Sensei Oyama and Sensei Bluming

[gimptron]

So I'm looking at karate videos on Youtube because I am bored at work. Oneof the videos I come across shows mas Oyama doing some kicks in his dojo. Well one of the comments said this

"My friend check this video out is called "Reportage : interview de Jon BLUMING"

its here on youtube you will see the truth."


Now I have heard Jon Bluming's name mention before but what really went on between he and sensei Oyama?

[MMX]

I think evergrey may have done a write up on this.

[hokuto12]

I hope so can you post it Ev or have you already posted it. Memory a little fuzzy.

[evergrey]

OSU, hi!
Actually, I haven't really investigated Bluming too deeply. I know there was a lot of bad blood, and Bluming accused him of being involved with the yakuza and the like.
Staunch supporters of Oyama deny all of the accusations Bluming makes, and hold up the claim of Oyama fighting bulls and the like. Oyama certainly did not deny those claims- he writes a foreward in Quinn Shihan's book, which contains the claims, and I have an old book written by Oyama himself where he mentions the bull fighting, for example.
I have read, from somewhat dubious sources, that they kept baseball bats at the honbu "back in the day" in case of a dojo storm, but I've also heard that dojo storms used to be somewhat common, so I don't know about that.
I did write, a few years ago, about the history of Sosai as far as I could confirm it. Someone from That Other Website also backed up the bull fighting claim, stating that they found newspaper articles on microfilm about it. I know bluming says that there was only one fight against a domestic, elderly cow. But I have also read about Sosai getting gored in Mexico.

I've heard damning stories about many high level instructors, and former high level instructors, in Kyokushin. Everybody out there seems to have a chip on their shoulder about somebody else, and is ready to slander them. Most people out there also want to claim that they teach and espouse the "true" and "pure" training and spirit of Kyokushin.

Bluming is atypical in that he goes after Oyama himself. Of course he also claims to have cared about him a lot. But it's clear from his article that he wanted to tear Oyama down a bit. How much of what he says is true? That, I don't know. Some things are impossible to know unless you were there yourself and knew the man, and witnessed the events.

Often, the truth is somewhere in the middle.

An unfortunate side effect of Bluming speaking out, whether it's the truth or not, is that for many, it casts his lineage and the students from it in doubt, especially since, I do believe, he left IKO before Sosai died.

I myself would only plead that we not judge all of is students by his behavior, be it right or wrong, but rather by the merits of the students themselves. Sometimes you can't really choose what lineage your local Kyokushin dojo is from, and with effort and communication, the students can learn and grow, themselves.

Of course that's a subject that is a bit close to my heart, there, hah!

I'll see about asking around.

OSU!

[evergrey]

PS- here's his org's website. Doesn't seem he's open to speaking directly to anyone who is not a member.
www.jonbluming.nl/

[gimptron]

Thanks Evergrey for that.

[evergrey]

OSU, you're welcome. I'll look into it more. :}

[gimptron]

I heard Jon Bluming is a great sensei but I also heard that he is very abrasive.

[evergrey]

I have seen RUMORS that he was kicked out of IKO for a bank robbery, that he was later found innocent of in court but the friends he was with were found guilty... and that the guilt by association was enough for IKO to want to distance itself from him. There is another RUMOR that Hollander disparaged him in order to get a coveted branch chief position, using the bank robbery incident as a way to destroy his reputation. I do not know what is true and what is not, however, as I wasn't there and I haven't yet heard from anyone who was, about it.
There was also a later accusation of Bluming dipping too freely into the funds of his own org, which supposedly caused a split, but once again I do not know if this is at all true, or if it is slander and politics.
I do know that Bluming published a rather inflammatory series of statements, which you can find here:

www.defend.net/deluxeforums/mixed-martial-arts-mma-bjj-forum/590-jon-bluming-mas-oyama.html

this really got a lot of people up in arms.

[GJEC]

It's a real truth that the best coaches get on with turning out great students and don't bother slagging off others. I've slagged people in the past when I wanted to explain decisions I've made. I regret it now.

Gary

[hokuto12]

Osu Ev thanks for sharing. I guess it is the same in all orgs not just karate that bad blood ruins things and people will backstab someone else just to get themselves up the next stage.

[powerof0ne]

Bluming has also handed out rank like candy to some, and made many work for it, too...however, Sosai also did the same.

I know an Aikijujutsu instructor, classical karateka, and a Japanese jujitsu/sambo instructor that are all legit in what they do, who all sponsored Bluming to do a seminar and received 4th to sixth or higher ranks from him.

Bluming has a lot of experience, but he's human and has made mistakes. He's also quite frankly, an old man who should spend the rest of his days enjoying them instead of getting involved in martial art BS drama.
Osu!

[evergrey]

I cannot know the man's mettle, truly, as I have never known him.

I would only say, don't judge people in his lineage by what he may or may not have done. Let them stand on their own merits.

[powerof0ne]

Bluming has legit lineage, and I do judge somebody on their lineage when they invent crap. Greg Jackson has no great lineage but is a Man that is a great instructor, and has proven his worth to many.

My point was that Bluming is man, and has made mistakes. My lineage, actually goes back to Bluming through Roy Martina, go figure. I've never heard of or seen Bluming making up his lineage.

Sosai has made mistakes, and I must be crazy because I understand a lot of what Bluming has said and done. It's easy to "fly off the handle" and yell at people who were once close to you, and you felt betrayed by them. One individual who I still have resent towards is somebody that taught me a lot, which I cannot ignore.

Anyhow, I'd talk to those that have trained with Bluming to try to get the complete picture..or at least part of it than those that haven't, that can only assume.

One constant truth about martial art organizations is that the larger they become, there will always be some drama...splintering off, hurt feelings, and so forth.
Osu!

[evergrey]

Haha, yep, I knew that. I wasn't addressing you specifically on that post, p01. :}