Taika Oyata's Birthday Celebration Speech - 2006
Six decades ago, a young Seiyu Oyata, faced the destruction and devastation of
WWII that left his homeland, Okinawa, in ruins. As he pondered what direction
to take for his future, he, by chance, met two elderly gentlemen that changed
the course of his life, and ultimately affected the lives of each of us.
The young Oyata had encountered Uhugushiku-no-Tanmei and Wakinaguri-no-Tanmei,
who were among the last vestiges of the warrior class of Okinawa. From them he
would be introduced to the wisdom, knowledge and skills of Okinawan Martial Arts
that had been passed through their family lines from many generations.
This art, this knowledge, is an integral part of the language, history and
customs of Okinawa. Taika Oyata was privileged to study with these gentlemen
only because his ancestry can be traced back to Zana Oyakata, a chief advisor to
the ruler of the Ryukyu Kingdom. Taika's encounter and experience with these two
gentlemen would tie him directly to the roots of Okinawa and changed the direction
of his life. This would eventfully have a profound affect on the martial arts world.
As fortuitous as it was for Taika to have encountered Uhugushiku and Wakinaguri,
we are more fortunate to have crossed paths with Taika. Those of us gathered
tonight know without a doubt that Taika possesses great knowledge, skill and
wisdom. Many of us have experienced first hand the results of these skills.
And for those of us that have gotten a little too old to sustain the "first hand"
experience, we have certainly come to appreciate our younger brothers for
stepping in.
As we honor Taika tonight, all of us can reflect back to our experiences with
him and each of us has a special bond to him. We could spend all night speaking
of our personal encounters and how they have changed our lives.
Taika is a remarkable human being. Although Taika possesses such vast knowledge
and skill, he is still personable. He can probably name everyone in this room.
He makes every effort to interact with us and he treats us the same.
As I was putting together the DVD slideshow in his honor, it was easy for me to
see how most of us have changed over the years. (Heck, JP used to have hair!)
But what I saw most, and what I felt most, was the family atmosphere that has
developed amongst us. I saw the love Taika has for all of us and the love that
we have for Taika and one another.
Taika's adult life has been devoted to karate, not just the technical aspects,
but the philosophy of Life Protection as well. The ancient warriors of Okinawa
were the leaders in their communities. They were respected and trusted and
everyone looked up to them. They were the ones who led by example and Taika
has led by these ideals.
Just a few examples of those lessons are the tournaments and seminars where
Taika has donated all the proceeds to charity. He also donated playground
equipment to schools, and has encouraged us, by example, through his every
day actions, to be charitable in our own communities.
He wants RyuTe/Oyata Shin Shu Ho to truly mean helping hand, and his example is
one for us to follow. The very context of Oyata Shin Shu Ho exudes this philosophy
-- "Strive to attain true moral goodness and express it through one's actions."
I was fortunate enough to accompany Taika on a trip to Israel. There, we visited
many historical biblical sites. One of these sites was the grotto of Jesus, Mary
and Joseph. A friend of Saleem's knew the caretaker in the church that oversees
this holy ground who took us directly into the grotto where no one else is allowed
to enter. There, Taika was permitted to write the following of those walls:
"God, please give Oyata Shin Shu Ho, the power to help the world and the people
of the world."
This simple, yet powerful statement truly reflects the heart and soul of Taika
Oyata. This is what he genuinely wants us to do; to use our skills and knowledge
to help others.
One of the most profound experiences that I shared with Taika was on the eve
and day of his surgery. The night before the surgery, I sat up with Taika and
Robin until the wee hours of the morning. Taika was concerned that this may be
his time. As he reflected on his accomplishments, he sat with tears in his eyes,
not from a fear of dying, but for concern that he had not completed his job.
If he were called to heaven, he wanted me to convey to everyone that he loved
us all as his children, and that if he seemed too hard on us, it was because he
wanted us to understand his lessons and to do our best.
The morning of the surgery, as he sat with Kyoshi Lindquist and I he took brush
in hand, two sheets of paper before him and he brushed the character "BU".
He gave one to Kyoshi Lindquist and one to me. He stated, “BU, This is my life.
This writing may be the last thing you receive from me." It is my most cherished
possession.
BU is a Chinese character that consists of 2 parts; one part means to stop an
the other means spear. Thus is means to stop a spear. It is often taken to mean
"War" and is used in connection with other words "BUDO" Way of the war; BUSHI -
a warrior or BUSHIDO - the way of the warrior. However, Taika believes the key
is the translation taken from breaking down the character into stopping the spear.
This indicates peace; it indicates defense not offense. It means life protection,
thus "BU" has become Taika's life.
What gift can we give to Taika that he will cherish forever? To uphold the
ideals of Oyata Shin Shu Ho, and to live up to that message written on the wall
in the grotto; To adhere to the Dojo Kun and guiding principles and in doing so,
help develop others into being better people; and to remain a close family and
care for one another. We must continue to help and support each other, so that
we can carry Taika's message and the knowledge passed along by his teachers, into
future generations.
Congratulations Taika, on 60 years of excellence. We wish for 60 more, and we
thank you.
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