Soke

"What about Fairfax, will he give me my money?"

"Reznick told you quite a bit, didn't he?  Fairfax will tell you the same thing I have.  We're not authorized to do things like this."

"Who is?  Who makes the decisions?"

"Well, a committee would make a decision in this case..."

"No.  One man.  You go high enough, you always come to one man."

-Payback

It's true, too.  An idea can have its genesis amongst several people, but more often than not, one driven go-getter type is the one who takes an idea and gets it off the ground.  Someone always becomes the spiritual leader behind an idea.

Last night, I had the great privilege to spend a little training time with Yoshukai Karate's "one man," Soke Katsuoh Yamamoto.  If you've seen an earlier blog post, I included a picture of him.  Let me tell you this--he cuts an impressive figure.  On the three previous times I've seen him, he was present almost as a ceremonial figure at tournaments and camps.  He seemed like he'd walked into our world from a different dimension where people lived who would make comic book superheroes look like little boys playing dress-up.  Impressive...very impressive.

Yesterday, I got a chance to see the man behind the figure.  He ran smaller-group sessions focusing on specific rank-appropriate items, and, through a translator, he would give constructive feedback with occasional bits of English thrown into the mix.  He was smiling, telling stories, answering questions, picking up little children, and just having a grand old time.  He was, in that moment, a happy old man who had the joy of seeing his big idea going international...of seeing his dream made real through practitioners of all different ages, sizes, ranks, and types of people.

It gave me a lot to think about.  By sharing his dream, he made us a part of it--he gave us a small share of ownership in his big idea.  And, although that is heart-warming in ways that are hard to really explain, what really stood out to me is this:  we are now heirs to a responsibility.  We have a responsibility, while we are training (no matter how long or short), to do what we can to advance its cause.  If are true to the art and teach well, then those we pass on our knowledge will see the knowledge as worthy of passing on.  If we do that, our art moves forward even if we as individuals do not.

It's an extraordinary responsibility set forth by an extraordinary man.  And, if we soak up what he has to teach while he is still with us, we can pass along a purer Yoshukai to the next generation.

OSU!