This is the final part of a long interview. along with a section of notes, I did with Sensei Christian back in 2015, that was published in the UK martial arts magazine 'Martial Arts Illustrated'.
This covers from the 1980's and the opening of his full-time Dojo in Shevington, Wigan onward.
AM = “Following from
that. You'd started in the 1960's. You had studied Goju ryu, both the
Japanese and Okinawan versions. By the late 1970's you'd embarked on
your own personal research and this had lead you to change how you
taught Goju and then you'd become involved in Kickboxing.”
TC = “I thought it
was the way to go. My boxing background, and remember Karate
competitions back then were hardly non-contact, it was rough. It
wasn't meant to be contact, but.....Plus, the training , like
boxing's, had a realism.,hitting things and each other. Never been a
fan of too much 'fresh-air punching', sort of thing and all this
oi-zuki, gyaga zuki attacks. I never left Karate or Goju Ryu, just
did my thing with it. Never thought it was wrong or didn't work, just
needed some changes. Thing is , long term, I found Kickboxing was
also lacking. It didn't have the depth of Karate. Plus, as I've said
before, it's an injury filled dead end : MMA is the same. Good, don't
get me wrong, but long term ?”
AM= “In 1982, you
opened your full time Dojo, in Shevington, Wigan.”
TC = “Yeah, never
thought it would last this long. Again, I've got to say thanks to
Bruce Lee, with out him, it would never have happened. It was a
natural thing. I had so many good students in Wigan. I taught here
(Wigan) on Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays. And in Liverpool on
Tuesdays and Thursdays. A lot of driving around and messing about
carrying training kit etc. Opening a full time Dojo meant I could get
bags and all the other training kit together. And it really did take
off. We were open 6 days a week, sometimes 3 classes a night ! You
know all about that. It allowed me to teach weapons (Kobudo) as
well.”
AM = “Back to how our
training evolved, tell us about Danny Connor ?”
TC = “Danny was my
closest friend in the martial arts. Like I said , we go right back to
the 1960's. Danny had started Karate and then gone into the Chinese
martial arts. He'd been around China learning it's martial arts, when
it was hard just to get into the country (1970's). Later he was
running the BKA (British Karate Association) and I'd joined it for
him. I'm the BKA's senior instructor. He'd also been behind a lot of
the kick boxing. Anyway Danny was always bring bring over these
Chinese martial artist and ringing me up. 'Come and train with so and
so'. Met a lot of interesting people this way, Ip Chun (25), Alan
Pittman (26) etc. And Goju Ryu is not perfect – no style is. I'd
always had this thing with Tensho Kata and softness. How I'd been
shown it, that something just wasn't right. Through Danny and the
Chinese arts , I was shown I was right. Tensho should be soft, not an
open hand version of Sanchin. The 'Go' and the 'Ju'. I miss him, he's
a big loss. I think the martial arts have gone down hill since he
died.”
AM = “After 50 years,
where do you see the Martial arts ?”
TC = “At the moment I
think their in a bad way. There are things missing, things wrong. No
commitment amongst kids starting in Karate now. Karate teachers who
cant fight. MMA lads, who can only fight. It's Budo that's missing.
Karate, martial arts, it's about fighting, but it's more than that,
much more. Fighting isn't the answer to everything. How you behave is
so important. To Chinen, Enoda etc that mattered more than fighting
and they were right. It's not about hitting people, it's about
stopping people hitting you. So, why does someone want to hit you ?
How have you behaved ? Remember Budo can mean, 'To stop the fight'.
Looking back, I think
the big thing with us all back then. We were all looking for 'the
answer'. That one thing that made sense of everything in the martial
arts, worked against everything and made it all work. Thing is now, I
don't think there is one answer. I think there's several. But what
was important,was the looking for that. The searching, the training.”
Andy Moorhouse began
his training back in 1973, but only became a student of Sensei Tony
Christian in 1979 and has been with him ever since. He was the 'first
in last out' , guy in the old Shevington Dojo and can be contacted
via andy.moorhouse@hotmail.com
NOTES :
1 = DANNY CONNOR :
Originally student of Vernon Bell, before becoming an early student
of Tatsuo Suzuki. Through out the 1960's and 70's he visited the
Orient to study the martial arts. He was one of the first to go into
mainland China to study there. He was a pioneer promoter of kick
boxing, author and became chairman of the BKA.
2 = VERNON BELL :
British Karate pioneer who studied with Henry Ple'e , the Frenchman who
introduced Karate to Europe, and Tetsuji Mirakami, the first Japanese
instructor to come to Europe in the 1950's.
3 = HARRY BENFIELD :
Very early student of Karate under Danny Connor. Went on to introduce
Uechi Ryu to Britain.
4 = TAIJI KASE :
KEINOSUKE ENODA : HIROKAZU KANAWAZA : HIROSHI SHIRAI.
Kase, was a pre-war
Shotokan student of both Gichin and Giko Funakoshi. Enoda , Kanazawa
and Shirai were post-war JKA champions. The four had been sent as an
expert team to promote Shotokan Karate in Britain. All became highly
respected masters of Karate in later years.
5 = LIVERPOOL RED
TRIANGLE CLUB : One of Liverpool's early martial arts schools and the
first Shotokan club in northern England.
6 = TERRY DUKES :
Believed to have been a Kyukoshinkai student, who then claimed to
have introduced the style of 'Mushindo' to Europe and Britain. Made a
great many dubious claims of contact with great masters and thus
access to secret teachings etc. In later years his claims were shown
to be false and 'Mushindo' was his own concoction.
7 = MUSHINDO : Terry
Duke's style of Katate , this went on to become more of a
Karate-cum-Buddhist cult than more conventional Karate styles.
Perhaps a reflection of its times (the 1960's and 70's.) or the man
?
NOTE – Mushindo is
not related to the current Mushin Ryu style, founded by Alfie Lewis.
8 = GEORGE ANDREWS :
Now Morio Higaonno's (IOGKF) senior pupil in Britain and head of the
OTGKA.
9 = TERRY O'NEIL and
STEVE CATTLE : Both very sucessful Karate champions, Cattle was a
student of Kase and O'Neil of Enoda. O'Neil also became the publisher
of the now defunct 'Fighting Arts International' and actor.
10 = BOB HONIBALL :
Tony Christian's first black belt student and now senior Jundokan
instructor in Britain.
11 = TONY VISCOUNTE :
Famous record producer, working with the likes of T.Rex and David
Bowie.
12 = STEVE ARNEIL :
Kyukoshin Karate master and president of the IKF. Was the first
westerner to complete the 100 man kumite.
13 = DENNIS MARTIN :
Martial artist and author, moved over from traditional martial arts
to body guarding and what is now termed RBSD.
14 = BRIAN WAITES :
Early student of Karate and one of the three students at the Goju Kai
Humbu Dojo who Yamaguchi sent to introduce Goju Ryu to this country.
Disappeared from martial arts circles in the 1980's.
15 = STEVE MORRIS :
Regarded by many as one of the most gifted martial artists in the
country. Started in Kyukushinkai in this country, went to Japan and
became involved in the introduction of Goju Ryu here. Followed his
own path in 'Pure Form', an attempt to get to the essence that links
all martial arts. Became frustrated and abandoned traditional
Oriental martial arts and works at his own 'Morris Method' of no hold
barred fighting and training MMA fighters.
16 = GARY SPIERS : A New Zealander and proud of his Maori heritage, met Waites and Morris at Yamaguchi's
Dojo. Used his Karate experience to move into bouncing and security
work. Distilled these experiences into his 'Applied Karate' group.
17 = GOGEN YAMAGUCHI :
Japanese solider and martial artist. Studied Karate with the head of
Goju Ryu, Chojun Miyagi in the 1930's . Termed his branch of Goju,
Goju Kai and founded the JKF. A martial arts innovator, credited with
the development of free sparring, studying yoga and with a strong
spirituality to his teaching.
18 = STEVE BELLAMY :
Moved to Japan to further his martial arts studies.
19 = TERUO CHINEN :
Goju Ryu master, trained under Chojun Miyagi as a child. Regarded by
Sensei Christian as his biggest influence and the best 'Kata man'
he's ever seen. Head of Jundokan International.
20 = MORIO HIGAONNA :
World famous Karate master and head of the largest Goju Ryu
organisation, the IOGKF. Regarded as an archetypal martial arts
master.
21 = MASAFUMI SHIOMITSU
: Early Wado Ryu instructor.
22 = STEVE TABERNER :
British Kick Boxing champion in the 1980's.
23 = JAMES ROUSSEAU :
South African , went to Japan to study Karate in the 1960's. Trained
with both Higaonna and Chinen. Brought first Chinen and then Higaonna
to Britain. Helped establish the IOGKF. Now leader of the GKI.
24 = JOE LEWIS – BILL
WALLACE – BENNY URQUIDEZ : Legendary American Kick Boxing
champions from it's golden age , in the 1970's and '80's.
25 = IP CHUN : Son of
Ip Man, senior Wing Chun master and teacher of Danny Connor.
26 = ALAN PITTMAN :
Studied Chinese martial arts under R.W. Smith.
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