Henry Slomanski

In the above chart there is one noticeable difference. There is a distinction between "Traditional Old Style" and "New Style Chito Ryu". The lineage progression begins with Kempo Karate Do and the Grand Masters but evolves up to 1965. There is a distinct demarcation between the two styles. The New Style Chito Ryu arose out of a way to commercialize T. Chitose's style of karate. The marked difference between traditionalism and commercialization are the modifications made to fit the public. Commercialism now allowed T. Chitose and others the opportunity to market their new softened techniques as a business to the general public. This required appealing to the public audience attracting the many in order to maintain the overhead and profit of running a business. When they established their own styles, they no longer came under the "old" rules. Although their motives were less appealing to the previous students who trained under the true form just as the Masters had done, one has to give credit to their abilities in transforming a way of life into a business. The business credit can only be given if this way of karate is tempting to one's self. Traditionalism kept the style secretive, selective, and maintained the teachings the same way as the Masters themselves learned. It was only capable of being taught to a select few individuals who were able to mentally and physically endure the hardness of the training. The Japanese Karate Do Federation sanctioned the rules governing Old Style training. The Grand Masters founded the Federation itself and the rules they set forth at the time goes to show how their philosophy and training should be taught and governed. Upon realizing a business opportunity was at hand and monetary gain, they set out to modify their original training so the business could flourish. This afforded them the opportunity to train many students, additional belts, and higher degrees meaning more money all the while not adhering to their own rules they set forth as part of the Karate Do Federation. The Masters were intelligent enough to realize that their teachings would not be conducive to their new venture into the business world therefore they compromised the Old Style.

In the Old Style there are two masters who will always be recognized for their contributions; G. Yamaguchi and T. Chitose. There are three extremely important disciplines that contributed to Old Style: Chito Ryu, Goju Ryu and Kempo Karate Do.

Due to Japanese customs and heritage they are sparse in recognizing or recording Japanese Karate Do history. Therefore they will not show you the old rules because of the popularity in today's world of commercialization. They would not want to admit that the Grand Masters took a way of life and developed it into a monetary means. Otherwise, there would be no need to continue the secrets after all these years. History shows there was clearly an Old and New style and we are not just talking about evolution of techniques. So why would they denounce the old rules and now accept the new if it were not about money? Commercialism makes money but traditionalism does not.

There is one sure fire way to find out everything that took place. One has to explore the rules that were blended into Slomanski's credentials. The credentials are what the Old Style lives by. These credentials were a binding contract. they represented the promise given by the Japanese Karate Do Federation stating "if you put your life on the line in the matches and win....you will be awarded the benefits given in the contract". This was not just a certificate for achievement purposes only, but gave Henry Slomanski the same defined authority as the other two Masters. One notable authority given to Henry Slomanski was the ability to issue a Shi-Han Master Instructor license of the 4th degree. Under the Old Style and the Federation rules one had to be a 4th degree Master Instructor in order to issue belts. This authority had to come from G. Yamaguchi, T. Chitose or H. Slomanski. The only way to go higher under Slomanski as a 4th degree Master Instructor was to enter into another contract. This would mean competing at a Lame and Kill match, but they were discontinued shortly after Slomanski won them. Henry Slomanski did award approximately six Master Instructor licenses, which are known to me at this time, under the Old Style from the authority bestowed to him. Henry Slomanski bestowed to his 4th degree Master Instructors the authority to issue up to a brown belt. Any higher degrees including an Instructor license had to be issued by Slomanski. There were two exceptions to this general rule, me being one of them. He authorized only those two to my knowledge to be able to award up to a 2nd degree Ni-Dan. He issued this authority to me personally. The listed six 4th degree Master Instructors in the chart who trained under the Old Style, in the United States had the supreme authority to issue belts up to a brown belt in the three disciplines. All the Instructor licenses, other than mine, were issued in the 1950's. Unfortunately today there is little value for tradition, therefore traditionalism is dead. This was with the help of the two grand Masters G. Yamaguchi and T. Chitose. The business market of today and commercialism is alive and flourishing. The only one who remained loyal to traditionalism, the Old Style, and continued its practice was Slomanski and most of his Master Instructors.

I would like to use Wallace Reumann as an example of someone who trained and taught in the two styles. Selling punch dummies or placing ads in comic books is irrelevant to his abilities because he had a business to run. What makes the difference and becomes important is what he put on his student's certificate. It is critical that he should have denoted the difference between the two styles. He either issued the certificate under Old Style or New Chito Ryu. The New Chito Ryu would have only been a minuscule shadow of the breadth of his training. We know he still practiced and taught the style he learned and loved from Slomanski, but he used other means to promote his schools to keep them open. It all came down to what was put on the student's certificate; Old or New. This should have been done to give proper recognition to the student's certificate and style they were truly trained under. This would have eliminated the mass confusion and misrepresentations by many of their claims being made today in the world of the Internet.

In my 45 years of teaching I have always believed that credit should be given where credit is due, and it be honest. As a Master Instructor I still constantly field inquires as to the connections to Henry Slomanski about someone's trainings and possible connections. My feelings and beliefs are unless you are one of Henry's Master Instructors who did not commercialize or was one of their direct students; you did not train in the Old Style. This should be represented on the certificates to keep everything straight and honest. Let there be no doubt how my students trained or question any certificates issued by me, I never taught for the dollar. I trained dedicated students, who also learned the history of where it all comes from You can see in the chart that only seven black belts were issued under me, but if I had taught the new way there may have been 700.