Interview: William Dometrich, Chito Ryu 9th Dan
I am pleased to present this interview with Sensei William Dometrich, 9th Dan of the Chito Ryu style of karate.
Dometrich Sensei has been one of the most instrumental individuals in United States history for propagating the art of Chito Ryu (and karate in general for that matter). He studied under the master Tsuyoshi Chitose (1898-1984) and is most well known for starting the United States Chito Ryu Karate-Do Federation.
In addition to being an accomplished practitioner, Dometrich Sensei is also the author of "Karate: The Endless Quest". In the pantheon of valuable martial arts biographies, this is often considered a must-have.
Back Story
In June of 1950 the Korean War broke out and a remarkably young William Dometrich tried to participate. Thwarted by his youth, he was forced to wait a year until he could join the 187th Airborne Regimental Combat Team stationed in Korea.
Two years later, at the end of the war, Dometrich's unit was restationed to Beppu City on the Southern Island of Kyushu, Japan. It was there, at 18 years old, Dometrich would begin his training with Ichiro Shirahama and ultimately Tsuyoshi Chitose (and would be the very first non-Japanese to do so).
Tsuyoshi Chitose Sensei
Chitose Sensei is widely regarded as one of the forefathers of modern karate. Along with Funakoshi Gichin, he helped spread the art to Japan. An invaluable piece of karate's legacy, Chitose was renowned for his skill, wisdom, and ability to teach.
Questions and Answers
MA: Dometrich Sensei, when you first became interested in studying karate in Japan, you repeatedly traveled to Chitose Sensei's village, arrived on his doorstep, and requested training. It was only after repeated denials that Chitose Sensei finally agreed to integrate you into his class in Beppu City. How did you know to keep coming back and asking again and again? Weren’t you afraid of bothering and insulting him?
WD: Actually it never entered my mind. I was a young man of eighteen years of age and never gave it a thought. I just wanted to study Karate.
MA: You had some amazing experiences in Japan when meeting Chitose Sensei and throughout your martial arts career. For individuals who cannot afford to make the trip overseas, what can be done to properly follow the martial ways? Is there something special/irreplaceable to be gained by going to Japan/Okinawa?
WD: For those who do not have the opportunity to travel to Japan, there are some very qualified instructors here in the U.S. seek out one - do the research. There are also some instructors who claim something they are not. When you find a instructor just be loyal to him/her and have a beginner's mind.
MA: During your sankyu test, not only did you have Chitose Sensei watching but also Funakoshi Gichin. Did the magnitude of his presence strike you at the time?
WD: Who knew! I had no idea who anyone was except the small group I trained with and that Dr. Chitose was the man.
MA: Could you talk a bit about Chitose Sensei’s early training and how he came to establish himself in Japan?
WD: Chitose Sensei was born in Okinawa in 1898. His mother was, from my understanding, the granddaughter of Bushi Matsumura.
He moved to Japan in the late 1918, to 1922 time frame. I have been told that he traveled to Tokyo to study medicine. Once there he assisted Funakoshi Sensei who had been his teacher when he was a school student in Okinawa.
MA: It is said that when Chitose Sensei was young, he studied one kata for many years under the careful watch of Unchu Kamade Arakaki. What was that kata, and do you think this method of training was critical to him becoming such an exceptional artist? Do you believe others should try to study in the same way?
WD: The kata that Dr. Chitose practiced for seven years I was told was Seisan. I asked Chitose Sensei on several occasions what his first kata was and he told me Seisan. There are those who disagree with this - they believe his first kata was Sanchin. Sanshin really sounds more like it to me - but on at least two different occasions he told me Seisan, and he should know. He was an exceptional martial artist. Perhaps it was a combination of his ability, desire, training and who knows. Others should study in the way best for them.
MA: I know you are also a fan of Seisan kata. What is it that you find so unique and valuable?
WD: All kata have some good and bad in them...but I feel that the movements in Saisan make it the best "all around" kata.
MA: What was it about Chitose Sensei’s karate that made him so powerful and yet so graceful that it seemed he would float across the floor (as you described in your book)?
WD: Chitose could generate a great amount of power for his size. He had total body control and had developed vibration ability (not to be confused with hip snap). It seems he could move his internal organs to increase his power while his outside body moved hardly at all. He moved like a ballerina when he walked. People just never seemed to bump into him when he was street walking.
MA: How important do you consider makiwara and hojo undo in the big picture of martial arts training? Have you had any adverse effects from it?
WD: Makiwara training and hojo undo are important for the traditional martial artist when they start karate training and throughout their lives. As they get older it will become less important.
In The United States
MA: You trained with a lot of very impressive martial artists all over the U.S. in the 60’s. Was there a sense of community amongst western martial artists, and do you find more stylistic barriers these days?
WD: Actually I found more barriers in the old days. There was bad blood between a few various karate styles and groups. Today is much better as a whole.
MA: In your book you say that during your first large tournament, the black belt champion was technically sound, but behaved disgracefully. Can you talk a bit about what made him disgraceful?
WD: Basically the contestant had a bad attitude - he thought he was a super hero ( he read too many comic books).
MA: Could you discuss the atmosphere at some of the early tournaments in the west? There seemed to have been a lot of injuries and even ego oriented conflict.
WD: A few of the early tournaments ended up in blood baths. These were the exceptions. Injuries were caused because of the following: poor tournament rules- They are much better now. Poor referees and officials- today they are very good in most instances. A great many of the early karate students were bar fighters and the tournaments suited them.
MA: You endured extremely harsh training and even tougher treatment in the military, and yet you thrived in that environment. Is that level of severity necessary for success in the martial arts? Was there anything that you believe was too harsh in your training that you wouldn't recommend to upcoming martial artists?
WD: In the early years we ( I mean all of us Japanese and Americans) did some stupid things. Today training is much better. Better understanding of the body and how it works, better instructors, sports medicine, better clinics, tournaments etc. etc. etc. No matter what though the desire has to be there.
MA: Late in your book you state that “as you got older, you felt closer to Dr. Chitose’s Okinawan roots rather than his Japanese ones.” Could you elaborate on what you meant?
WD: I have spoken to some Japanese stylist on this - Shotokan, etc. Most of us feel that the Okinawans kept many of their training techniques to themselves. I am glad that my teacher in Japan was from Okinawa. I feel that his depth of training was very beneficial to myself and my students.
MA: Dometrich Sensei, thank you very much for your time and insight into the art of Chito Ryu!
Things to Come and a Thank You
Hey guys! This will just be a quick post because I'm currently working on a bigger one. More about that later.
First things first - some good news! The Ikigai Facebook Page just recently hit 100 fans. Woot! I need to send a big thank you out to everyone who joined and has been contributing to the nice budding community we have there. Facebook is such a great tool for quick conversing and staying in touch. If you're not currently on, I'd love to have you as part of the group (so click here!)
This brings me to my 'things to come' portion. As a way of thanking people with something other than cheap cheap words, I intend to do a giveaway in the near future. Actually, two giveaways. I want to do one for people that comment on the site, and one for Facebook Fans. Not sure what the prizes will be yet, but I'll definitely keep you posted.
Finally, I have a pretty neat post coming later today. I was fortunate enough to get an interview with an influential martial artist who was critical to growing the arts in the United States back in the 60's through to today. Be sure to check it out!
Best,
Matt
Deadliest Warrior – Spartan vs Ninja
Last week I covered the Samurai vs Viking matchup, with Samurai coming out on top. This week I think we have an even harder challenge to face: Spartan vs Ninja.
Let me tell you why I'm personally conflicted about this week's matchup on Spike TV's Deadliest Warrior. By heritage, I am half Greek (including my namesake). As such, I feel a natural affinity toward Sparta and the ancient Greek civilization as a whole. I find their mythology fascinating and contributions to modern day society priceless.
On the other hand, ninja are a part of Japanese culture, which I have spent a good portion of my life studying. The ninja are easily among the most mysterious, misunderstood, and just plain cool fighters of all time.
What to do?? Let's take a look at some of the pros and cons for each, and see if we can't draw any conclusions.
Spartan Pros/Cons
Spartan Pros: The first thing that stands out to me is the rigorous training a Spartan warrior had to go through. "Naturally Selected" from birth, only the strongest and most hardy infants would make it to childhood. Training would begin as soon as physically possible, and only got harder once the preteen and teen years hit.
Ultimately, a young Spartan lad would be sent out into the wilderness on his own. If he survived, he could come back and begin his training as a Spartan warrior. If not...well...
the entire Spartan culture was based around combat. They eliminated art, literature, and basically all kinds of non-combat pursuits in order to focus on the purity of fighting.
Spartan Cons: The Spartan arsenal was actually fairly limited. They relied heavily on the spear/shield combination, but also carried around a short sword for when their spear broke or combat became too close quartered. Rather than become proficient in other weapons, they stuck primarily to these few tools.
Ninja Pros/Cons
Ninja Pros: In stark contrast to the Spartans, the ninja had a vast array of weapons. In fact, I can't think of any other warrior in history that utilized a more diverse and surprising array of deadly doodads.
Utilizing the element of surprise, a ninja could throw (literally) something at his enemies that they had never seen before.
The ninja also benefited from a rampant break-the-rules policy. A ninja would do whatever necessary to win a battle and had little concern for fairness.
Ninja Cons: All of the ninja's weapons relied on speed and cunning - if a ninja were to be cornered by an overpowering weapon (such as spear and shield), he would have a difficult time navigating around it.
Furthermore, the ninja had virtually no armor to speak of. His entire body was vulnerable should he be spotted.
The Problem With 1-on-1
Some people may be surprised to learn that a 1-on-1 duel is actually a weakness for both Spartan and Ninja! Neither of these warriors wanted to fight ANYONE single handedly.
Spartans dedicated an obsessive amount of training to working as a unit. the big secret that made the Spartans so great was their ability to augment each other and create an almost impenetrable line of death and destruction. No unit throughout history was better trained to adapt yet stay together during combat situations.
With this cohesive mindset, Spartans spent little time on their dueling abilities (although they certainly didn't neglect it entirely).
Ninja, on the other hand, weren't worried about the battlefield at all. In fact, face-to-face fighting usually indicated a failure on their part. A ninja's value came in his ability to sneak around undetected and make a kill without notice.
The ninja did not want to confront Samurai or guards if he could help it. That's why he developed his myriad of devices for infiltration and escape. As deadly as the ninja was, he certainly wasn't a duelist.
Matchup Thoughts
My first prediction is that the ninja will win the specialty weapons portion. 'Specialty Weapons' is when the Deadliest Warrior hosts allow each team to select an unusual weapon that might come in handy for each fighter. The ninja had such a wide variety of specialties that the odds are clearly on their side.
Whatever the Spartan spear gets paired against, the spear is likely to win. The Ninja just doesn't have anything equivalent to it in length and power, especially if they take armor and shield into consideration.
Short range combat could be a toss up as the Spartan uses a short sword while the ninja uses a tachi.
Who Will Win?
This is an extremely tough matchup, but I believe my vote is going for the Spartan.
Now for the moment of truth, who do YOU think will win?
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