Shoki: The Story of Sensei Pete Ratcliff By Nick Armbrister

Interview 23/05/2013.

Nick: What is the role of the Samurai in Karate?

Sensei Pete: It’s not karate Samurai?

Nick: Alright explain what Samurai is, for those who do not know.

Sensei Pete: I tell you what, you ask some questions you. Well, Samurai used to protect the Emperors of Japan.

Nick: So they’re like royal bodyguards?

Sensei Pete: They were originally a bodyguard, the Samurais. The word Samurai, all Samurai means is to serve.

Nick: Right. So they would serve…

Sensei Pete: The Emperors of Japan.

Nick: What are all the weapons of the Samurai?

Sensei Pete: I couldn’t tell you…

Nick: Well you mentioned the…

Sensei Pete: Katana, Wakizashi.

Nick: What’s a Wakizashi?

Sensei Pete: A Wakizashi is a short sword.

Nick: Right, like a stabbing sword for close combat?

Sensei Pete: You’ve got the Katana which is a full length Samurai sword and then you’ve got the Wakizashi which is a shorter sword for honour.

Nick: Is it just ceremonial or is it a combat weapon?

Sensei Pete: It’s both. It’s awarded as honour and it’s also a combat weapon.

Nick: Right. You mentioned the weapon’s trainer has twenty weapons, could you name five examples of that twenty weapons?

Sensei Pete: You want me to name five?

Nick: Just five.

Sensei Pete: Nunchaku.

Nick: Yeah.

Sensei Pete: Which people know as Nunchakers but the real name is Nunchaku, Katana which is a Samurai sword, Shurikens which is a throwing star. People know them as ninja stars. Machete. That’s five isn’t it?

Nick: Right. How long have Samurai existed?

Sensei Pete: For thousands and thousands of years.

Sensei Derek: Centuries. Centuries.

Sensei Pete: Their own people killed the Samurai off, I don’t know…
Sensei Derek: Is it about the 10^th Century?
Sensei Pete: Goes back further than that.
Sensei Pete: Does it go back further than that?
Nick: Why did they kill them off?

Sensei Pete: Well, basically, I don’t know…modern day Japan. You’ve heard of the Shogun? Well the Shogun you know, used to rule Japan. The Samurai was like bodyguards to them, basically they wanted to modernise Japan like as Westerners.