My Journey

No worries, not a long story here as I will save that for another book. For now let me merely say that I started my journey when I was probably 8 or 9 going to a catholic school and being the small frail child I was I was an easy target for the public school kids who would taunt us since we had to wear uniforms and such. Worst was I was picked on by my own classmates even which was no help for my self esteem or confidence at the time. After watching some martial arts on some tv shows like I-Spy and Man from Uncle, the Green Hornet and Kung Fu the series and a few others I was inspired and began to search out somewhere to train. I got a hold of two books, one by Bruce Tegner and one by Bobby Lowe from Hawaii on Kyokushinkai. In 1965 I found a Korean Tang Soo do class and eventually a guy named Jerome who claimed to be a 3rd Dan in Shotokan Karate whom while practicing Tang Soo Do I studied with Jerome as well. I found the Japanese katas to be more appealing to me and not being a great kicker it played into my hands even more so. I also was able to study under a Victor Moore whom at the time was teaching a brand of Okinawan karate called Shorin Ryu.

     By the time I had discovered Black Belt Magazine and read more on Japanese Karate and particularly a man named Tommy Morita who lived in Hawaii and was a student of Chito Ryu karate-do and had spoke of his desire to go to Okinawa to study the spiritual depths of karate under the great Okinawan master Shoshin Nagamine who founded Matsubayashi Shorin Ryu I decided I wanned to go to Japan myself somehow but at the age of 14 I did not know how.  By 1969 I had been promoted to Shodan by Jerome in a hybrid form of Shotokan and gone to high school finally.  By the start of my senior year I found my means to Japan, joining the military and after my conversation with a recruiter found myself two weeks after graduation headed to basic training in the US Air Force in San Atonio Texas.  Four months later I was on a plane headed to the Philippines by way of Japan. Yeah!  After less than a year in the Philippines I was given a special assignment to Higashi Fuchu Japan which allowed me to realize my dream...to study in Japan under a karate master.  First day in Japan with my then mentor and sensei, Charles Taylor we both found the proper Shotokan dojo to train under a student of Hirokazu Kanazawa and the JKA, Mr. Isao Aioki.  The rest as they say is history.  Today over 45 years later I was recently elevated by several martial arts associations/federations to the rank of Hachidan, 8th Dan. My 7th Dan was certified by the Dai Nippon Butokukai which is endorsed by members of Japans Emperial Family and the Japanese government.  It is among the highest honors one can receive in Budo.  Fortunately I know I have much room for improvement and remain on the constant search to someday master the art of karate-do.   I have learned one thing for sure that I believe will bring me closer.  Karate is easy, we as a people complicate it, thus I maintain as a philosophy to simply "shut up and train!"  Osu!

Humbly your friend through our karate-do,
Dwight Holley