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Roger Sheldon |
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Roger Sheldon sensei (b.1944), began his
martial arts training in 1974. He became a member of Za-Zen Karate: Zen
Shin Ryu under Jon Alexander sensei and for a period
trained nine sessions a week (including two on Saturday and two on Sunday)
He quickly began to develop a
deep interest in the origins of his art,
and a burning desire to know and understand the nature of old
style karate, and so in 1976 on being awarded his Shodan, he embarked upon a quest to
identify the oldest extant forms of his art.
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Roger
Sheldon and Tony Asquith |
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During this time he trained in Wado Ryu, Shotokan,
Taekwondo, Kyokushinkai, and Iaido.
In those days, there was no World Wide Web, and no easy
way of penetrating the cloak of secrecy surrounding the old systems. The
result was that it took Sheldon sensei ten years to identify, and locate the
old Matsumura lineage. He wrote hundreds of letters to authorities around
the world, patiently consolidating material and working towards realising
his aim to train in a very authentic Ryukyu classical karate system. His ambition
was realised in 1984 when he made contact with Kenshin Kan headed by
Fusei Kise sensei. It was through Sheldon sensei’s efforts that the
Matsumura
Seito Shorin Ryu system was first introduced into the UK in 1985.
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Sheldon sensei wrote to, and worked with some of the most
prominent teachers of the Matsumura system in the world, and drew lessons
from all of them. They became his lasting friends in the Way and he remains
grateful to them all. Since then he has been pursuing a quest to
perpetuate old style karate in as traditional manner as is possible,
remembering that we live in another age, a different culture, with different
needs and different perceptions.
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Roger Sheldon |
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Sheldon sensei’s quest for over thirty two years has led to the
evolution of a system that is second to none in its depth of understanding
and knowledge. |
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Affiliations |
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Sheldon sensei trained within the associations of Kenshin Kan
(Fusei Kise sensei), Matsusokan (Takaya Yabiku
sensei), Matsumura Kenpo (Yuichi Kuda sensei), and
Matsumura Seito (Kosei Nishihara sensei) before creating
an autonomous group dedicated to researching and perpetuating the old ways.
He has worked closely with a number of prominent Matsumura Shorin Ryu
teachers including Ronald Lindsey, Anthony Sandoval, Ted Lange,
Rick Rose,
and others. |
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Roger Sheldon
sensei and student |
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His primary Matsumura Shorin Ryu teacher is the highly respected
Ronald
Lindsey of Bastrop, Texas. Sheldon sensei visited Lindsey
sensei’s dojo (training hall) in Texas and while there trained under the late Yuichi
Kuda sensei.
Lindsey sensei quickly became Sheldon sensei’s friend and mentor, he
has visited
the UK a number of times to teach the Matsumura Shorin Ryu system under the
patronage of Sheldon sensei and his organisation.
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Matsumura’s art |
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Sheldon sensei’s original quest was to identify the practises
of Bushi Matsumura himself. This has been the holy grail of his
Shuri
research. However, we will never know what Matsumura did or how he
performed his art. We can only surmise and make informed guesses by conducting
a comparative study of all the major systems that have come down from
Matsumura’s students, particularly in respect of the descent through the
family line and through the students of the third head of system,
Hohan Soken sensei. Even Nishihira sensei, the fourth headmaster of the
Matsumura system will tell you that he is not practising Matsumura’s art, or Soken
sensei’s art, but that he is practising his own art.
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Every Matsumura Seito (orthodox) practitioner works
his or her style
differently. There is no definitive method for the Matsumura system;
it is a living art that perpetuates a set of very ancient underlying
principles. It is these principles that make the Matsumura system
unique and very special, something to be nurtured and preserved.
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It is for these reasons, that today, Sheldon sensei’s group
is fully autonomous, and makes use of a wide variety of authorative sources.
Sheldon sensei has carefully researched the background into Matsumura’s art
over the last three decades and has an extensive archive of documents and
filmed material that supports and validates his methods. He believes
that he is as close to the original workings of the Matsumura system as
is possible, given differences in time, culture and need.
Sheldon sensei has also gained enormous practical experience through
providing management of violence training to professionals for thirty years
and working closely with people who display violent behaviour. |
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Tony Asquith & Roger Sheldon |
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