On the Legacy of Pacific Rim

 

Grandmaster Garrison wrote in his most recent blog of a visit by Gonzo Flores Sensei’s’ father, who is a legitimate Okinawan Kenpo Grandmaster.  Mr. Garrison described a lengthy conversation about the present state of the martial arts, and the dedication of a few stalwart practitioners in bygone years.  These few are now the senior ranks of his present system after 50 years or so, and also the inheritors of the legacy that is passed on from teacher to student.   Grandmaster Flores expressed to Mr. Garrison his dismay that such dedication is rare these days, and how much of his art has been “dumbed down” for mass marketing.  The heart of the martial arts—a way of living one’s life centered around practice—would be lost forever if it weren’t for those few who have made Okinawan Kenpo their life-time passion.

          Then, Grandmasters Flores and Garrison sat together and watched the Judo practice at Pacific Rim, a regular Tuesday evening practice.  And Mr. Garrison reported that Grandmaster Flores paid rapt attention.

          Why? Because Pacific Rim Martial Arts Academy is one of those rare jewels in the martial arts community that is passing on a legacy of faithfulness to a long tradition of martial arts training that goes back unbroken to the middle of the last century.  And any true grandmaster can instantly recognize that fidelity, as Grandmaster Flores must have.  It is rare, and it is beautiful.

          The history of Pacific Rim Martial Arts Academy goes back long before the doors of this dojang were first opened in the spring of 1980.  Pacific Rim is just the blossom on a flower with deep roots.  Those roots began even before Grandmaster Kim started his practice at the age of 9 circa 1950. 

        His teacher, Master Woon Kyu Uhm, had already practiced his art of Chungdo Kwan for decades, and was a life-time practitioner himself.  Grandmaster Kim inherited the dedication and fire that only a few manage to nurture for a lifetime, and became a lifetime practitioner himself.  He earned his Chungdo Kwan black belt by the age of 13, and continued his study of that art, while simultaneously training in the infant art of Ju Sool Kwan, which would become Hapkido.  Under Mr. Kim’s influence, Hapkido incorporated the hard style punches and kicks of Chungdo Kwan into the soft, flowing throws and locks of Aikido.  Mr. Kim also attended the Korean Yudo College and obtained a Judo black belt there to better serve the needs of the students of the young art of Hapkido, which he had begun to teach.  During the 1960’s Mr. Kim’s fame as a Hapkido master grew, and he became thought of as the “number one” senior person in that art due to his expertise. 

When Mr. Kim decided to emigrate to the United States, He was asked by the growing community of Hapkido teachers to accept any rank of his choosing.  He chose to become a 5^th degree in Hapkido, because that was a very high rank in Korea among any martial arts system at that time.

          Circa 1972, Mr. Kim immigrated to Oregon, and soon thereafter, opened The Sangcook Kim Hapkido Dojang in Southwest Portland.  His first student was Mr. James R. Garrison.

          Mr. Garrison had studied Judo for 15 years by the time he had met Mr. Kim.  He had also studied Japanese Karate with Lindy Kunishima,  Aikido with Koichi Tohei, Jujitsu with Master Robert Dewar, and Korean Tae Kwon Do with Jhoon Rhee—all life-time martial artists.  Mr. Garrison had competed in Judo at the national level, and won several national trophies.  He was himself developing a life-time habit of dedication to practice.  But Mr. Garrison was blown away by Mr. Kim’s expertise, dedication, and powerful mind-set.  He dedicated himself to become Mr. Kim’s student without reservation.  From their first meeting in 1972, Mr. Garrison has exhibited complete loyalty and dedication to Mr. Kim’s teaching directives.  That practice has carried Mr. Garrison to Korea, Taiwan, Japan, and China many times, to train under martial arts masters that Mr. Kim felt would be beneficial to his learning.

          Mr. Garrison has met and trained with many of the Hapkido teachers who are now the grandmasters of that art in Korea.  He has also trained with Mr. Kim’s practice partners in the art of Chungdo Kwan.  The man who invented the Tae-Geuk forms taught Mr. Garrison those forms personally.

          In 1979, Mr. Kim’s busy schedule did not allow time for continuing his regular teaching at the Sangcook Kim Dojang.  Mr. Kim had become the President of the World Oriental Martial Arts Federation, and his travels took him out of the country regularly.  He told Mr. Garrison to start his own dojang, and Mr. Garrison founded Pacific Rim in 1980.

          Pacific Rim Martial Arts Academy has been offering martial arts classes for 30 years, continuing a long history of passing on the kind of tradition that takes several lifetimes to acquire.  In addition to daily practice, PRMAA has offered at least two weed-end seminars per year, and extra seminars have been held for many guest instructors.  Among these have been some of the most senior names in the martial arts community: Dan Inosanto, Wally Jay, Fumio Toyoda, and many others.

          Today, Pacific Rim continues its tradition of offering the best of the best, with visiting Judo instructors from Japan.  Ms. Eri Sakai is a graduate of the Tokei University Judo program, and is staying with one of our black belt instructors for a year, during which she is teaching regular Judo class at PRMAA.  Mr. Garrison has said he has never seen such excellent and innovative Judo technique in one so young.  She is truly one of those young practitioners who has given her heart and soul to the martial arts.

          Excellence does not spring up like a weed and declare itself beautiful.  True excellence has a long tradition of wholehearted dedication, loyal allegiance, unassailable integrity, and infinite patience, and blossoms over a lifetime.  Grandmasters such as Mr. Flores—people who have dedicated their whole lives to the study of a martial system—do not care so much about particular techniques.  Techniques are what we practice in that particular moment.  A lifetime practitioner realizes that over time, techniques will be perfected, will change, will evolve.  But the qualities that really matter—internal qualities such a courtesy, and integrity—these do not change.  These are the same no matter what martial art one is watching.  Pacific Rim passes on an internal value system of courtesy, respect, personal integrity, dedication, and internal fortitude to its students because that is the way Hapkido has been taught for the past six decades.

          And this is instantly recognizable by someone like Grandmaster Flores; that’s why he was enraptured to watch regular practice at Pacific Rim.  For such a one, there is no other way to practice martial arts. 

          This is the best approach to any art; and this is the legacy of Pacific Rim.