Our Formative Influences
“In Tokyo 1981 I was afforded an extensive Q & A session with the late Goju Kensha founder, O-sensei Tadahiko Ohtsuka.
During it he expressed his wish that we Goju Kensha practitioners in Australia should Australianise our version of Goju Kensha.
Developing Kin Shin Kai is my respectful response to that wish.
Kin Shin Kai is nonetheless still essentially Goju Kensha”
George ciechanowicz, Melbourne Australia
KIN SHIN KAI FOUNDER & CHIEF INSTRUCTOR – GEORGE CIECHANOWICZ
Kyoshi George commenced his martial arts journey at the La Trobe University Karate Club in Melbourne, Australia in 1972.
More than forty years on, now a 7th dan karate Black Belt and master instructor in the ‘Goju Ryu’ tradition, he continues that journey.
Goju Ryu Karate is the tradition initially developed by the original ‘Mr Miyagi’ – Miyagi Chojun.
Generations later, the late master Ohtsuka Tadahiko sensei developed his ‘Goju Kensha’ system as one of the most magnificent expressions of that ongoing Goju Ryu tradition.
Kyoshi George was fortunate to be involved in the Australian branch of Goju Kensha from it’s beginnings in late 1973.
He believes (as did Ohtsuka Tadahiko sensei), that Self Defense should be taught as an internal and not just external practise. It should embrace mind, body spirit and lifestyle habits.
Kyoshi George formed his own association, the ‘Kin Shin Kai’ in 1997 based squarely on Goju Kensha methods and philosophy.
He did this to offer students an alternative to standard commercial dojos, offering things he saw would put the students first.
These include:
Maintaining a ‘family style’ feel where each individual student can feel they matter (rather than focusing primarily on the organization’s growth / Chief Instructors success)
Developing each student according to their individual abilities and needs
Always respecting and acknowledging the old masters. The richness of what we practice we owe to them….
Kyoshi George Ciechanowicz holds a double degree in Philosophy and Music and a Graduate Diploma in Education as his major academic qualifications (he is a trained teacher)
He also brings to his teaching qualifications and/or competencies in education, assertiveness training, interaction management, psychology, anatomy, physiology, acupuncture, alternative & complementary medicine and massage
He has been blessed to learn from some of the best masters of the Asian martial arts traditions. The most important three of these are:
MAJOR INFLUENCE #1 – Master Ohtsuka Tadahiko
O-sensei, Ohtsuka Tadahiko (1940-2012)
Master Ohtsuka Tadahiko was the founder of the Goju Kensha (House of the hard – soft fist) continuing the development of the Goju Ryu tradition.
His Goju Kensha art is the complete foundation and inspiration for Kin Shin Kai
Not only was he an amazing martial artist, great teacher and wonderful human being, he also also a prolific researcher whose two high points were probably his ‘Karate do Kyohan’ (his ‘encyclopedia’ of Goju Ryu karate) and his translation of the ‘Bubishi’ (original instructional ‘Bible’ of karate) from old Chinese into modern Japanese.
Ohtsuka sensei’s Goju Kensha had a major official presence in Australia from late 1973 till around 2004.
George Ciechanowicz, founder and chief instructor of Kin Shin Kai, was fortunate to be involved with Goju Kensha in Australia from the start.
He was last able to train with Ohtsuka sensei in Japan in 2008, shortly before O-sensei’s passing.
He was also honoured to participate & speak at Ohtsuka sensei’s 3rd year of passing memorial in Tokyo, June 2015. Video of that event may be found on the Ohtsuka sensei memorial channel on YouTube
MAJOR INFLUENCE #2 – Hanshi Patrick McCarthy
Hanshi Patrick McCarthy
Patrick McCarthy is an exceptionally well travelled and experienced martial artist whose research into the Asian martial arts is possibly unparalleled in the contemporary western world.
His almost 10 years living in Japan spent training and researching throughout the region saw him meet, interview and learn from an incredible range of masters.
This diverse background allows him to do a second to none comparative analysis of styles, methods and the accuracy of historical “facts” and to speak and teach with an authority that most western “masters” lack.
His research has been instrumental in recovering the practicality of old school karate self defense methods.
These insights have really rounded off the development of Kin Shin Kai as a very practical & effective yet traditional martial art and for this we gratefully thank him.
MAJOR INFLUENCE #3 – Guru Maul Mornie
Guru Maul Mornie
Moul Mornie is a direct family successor to the Bruneian silat system “Silat Suffian Bela Diri”.
This system is incredibly efficient and effective. It’s sheer brutal effectiveness makes it something which needs to be taught with caution and certainly not to anyone without a clear moral compass.
Nor in our opinion should it be taught to anyone without the understanding of what a proportionate self defense response is.
However for the more experienced and responsible student his methods add greater efficiency, simplicity & effectiveness to what we already use.
We also draw from his art a huge amount of bladed weapon awareness knowledge and practice.
We find that his advice to finish the encounter and get away as soon as safely possible dovetails 100% with our philosophy.
It is Maul’s view and ours that those who have the illusion that they can ‘handle’ the situation rather than get away as soon as safely possible, are far more likely to get hurt.
