Part 6 (1/2)

THERE WAS A strangely subdued atmosphere about the 1982 Wado Ryu championshi+ps at Crystal Palace in London As Mick Davies had predicted, the death of the Grand Master Hironori Ohtsuka had turned out to be so of a calaacy For years, it had been reported that Tatsuo Suzuki, eighth dan Hanshi+, would inherit the title of kancho but while the prince and 'heir presumptive' had been away from court, there had been attempts to usurp his position

It was only on the few occasions that I had received a trophy froed a feords with Suzuki, thean honorific title bestowed on an elite of karate ure, but Eddie cox, who had once brought hi reception, said that with a few drinks inside him he revealed himself to be a warmer roups around the arena and discussed the dramatic events and machinations that had taken place both before and after Ohtsuka's death In between the elimination rounds, they swapped conjecture and rumours about why it was Ohtsuka's son Jiro, and not his most famous student, who had become the head of the Wado Ryu style of karate It turned out that almost a full year before the old man's death there had been moves by several claimants to Ohtsuka's title of kancho

It had been kept from most Wado Ryu students in Europe that Hironori Ohtsuka had been in conflict with Eiichi Eriguchi, the man who had coined the name 'Wado Ryu', and nine anisation called Wado Ryu Karatedo Renmei After only a few months, as his health failed, he installed at its head his son Jiro There was another story that Tatsuo Suzuki had been offered the post but had turned it down in favour of Ohtsuka's son, but regardless of whether that was true or not, few believed it The theory that see most credence amid the hubbub in Crystal Palace was that the seeds of Tatsuo Suzuki's destruction had been sown several years before, during Hironori Ohtsuka's visit to Britain in 1975 It was rureatly impressed by the performances of Tatsuo Suzuki's British students and he had found the style of karate they were practising differed greatly from his own

Without doubt, karate had altered once it had left japan, and Wado Ryu in Europe had undergone es and modifications since Tatsuo Suzuki had left his hoe had thought that Suzuki's style of Wado Ryu had becoid, too similar to Shotokan, and that much of its jujitsu roots had been discarded The counter-theory to that was that Suzuki had developed a much more successful style, and that criticisms of it were down to little more than jealousy Wherever the truth lay, the end product was three separate governing bodies of Wado Ryu: one led by Suzuki, another by Eriguchi and one led by Jiro Ohtsuka, ould later change his name to Hironori Ohtsuka II Personally, none of it affected me, or my karate, but I did think that for an art that was supposed to enable its practitioners to beco spectacle

The Wado Ryu chaories that featured in national all-styles events Thebody for the Wado Ryu style in Britain was the United Kingdoanization that had produced not only a team which had dominated British karate for four years, but had also yielded the only British-based fighters ere to win the heavyweight all-styles world cha the twentieth century Jero h their athleticism, they had taken the level of co the 1980s

The japanese instructors were quick to claim every bit of credit they could for the success of Wado Ryu students in all-styles events, but in reality they had played only a roup, they were reluctant to coes of what they saw as the budo (martial) aspect of co criteria at Wado Ryu tournaments differed so techniques were allowed to be delivered with a lot more power While this vieas endorsed, to some extent, by the YMCA's instructors, it alsoto be at a disadvantage if they cahter who could match them for speed and skill but also had thirty or forty pounds more bone and muscle to put behind a kick or a punch

Vic Charles had left the UKKW sohters like Jerome Atkinson, Jeoff Thoer bothered entering the individual event Single style titles really had a ring of 'big fish in a small pond' about them The titles that counted the ainst the very best from other schools of karate, and the top competitors' lack of interest in the Wado Ryu title devalued it somewhat It was akin to Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool not bothering to play in the FA Cup However, it did ht h the eli Clinton in the final

Clinton had fought brilliantly all day and replicated the for coional final a month before Clinton had been so superior that his renowned opponent, who led his own style and association, was reduced to falling to theinjury in order to secure a very hollow victory In between my own bouts, I had watched Clinton as he triumphed over every opponent with ease He had recovered his speed, a sense of balance that never faltered and a range of techniques that I doubted I could ever attain, no e I had over hiht for the Wado Ryu title would be a difficult one for ht of him as far more naturally talented, but also because of the proble of him as an opponent that I badly wanted to beat

It was late into the evening e stepped onto our lines to face each other Our names were announced to the crowd, and as their polite applause faded I was still unsure of ainst ressive style Clinton and I had spentsession at our own dojo That ere about to fight each other for the ious title either of us had competed for so far, in our short coistered I heard Tatsuo Suzuki, who oversaw the evening's proceedings, call 'hajime', the initial cheers of the crowd and then there was nothing except for Clinton and ht before Weeach other's eyes, oblivious to anyone or anything else There was a strange harmony about our ether for so long that we effortlessly anticipated one another's nextrelaxed, because I was not bothered about which one of us won, I attacked with a combination of punches that I anticipated Clinton would avoid before I tried to catch him with a kick to the sto forward I followed it up with a gyakuzuki to his face before I launched my kick But Clinton had not evaded ht hilad that I was not wearing hand pads as the htened the instant ed to pull back the punch before it was delivered with full force Clinton's head snapped back It was as if his feet were cemented to the floor as his spine arched backwards I heard 'Yame!' and stopped ie look in his eyes again I did not know if he was asking me whether I really wanted the title so badly that I would hurtthere I had seen hi a contest when his mind seemed to wander off to so suddenness and I kept looking at hi on

Tatsuo Suzuki's hand shot in my direction and indicated that I had been awarded a point, but at that moment I alave ain He attackedmode, and the rest of the bout was far more frenetic To hting in earnest, but the contest beca session in which none of the techniques were throith any real venoratulated enuine expression of how he felt, at that moment I did not think there was a title that meant less to me

There was full attendance for the Saturday h the s of the dojo ide open, the gentle breeze did nothing to dissipate the cloying heat that was generated by our bodies My gi was drenched with perspiration and the creases in the canvas chafed my skin as I performed my sixtieth front-kick There would be a brief respite after another forty as we changed our stance to execute another hundred kicks with the other leg After forty or so, the eris would lose their snap as ourpain; and by the eightieth kick the foot would becoht and powerless Yet the count carried on remorselessly and despite all the voices in my head that told me to stop, I never did until I heard the instructor call ”Yame”

Some weeks had passed since my win at the Wado Ryu cha I had gone around to his house on several occasions to persuade hih and joke, but he always had an excuse about why he could not go to the dojo There had been ti to him, he would leave me and abruptly retreat to a darkened roo on that old car of his

”Yame, stop,” Eddie cox called, before he told us to forht lines and prepare ourselves to practise kata It was peculiar to include kata practise in a fighting class, in fact it had never happened before, but I had the feeling that Eddie cox wanted toan element of surprise to counterbalance the competition practice The inclusion of kata was also an assertion that he was still the chief instructor and that we should follohatever rules he laid down The other black belts were his juniors and it seee by having the exertions

After a strenuous period of blocking and countering our iinary opponents, Eddie cox allowed us a short break I sat on the floor with ainst the cool concrete wall and dabbed the sweat fro in the doorway It was Clinton He had a sports bag slung over his shoulder and he waved to lad to see him but then I became anxious as I wondered which Clinton had turned up at the dojo I orried that he : a fit and well Clinton would have known that anyone appearing more than ten minutes late for a session would not be peri, bowing as he entered the hall Seeing Eddie cox, he nal from him The sensei had not seen Clinton before he had entered the changing room and he appeared to be momentarily unsure of what to do Clinton took his sensei's hesitation as a sign that he should enter, and without needing further pro, he skirted the hall to close to where I sat before taking up a kneeling position and bowing twice He then got to his feet and waited for permission to join the class

Every eye in the dojo turned to Eddie cox, whose expression had turned from mild bewilderment to one of embarrassment He walked over to Clinton and rested a hand on his shoulder and talked to hireeting As ed, Clinton's smile vanished before he wandered back to the door I tried to attract his attention but he did not seeClinton slink out of the dojo I felt a heaviness in my throat For an instant, instinct nearly overcaot toon But reason overca around the roo Clinton's disnedly, and a few stared at me to observe my reaction until Eddie cox shouted for us to line up once again

As we perfor me from the corner of the dojo where he stood perfectly still after changing back into his clothes I willed the lesson to come to an end I needed to speak to him, if only to offer a feords of cohten your lines” He then ordered us to kneel As we closed our eyes inand e had achieved, all I could think about was Clinton and his obviously hurt feelings

”Moksu ya twice to bring the lesson to a close Back onfor Clinton The sun was blazing through the s and I was momentarily dazzled It took a few seconds for my eyes to refocus and see that Clinton had slipped away

In the changing rooht it appropriate to talk about Clinton Instead the conversation was centred around a former member and another of my cousins who had been arrested for atte roo a description of his capture that I paid any attention to as being said The plan had been to hit a factory on payday as the wages were being delivered My jaw tightened as soo ahead with the robbery even though a etaway vehicle and he had used his girlfriend's car instead

I was back to being lost in grihts about Clinton for a few radually emptied to leave only Eddie cox and me I asked him what had happened with Clinton ”I couldn't let hiretfully ”Not in his state”

”Coet back into the flow of things You know, do the things he was doing before”

”I know he's your cousin, Ralph, and you're only looking out for him But it's medical help Clinton needs and not karate And I can't take the risk of hi hurt”

As Eddie was talking to me, in my mind I saw the smile vanish from Clinton's face as he was told that he could not train and right then I felt as he had ”He was already changed,” I retorted ”Ikata It wasn't like there was any risk of hi him, noas there?”

”Like the time you nearly hurt him?” Eddie said testily ”Like the UKKW final when you nearly took off his head with that punch? There have been signs, Ralph, and like everybody else I've been hoping that things had turned around for the guy But now there's too ht Clinton with a punch like that if he was healthy?”

I tightened ht, it's just ”

”It's all right,” he said sy that he pulls through” He slapped an to walk to our cars Eddie tried to lightena joke about my relative who had been arrested because of his own idiocy I could only shrug ot into his car I did not care about the ht problems on himself because of his criminal activities, it was Clinton's predicaan to wonder if Clinton's present state was a cruel twist of nature, or if it was the environment in which he lived which had applied so much pressure that it had finally started to break his mind and spirit And if Clinton's illness was due to where and how he lived, could it be that I ht succumb to the same pressures at some point in the future?

Chapter Seventeen

When the clouds of perplexity clear away, there is true nothingness

Miyamoto Musashi+ The Book of the Void

WAS IT ME, or was it the world that was changing so fast? I had gone from a youth preoccupied with karate to a fa responsibilities, in only a matter of months The transition to adulthood in a short space of tih for me to cope with but it also seerown into a much less pleasant place

Hundreds of workers had been made redundant at other factories in the area and the lack of certainty about what lay ahead for us sent ripples of discontent throughout an to have concerns about whether or not I would have a job to go to in the near future If I had onlywith my parents, the spectre of uneer had the option of a solitary life, nor one of dependancy

I had arrived at the factory's gates in tist themselves on how they would forate, one of the to start a fire in an open oil druues were too distracted to even noticethat things were not as I had been led to believe was the absence of Harold the tea-maker For the first time in all my years at the factory, I made the tea, and had drunk three cups before it dawned onto cross the unofficial picket line

The day before there had not been a dissenting voice when the reed not to take action to support Dave the labourer The ht they had picked on a soft target when they suspended the factory's resident gigolo after he had reported late for work three days in a roever, the powers-that-be had not counted on Dave's abiding allure with the female employees in the asses were hurriedly convened all over the factory The workers in the tool rooreed with my department in that they would not take part in any action that did not have official union sanction Privately,work for a 'toe-rag' like Dave the labourer

I was relieved to see Mick Davies; he had been away on holiday and was unaware of the industrial strife I filled hiht that he was having second thoughts about crossing the picket line To prevent hi, I then mentioned another YMCA victory at a tournament the previous weekend, but his response was less than enthusiastic He replied, ”Well, you've done it all before, haven't you?” The conversation becalad for the sound of the buzzer that signalled the beginning of the shi+ft

There had been a subtle change in my relationshi+p with Mick since I had turned twenty-one My birthday had held no special significance for me except that my apprenticeshi+p had come to an end As an apprentice, I had been viewed by those who inhabited the delicate ecosystem of the maintenance department as at the very bottoed tradesman adjustments were required if ere to preserve the delicate balance in the relationshi+ps that enabled us to work as a team But a further threat of destabilisation within our department came in the forer Mr Pearson had always been on hand during ement and I had often wished that he could have been one of my teachers at school Shortly after I beca on with e for her National Certificate course in production engineering He added that when I passed I could then be inducted into the heady heights of lower ement Naively, I had mentioned Mr Pearson's offer to the rest of thetable and ood' news had been met with stony silence My decision to take the opportunity to become better qualified had made my relationshi+p with Mick difficult; there was a clear deeetting promoted had madeto figure out rong with a ineer approached me ”Ralph, there's no need to worry,” he said, ”but your ” In that split second my mind was filled orry as my mother had never before telephoned the factory I anticipated terrible news about a fa even worse had happened He continued, ”She said there was no need to panic but she asked if you would call into her on your way home”

”Did she say what's it about?” I asked

”Er, no She just said there was nothing to panic about”

”She's never rungthe near-eate perhaps it would be better if you clocked out early”