Mizu Gami

One night in 1954, Master Shimabuku fell asleep and dreamed of a beautiful sea goddess,half women,half serpent,named "Mizu-Gami". She represented the calmness a martial artist should display in facing turbulent conditions, symbolized by the churning sea, but having the strength of the serpent, if needed. Her left hand was open as a sign of peace, but her right hand was clenched in a fist indicating her willingness to fight if the need arose. A dragon appeared in the sky symbolizing the fighting fury displayed by a dragon as dows the half-serpent body of Mizu-Gami. The Ascending dragon also represents good luck. The three stars appeared symbolizing the birth of a new system of karate. The left star represented Shorin-Ryu (the mother),and the right star represented Goju-Ryu (the father), the middle star meaning Isshin-Ryu (the child). The gray evening sky symbolized serenity and implies that karate is to be used only for self-defense. Master Shimabuku also said that the three stars denoted that it was dark of nightfall. The dragon in his dream was a good luck symbol in Okinawan folk lore. It symbolizes the dragon palace that was located at the bottom of the ocean. The official birth of Isshin-Ryu Karate is January 15, 1954. The Mizu Gami was drawn from Master Shimabuku's description by Shosu Nakamine, Kameshi's uncle, and was chosen to the symbol for Isshin-Ryu Karate.

Isshinryu Codes

(1) A person's heart is the same as heaven and earth.
(2) The blood circulating is the same as the moon and sun.
(3) A manner a spitting and drinking is either hard or soft.
(4) A person's unbalance is the same as a weight.
(5) The body should be able to change motion at any time.
(6) Strike when the opportunity presents itself.
(7) The eyes must see on all sides.
(8) The ears must listen in all directions.

Twelve Major Features of Isshinryu

(1) Elimination of fancy techiniques--once used to hide karate's killing power because it was against the law to practice karate.
(2) Combination of the best of Shorin-Ryu and Goju-Ryu to form a basic, realistic system of self-defense.
(3) Use of low kicks (none above the waist), because low kicks allow one to move quickly with power and balance. Such kicks are hard to see, and hard to block.
(4) Use of short, natural stances which eliminates wasted motion and major body shifting, giving a split second time advantage in a self-defense situation. Such stances are more adaptable to American physique and temperament because the stances follow natural body movements.
(5) Hand and foot techniques are about fifty-fifty in the katas, giving the student a well rounded system of karate.
(6) Close in techniques which are valuable for street fighting.
(7) Snap punches and snap kicks(punches and kicks come from a limb only 90% extended and immediately retracted), enabling you to move in and out quickly in a self-defense situation and to immediately correct yourself if you miscalculate. The lack of full extension of the limb prevents excessive wear and tear on the hinge joints.
(8) Elements of hard blocking (meeting force with force) and soft blocking (deflecting or parrying the blows).
(9) Blocks executed with the muscular part of the forearm rather than the bone part to prevent breakage of the bones.
(10) A fist made with the thumb on top of the fist rather than over the first two fingers. This method locks athe wrist, helping to prevent the fist from buckling at he wrist on impact. This method also tightens the fist by allowing you to put tension on the top of the fist (thumb side) and the side of the fist (finger side).
(11) Vertical punch, which increases the speed and focus of the punch.
(12) Multiple-purpose techniques, allowing a block to become a blow, and vice versa, making the shift from offense or defense a matter of split-second timing.
*The Ultimate Fighting Art. Master Harold Long and Tim McGhee