In honor of Herbert Z. Wong Sensei (1940 - 2018)

A few weeks ago an extraordinary karate master left this world forever. Unfortunately, I never met him personally. However, he supported my book project with a lot of information and an interview. I am talking about Herbert Z. Wong Sensei (1940 - 2018). Wong Sensei was a student of Todd Sensei, Shimabukuro Eizo Sensei, and thus trained under Ichikawa Sensei. In 1965, Wong Sensei had the opportunity to visit the Shudokan dojo and talk to Toyama Sensei.
In the following interview, Wong Sensei shares his indescribable knowledge and experiences with us.

Interviewer: Did you ever talk to Shimabukuro Sensei about his 10th dan promotion from Toyama Sensei? Was it just the promotion or was there any deeper relationship between Toyama Sensei and Shimabukuro Sensei?
Wong Sensei: O'Sensei Shimabukuro has on many occasions talked about receiving his Judan and Shibucho certificate from Toyama Dai Shihan. O'Sensei was very clear that he had never learned any of his karatedo from Toyama Dai Shihan. In 1959, Toyama Dai Shihan under the auspicious of the Minister of Education of Japan invited representatives of all Okinawan karate "styles" to Tokyo to demonstrate and to be certified as karate masters in Japan. O'Sensei Shimabukuro discovered that he was the only Okinawan instructor to attend, and he performed his Kyan karatedo katas and Taira weapons katas to Toyama Dai Shihan and other Japanese dignitaries. Toyama Dai Shihan appointed O'Sensei as the Okinawa Shibucho for the All Japan Karatedo Federation (Zen Nihon Karatedo Renmei) and awarded him his Judan.

Interviewer: I read that Toyama Sensei had sent you a letter of recommendation for the dojo of Chibana Sensei. However, the letter reached you too late. Do you regret that you had not ended up in his dojo?
Wong Sensei: When I was scheduled to go to Okinawa in 1963, Todd Sensei wrote a letter to Toyama Dai Shihan asking for a letter of recommendation for me. Because of the slowness of international mail, the letter of introduction for me to attend Choshin Chibana Sensei's dojo did not arrive until many months later. By that time, I had been in O'Sensei Shimabukuro's dojo for many months already. It was fortunate that I did not attempt to visit Chibana Sensei dojo at that time since I believe my teacher O'Sensei Shimabukuro was getting instruction from Chibana Sensei on some of his Itosu katas which he felt did not have the Itosu principles and foundations in the way that Kyan Sensei had taught him. Until that time, I have still not seen the practice of kata as practiced in the Kyan style with the dynamics, speed, precision, etc. of this style. As such, I have never regretted not training with Chibana Sensei. I have, however, in the past referred other senior students to Chibana Sensei for instruction.

Interviewer: As far as I know you have also visited the Shudokan dojo in Tokyo. What was your impression of Toyama Sensei?
Wong Sensei: I visited Toyama Dai Shihan's Sohonbu Dojo in July 1965. It was during early evening when I arrived. There were about 20 students on the floor of varying levels of training with more senior students working with more junior students. Toyama Dai Shihan was not on the training floor. One of the black belts greeted me and asked who I was. I introduced myself indicating that I was visiting from Okinawa with Shimabukuro as my Sensei, and that I was also a student of Todd Sensei in the United States for whom I was carrying his greetings to Toyama Dai Shihan. Within minutes, Toyama Dai Shihan was on the training floor, and he invited me to sit next to him in the Shomen area. The black belt who greeted me sat close by and provided assistance in translation. Toyama Dai Shihan spoke to me in Japanese, and although I took several courses in accelerated Conversational Japanese, I was not able to communicate clearly without the black belt's assistance (I do not remember the name of this person; however, he was neither Ichikawa Isao or Takahashi Youkou). Toyama Dai Shihan was dressed in a summer yukata, soft-spoken, very courteous, and careful and deliberate in his movements. We talked for an hour or more about what was happening in Okinawa and in Oakland, California. Toyama Dai Shihan asked many questions about training, katas, exercises, etc. with Shimabukuro Sensei and with Todd Sensei. Toyama Dai Shihan introduced me to the class, and he asked several of his higher-level students to perform some kata for me. Some of the katas looked familiar and were those in his book (others I recognized because of the Itosu lineage). I did see several katas that were different because of the high roundhouse and sidekicks in them. I asked the names of those kata, and Toyama Dai Shihan said they were special katas of his. Toyama Dai Shihan asked if I would perform a kata for his students. I performed Itosu Kushanku (which we now call Kushanku Dai as taught by Chibana Choshin Sensei to my teacher Shimabukuro Sensei). Toyama Dai Shihan seemed to have liked my kata and had the translator tell me that he was very happy to see "te" again. We talked some more, and as it was getting late, the class ended. I thanked him for allowing me to visit, and told him that Todd Sensei had wanted me to bring him greetings from the United States (and I gave him an envelope with 75,000 Yen -- about US$200 at that time -- told him that this was from Todd Sensei). We bowed and said good-byes and Toyama Dai Shihan went back upstairs. As I was saying thank you to some of the students before leaving, Toyama Dai Shihan and his wife came back down, bowed deeply, and asked that I thank Todd Sensei for his kind gift and to extend his welcome to Todd Sensei and his wife to visit him the next time.

Interviewer: Do you remember the students of Toyama Sensei of these days? Was Toyama Sensei conducting the training? Who was teaching?
Wong Sensei: Toyama Dai Shihan was not teaching the class. The students were of varying levels of proficiency, with more advanced students helping those who were less advanced. At the time of my visit, I had seen students from Naha-te, Shuri-te, Tomari-te, etc. in Okinawa and students from U.S. dojos of Joon Rhee, Richard Kim, Nishiyama Hideteka, Yamaguchi Gogen, Ajari Yosh, Walter Todd, etc. Toyama Dai Shihan's students were not much different than other karatedo students that I had seen. They did use deeper stances and did kick higher than most Okinawan styles, however. 

Interviewer: Do you remember the structure of the training in the Shudokan? 
Wong Sensei: I did not see any entire-class exercise (although I was not there when the class started). Training was very individualistic and resembled more like the kung fu classes in the Chinese martial arts. Senior students helped junior students. A variety of emphases were made (e.g., kata, bunkai, kumite, power, technique, etc.).

Interviewer: In Japan I met many Toyama-students who believe that Toyama Sensei was teaching just the kata he mentioned in his book Karatedo Daihokan (Pinan 1-5, Naifanchi 1-3, Chinto, Passai Dai, Chibana no Kushanku, Koryu Gojushiho, Tenryu no kon and an unnamed sai kata). Do you know which kata Takahashi Youkou Sensei taught Todd Sensei?
Wong Sensei: As mentioned, I saw katas at Toyama Dai Shihan's Sohonbu Dojo when I visited in 1965 that were not in his Karatedo Daihokan book. Todd Sensei first learned his karatedo kata under Otsuka Sensei (Wado-ryu) in 1948-1949 during his work assignment with the Tokyo PX. He was six months short in time-in-grade to qualify for his Shodan examination. In 1953, during the six-month tour with the judo and karate masters from Japan to the different U.S. Air Force Strategic Air Command Bases, Todd Sensei relearned his karatedo kata (Shotokan style) with Obata Sensei, Kamata Sensei (who was the President of the Shotokan), and Nishiyama Sensei. At the end of the SAC Tour, Obata Sensei said that he would recommend Todd Sensei for his Shodan in Shotokan Karatedo to Funakoshi Sensei (although the certificate was never awarded as far as I can tell). In 1960, Todd Sensei was awarded his Sandan in Karatedo simultaneous with his appointment as United States Shibucho for the All Japan Karatedo Federation (Zen Nihon Karatedo Renmei). I believe that it was Youkou Takahashi Sensei who recommended Todd Sensei to be the U.S. Shibucho to Toyama Dai Shihan, and Toyama Dai Shihan awarded Todd Sensei the same rank (Sandan) that Takahashi Sensei held at the time. During this early-1960's time, Todd Sensei was teaching mainly the Shudokan karatedo katas, and he also referred to Toyama Dai Shihan's book (Karatedo Daihokan) often. All of these katas must have been from Takahashi Sensei to Todd Sensei. Todd Sensei did teach katas that were not in Toyama Dai Shihan's book. For example, I was taught Empi no kata (Flying Swallow) from the Wado-ryu style and Jion from the Shotokan style - two of Todd Sensei's favorite katas. Todd Sensei asked that I perform Empi no kata when Otsuka Sensei visited his dojo in Oakland, CA (and I was asked to be uke for Otsuka Sensei on that visit). Todd Sensei taught the Pinan katas from Shudokan (although he pointed out differences when these katas are performed in Shotokan and Wado-ryu). I learned Naifanchi Shodan and Sandan from Todd Sensei; however, he was not able to fully teach me Naifanchi Nidan. In 1963, I learned Naifanchi Nidan from a South Korean officer (Lieutenant Sang Kim who was a teacher of Tang Soo Do) assigned to the U.S. Army Engineering School at Ft. Belvoir, Virginia for training at the same time that I was there. During one of my short leaves back to the Bay Area, I was able to share my Naifanchi Nidan with Todd Sensei; however, shortly after that, he did have the Shudokan version of Naifanchi Nidan - I assumed that he got that from Takahashi Sensei. Starting in the Fall of 1965 after my return from Okinawa, Todd Sensei had asked that I take over the teaching of Karatedo based upon what I had learned from Shimabukuro O'Sensei (Shorin-ryu). I continued to teach karatedo for Todd Sensei until the fall of 1970 when I had to leave for my doctoral program at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Todd Sensei returned to teaching the Shudokan katas after visits to his dojo by Ichikawa Hanshi (in the early 1970's) which became Doshinkan Karatedo.