I have the great honour of being part of the Shintani Karate Organization as we known it since it’s beginning.
I have had the distinct pleasure from the late sixties to the late seventies of traveling with Sensei Shintani for up to six nights a week from Simcoe to Niagara Falls.
I recall as a younger man seeing some of our finest ranking people as white belts and working beside them through the kyu belts and into the dans.
Sensei Peter Ciolfi became my kihon kumite partner, the tournament opponent and my gauge for comparison.
The Organization was very small then and I knew all the Black Belts.
There were hard working and always striving to do better.
The assisted their follow karateka in achieving their goals.
It is now 1997 and no longer know all the black belts. The Organization is no longer small. The Black Belts no longer have the advantage we had of being directly trained and influenced by Sensei Shintani. I do see at the tournaments and workouts Black Belts that carry on the tradition of Shintani Wado Kai. But it greatly saddens me to see the territorial struggles, political controversies, and egotism that have come with growing.
I remember traveling with Sensei and being taught his own brand of philosophy, not through stories of ancient Japanese warriors, but of his own life experiences and the world as he saw it. The lessons Sensei taught were of humility-not egotism. To always strive to be better but not to get caught up in success. A karateka should always be humble no matter their rank. Physical capability is important but secondary to a person’s spirit and heart. Sensei believed karate should be open to all that wanted to be part of it, no matter of their financial means. It is important for us to get back to some of these fundamental principals to keep the Shintani Federation unique and not a political war ground as we see in other organizations.
The future of this organization relies on our ability to remain united. Territorial struggles must end! The purpose of territories is not to make a ranking instructor the sole power of a region, but the unite instructors of a region and promote working together. The purpose of rank is not to glorify an individual, but to recognize their contribution to all aspects of karate. The heart of this organization was not found on scoffing at other karateka but assisting them and working through differences. If financial gain is you main purpose for being an instructor, then it is time to re-evaluate your reasons for being in karate. The future of Shintani Federation can be extremely bright, but harmony of all the clubs is essential.
Winter 1997/1998
Volume 2 - Issue 1
