Uechi-Ryu.com

Sorry it took me so long to reply...

yes that was a serious typo..my typing skills are not the best in the world..I am pecking at the keyboard now, and I claim the excuse of a non working keyboard as well...there were supposed to be 2 more zeroes behind the 20-30 part to make it 2000-3000 yen.

sorry I dont check behind me when I post.

as for the apartment, it is paid in part by the 2 other guys I live with, Choi and Kendall's son Jason, so I dont have that much to pay for, that includes the food too..

Alan, what kind of background detail do you wish?..anything specific? I will do my best to provide the information if I must prove myelf to you all.

I tried the military through my dad, but they were even more insistent that I keep the swords here.

Is it just me or can we all sense the water filling the tank?

Laird

Well Asura,

As they say in the law, the burden of proof is now on you to prove credibility.

Your can submit documented proof that your teachers were recognized in a registered Martial Art Society, or had some documented proof that they had rank or standing in Iado, Kendo or lineage to Samurai.

We have a lot of self-proclaimed Ninja or Samurai backed only by self-serving statements.

You appear to be intelligent but have been unable to substantiate your statements and have made technical errors which do not enhance your credibility.

We had a lot of kids in the mid 1970's who were self proclaimed Kungfu fighters and got in trouble swinging nunchuck, and butterfly knives, and the rest of us paid by having legitimate Okinawan weapons banned in this state by statute.

Evidence supported by affidavits from your teachers would be a start.

Good luck,

Alan K

If you want the papers that my Sensei has, or things of that nature..I do not know how to get them to you...I do not have the technology to present them to you enough to as you say..give proof...

if my word is not good enough for those on this forum..then I will seek elsewhere..for that is all I have....I was raised by my sensei to follow bushido to the best of my ability..and I have tried my best to do so, though I must say it is tried..many times..but I hope I have done well by it..

if my word as a samurai is not good enough..then I am sorry..and I will leave and go back to finding other ways..

Mr Alan and yourself have given me enough doors to open to look for myself and see what I can find..

domo

Asura-san,

Maybe a way to contact your Sensei might be a good start? Also, if you are posting from an internet cafe, they should have a scanner that should be able to grab an image of your certificate that you can attach to your posts here or to one of the member's email address for them to forward to the forum should you have trouble doing so. My personal email is mstrhypno@earthlink.net. Please feel free to send copy there and I will be happy to make sure it is placed out here for you.

Frankly, that's not asking too much considering some of the interesting statements in your earlier posts and the history of other people making claims of being Samurai. No flame there, just a suggestion to clear up and concerns anyone might have here. Please feel free to contact me directly with the image. I'll be happy to help.

Respectfully,

Lee Darrow, C.Ht.

Asura,

Let me assure you Asura, that all or most of the readers of all these forums are serious about the martial arts and would give credence to the word of a samurai.

First you must establish that you are samurai. You have not been introduced by anyone that is known as being affiliated in the Martial Arts of Japan. You have made many statements that conflict, have not been accurate, and you have further been challenged by a statement that your posts have originated from the same company that was the source of a previous imposter.

If you are samurai you should be able to furnish enough evidence of the facts without having to do your life history. Many readers of these forums have the ability and rescourses to help you establish your rank.

In any event I prepared the following post this morning, prior to reading your last post:

Asura,

I have a suggestion which could assist in both establishing your credibility and perhaps with the continuation of your studies when you move to Nashville.

If you were seeking employment on a new job or even interviewing with a Kendo or Iado Master in the United States, you would be expected to submit a resume giving personal information which would be beneficial for both parties.

Information relating to your education should be disclosed in detail. I know that you had mentioned that you were privately tutored but this is quite sketchy and people want to know the full extent of your education. Did you attend any college, university or receive. any secondary school education.

You might include the military rank that your father attained as part of your family background, and certainly you must be fluent in Japanese, having studied with a Japanese Master. This feature alone would add to your value in further studies in sword and kendo arts as well as for future employment.

Your life in Japan should provide you with a text book of information as the son born into an American military family. You need to provide better detail relating to your Martial Arts and weapon background.

You have spoken many words but disclosed very little detail, and according to the consensus of replies, we would like you to be credible and have respected you, you have not furnished enough information to make you believable.

Is there a cogent reason that you do not identify the Sensei with whom you have trained in the past or in the present?

We have persons reading these forums who can speak Japanese and have connections or roots in Okinawa and Japan to assist your verification.

Please do this if you are able.

Alan K

Asura,

We know who you are. We know you are from Nashville Tenn. I tracked your IP.

Say goodbye!

[This message has been edited by Scott Danziger (edited January 08, 2002).]

I came to this one late!
Looks like a done deal, but for the record, Asura/Asoka

You will not find any non-Japanese Samurai because one of the requirements is to be born into the Buke cast. An adoption might swing it.

For the formal definition, as I understand it, to be a samurai you must:

1) Be born into the warrior caste, the Buke.

2) Be a professional warrior, a Bushi.

3) Be in sworn service to a lord of higher rank.

That would make them very rare in the US or Japan.

Rory

Per my promise to Asura that I would post his background, I am posting, in full, his reply to me and my comments on his letter.

For the record, I do NOT wish to appear overly hard on the boy. I understand what it is to have a dream yanked out from under me, but I also cannot approve of the path he took seeking to make it real. The post follows below.


My reply follows the post. It will be copied in its entirety to the Uechi-Ryu forum in accordance with
my promise to you to do so with regards to your background.


Lone Wolf aka Scott Platts wrote:

Dear Mr Darrow,

I must admit that my character is flawed...but I must also admit that I did
what I did for a reason. I did lie...but the only thing I lied about was
that I was moving to Nashville..I have been living in Nashville for only 3
months, and am already going to Vanderbuilt, enrolled in their history
courses..

As for why I lied..that is almost a easy answer. Kendall, who does exist,
has been in forums before, though only twice, both times being bad
experiences...it was his idea to come up with the story, though my reason
for being there was pure..to find out if it was possible to become a samurai
on the path that I am on. I have only found few chances, such as what was
mentioned after myself being "discovered". I already knew the adoption was
a possibility, but truly it is not in my case.

If you still do not believe me, then do not respond to this email and I will
leave you be. I am sorry for disturbing the peace of the forums, that was
never my intent, my intent was to find out if a dream was possible, since
tales of samurai and shenunja were always told to me...to be trained as one,
and then to find that because I was not born in the right family, is a fate
I cannot accept, another flaw in my character I am afraid. If you still
wish proof as you did in your posts, I have already sent word to kendall to
try and get those documents that you wish.

As for why I emailed you...one of my strengths..I am a good judge of
character.

If nothing else...know that I am not this other man I am accused of being, I
may have lied..but I would not dishonor myself so much to have it taint
others..

Thank you for your time Sir

"Remember your house..remember your family...but above all else..remember
your duty"

Ashura aka
Scott Platts


Scott,

If that's your real name, you have placed me on the horns of a dilema. I promised that I would post to
the forums your bona fides. You have confessed that you have none, that you have bought into a
myth, a dream that many young people dream - to become an ideal that simply does not exist in
today's world - if it ever really existed at all.

If, indeed, someone posing as a Sensei (and I use the term is its exact meaning - to play the role of, but
in a fraudulent manner) led you to believe that this dream was possible in today's society, then he or
she did you a greivous wrong.

If, on the other hand, this is another story, made to ingratiate yourself with me and, through me, the
rest of the forum, then such is not to be, either.

While I have no direct knowledge of you or your background, I offered to post your reply to me about
your background. I will keep my promise to do so and let the rest of the members make their own
decision about you.

Being a Samurai is not something that is conferred by birth, in my opinion, but by one's adherence to
a Code of Ethics and Behavior that values many good things - honor, duty, truth, filial piety,
selflessness, and many more things.

What I am about to say may sound harsh. It is not meant to be. It is my honest assessment, based on
your post, quoted above this reply.

Son, you have a long way to go.

With hope for your growth,

Lee Darrow, C.Ht.

To finish the promise I made, here is his response, minus the copy of both prior posts that he tagged on.

As an aside, I DO realize that being Samurai is hereditary. My prior post on this thread was a statement of my belief of what it is to be a modern Samurai, since the actual class distinction has been outlawed in Japan for quite some time.

Here is his reply, I offer no comment but that he has an odd sense of what makes him feel guilty, IMHO:

Quote-
>Yes Sir..I do have a long way to go...but >life is a journey...at least
>now..I can continue mine with out a guilt ridden conscience..

>thank you

>scott

Respectfully submitted,

Lee Darrow, C.Ht.

We all make mistakes. Hopefully Scott will earn from this experience and move on with his life.



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GEM