have 35 years in the martial arts and have studied with some of the best in the world. I fully wish that I would have stayed with Chinen Sensei longer as I count him as one of them, and I know that I missed out on much when I moved out of Spokane the second time. I am sorry to hear that you have such animosity for him and cannot begin to understand it. I hope things are better for you and that you can get over the anger that is so prevalent in you writing concerning him. I think he is one of the best there is and have nothing but respect for him as I do for many other instructors here and in Okinawa, some who's personalities did not mesh with mine. I too have had students quit due to the fact I had to make the distinction of being a friend or a teacher and say and do what was needed. If our students ego gets in the way it is our duty to point it out, as my teachers did for me the many times it did so. Sometime you may also have to do the same. As you continue your training and quest I hope all goes well and you find what you are looking for in life and know that it all begins with forgiveness for others and self, realizing many of our problems with others begin with our ego.
Sincerely,
Rick
Since there are people who still visit this posting, I would like to defend myself with what Budo and Rick said to me. I think that Budo was pretty derogatory. If you knew me Rick, you would know that I'm a humble person. I don't have an ego at all.
I loved the training and tried to follow the rules that Sensei Chinen required of me. However, the deeper I fell in the rabbit hole, the more I realized that things were getting shady and pretty screwy. I stayed with it because I fell in love with it just I like I'm in love with BJJ now.
Like I said, I couldn't come up to them and ask questions. They would have ripped my head off and fed my body to the tigers. Why would I feel comfortable asking them questions if they forbade me to smile while doing something I love? If I had the life experience that I have now, I would have ran away a long time ago.
Sensei Chinen was extremely hard on his students and unforgiving. Plus, he didn't control his tongue when talking about other people. David was right that his school circles around Him instead of Goju-Ryu.
He betrayed my trust and love for him. I pretty much worshiped the guy and his black belts. I thought that they were the coolest things. Now, I know I have to be careful of whom I trust. At that time, I just turned 20 years old and didn't know better.
Analogues are available?
So it is infinitely possible to discuss..
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