If the master dies..

[chinto]

Just curious & want to hear the opinions from all you good people..

If a Karate grandmaster dies without leaving a will, who is the most suitable person to succeed his position as the next grandmaster of his Karate organization? Choose one answer and explain your choice..

1. His son or daughter, regardless of ability. Blood are more important than technical skills.

2. The most senior student. Seniority counts!

3. The senior student with the best teaching skills (we need teachers not thugs!)

4. Delegate his duties to a committee consists of senior students and business sponsors.

5. All the senior should settle the matter by fighting no-holds-barred, the one left standing will be the next grandmaster (barbaric, but some would say this is the most fair option).

6. Other (explain your choice)

Thank you very much!

At least some of the time it is the senior student. this happend when hanshi judan Kyan died he left that position to his senior student Eizo Shimubukoro. he was young by the standerds of the okinawan tradition for that rank and positon, but he was and is the hanshi of shobayashi shorin ryu.
However, in some instances the senior students end up splitting up and like in the case of hanshi soken they split with fusi kisei becomeing the head of kenshan kan and one of the other senior students becomeing the head of seito. ( as i remember from long ago fusi kesei was the senior student to hanshi hohan soken.) {i studeid seito as a kid a little, and later as a teen under the same sensei kenshankan as he stayed with fusi kesei and had studied under both on okinawa in the airforce.}

 

[Victor Smith]

Shimabuku Ezio was never a senior student of Kyan Chotoku. He was a very young man when Kyan died after the war. There is even some question because of the age differences that he had even trained with Kyan Sensei to any extent.

Some Japanese had called a meeting of all Okinawan karate-ka after the war to organize Okinawa by Japanese standards. Shimabuku Ezio showed up for the meeting but everyone else turned their backs.

The Japanese guy, losing much face, had to do something so he promoted Shimabuku Ezio to 10th dan.

Shimabuku realized he was in hot water with the rest of the island. He trained with one of Kyan's senior students for a while, wearing a white belt, to show his desire to really link to the past.

But he accepted his rank.

I have no opinion either way whether that is a good or bad thing.

Shimabuku Ezio is a qualified instructor in his own right. At that time rank was just starting to come into is own on Okinawa. During the American occupation, when it became obvious that Okinawa was going to return to Japanese control in 1972, the Okinawans started following Japanese standards, adopting dogi, rank, creating organizations.

Different groups used different approaches.

Miyagi, Goju's founder, never awarded anyone black belts. After his death all Goju Karate-ka took up the practice.

What rank was Kyan? Think about that a minute. His generation didn't use rank, except those who moved to Japan where it was borrowed from the Judo-ka.

And none of the systems had successor issues because they weren't systems then, just individual instructors. Kyan's students founded a number of systems, Matsubashi Ryu, Isshinryu, Kobayshi Ryu, Shorinji Ryu, Seibukan and so forth.

All of the karate succession issues are a relatively modern one.

In the end there is just the dojo, and the instructor ought to have the skills to keep the rest training.

 

[TimoS]

He trained with one of Kyan's senior students for a while, wearing a white belt, to show his desire to really link to the past.

I've heard that the bulk his training was from his brother Tatsuo Shimabukuro. Do you know if this was the case?

As for who was Kyan's most senior student, my understanding is that it was another Shimabukuro, namely Zenryo

 

[Victor Smith]

Shimabuku Ezio certainly trained with his brother, but there was a lot of rivarly between them later. Which was a shame, but a reality in families too.

With Shimabuku Tatsuo's passing and time I understand the old feelings have passed.

As for Kyan Sensei's senior student, I have seen various claims but have no way to independently verify any of them. Most books in time are found to have errors (often repeated from earlier texts) till verification of a point becomes impossible.

On the other hand, Kyan Sensei certainly inspired his students with his teachings and they kept the line alive. There is no finer tribute any instructor can receive than his knowledge passes along in future generations.

As we cannot go back to the past, deep questions about who/what/where/why/how will remain unaswered.

Isn't it more important to focus on what we have on hand today?