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In disseminating his knowledge, Taika Oyata puts much thought in what he teaches and in the true meaning and philosophy behind it. There was no definitive name for the art he learned from Uhugushiku and Wakinaguri; therefore, Oyata began to analyze kanji to discover the essence of his teachers' wisdom. Japanese words like, English words, have many homonyms. An example is the kanji for SHIN. Oyata analyzed many kanji relating to SHIN to discover a remarkable relationship to his acquired knowledge and the wisdom of his teachers. The kanji for God, parent, spirit, trust and truth can all be pronounced, SHIN. Through his analysis Oyata discovered that the definitions for these kanji are related to the kanji for TRUTH as follows: God's hand creates life and meaning to everything. All things come from God. This is the beginning of all things and relates to the nature of all things. Our parents bring us into the world, teach us about life and guide us until we reach our own level of conscientiousness. We most often learn our morals from our parents. Of significance is that the first character in Oyata's name is the same as the kanji for parent. Our spirit is our soul and thus our character. We express ourselves through our character or personality. Trusting hands represent the faith of man in the truthful quality and benevolence of supreme beings. With trust, the truthful and peaceful relationship of mankind is possible. Finally, truth embraces all of the above in that our ideals are reflected in the significance of each of these definitions. Truth is a reflection of all the above and is arrived through a combination of God's gift of life, the morals of our parents and our soul and character. As such, the philosophy of ancient Okinawa is to live to the utmost standards.
The kanji for TE can also be pronounced SHU and the meaning is much deeper than just open hand. The significance of the open hand is in its usefulness. To the people of Okinawa, TE is a direct expression of one's personality. Almost everything we do, we use our hands. We show care and giving or we can show anger and disgust. As humans, we have that choice. Combining the use of the hands with the above meaning, Oyata arrived at the definition for which he was searching. The kanji for HO simply means a method, concept or principle. It is an essential quality determining an intrinsic nature or characteristic behavior that is a basic truth that becomes a regular and systematic way to accomplish something. Combining the kanji for true, SHIN, the kanji for hand, SHU, and the kanji for HO the meaning for SHIN SHU HO becomes apparent: To Strive and attain true moral goodness and to express it through one's every action. Oyata describes SHIN SHU HO as the art of life protection. This means not only protecting yourself, but protecting others as well. This is not always accomplished as a physical act, but also as an act of education and good deeds. Even when a physical confrontation is inevitable, it is the responsibility of the practitioner to consider the welfare of the opponent and exercise only the force that is necessary to control the attack.. |
Oyata Shin Shu Ho
