Арқано Джеймс Адвинкула: Жауынгерлік өнер шеберінің өмірі мен жолы

Martial artist

Arcenio James Advincula is a martial artist and a first generation student of the founder of Isshin ryū Karate, Tatsuo Shimabuku. He also has an extensive background in Largo Mano Eskrima, Hindiandi Gung Fu, Ryukyu Kobudo and Combat Judo. He is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps who served for 22 years, 6 months, 18 days including two tours in Vietnam during the Vietnam War. He retired in 1981 as a Master Sergeant. Some of his other notable accomplishments include; designing the Isshinryu patch, receiving a Black Belt Emeritus from the United States Marine Corps, working with the San Diego Chargers on body mechanics, selected by the Okinawan Government to represent the U. S. at the 2005 Okinawa Karate and Kobudo Exchange Symposium.

Advincula was born in Juneau, Alaska, on January 25, 1938. When World War Two broke out Advincula's father, who was Filipino, brought him to a Filipino family by the name of Diaz to take care of him. His father left for Anchorage where he worked for the U. S. Army Air Corps at Elmendorf Air Base. At the conclusion of the war in 1945 Advincula was reunited with his father in Anchorage. Advincula began his Martial Arts training in 1946 at the age of 8. His father hired two of his friends who were close combat instructors for the Philippine Army, Pete Rado and Tony Navarro, to train him. Pete Rado began teaching Advincula Escrima knife fighting and Tony Navarro began teaching him knife fighting with a K Bar. They both taught him Combat Judo. Around this time his father bought him a Springfield Navy Training Rifle and he started rifle and bayonet training as well.

Advincula's personal decorations include (Foreign and non U. S. personal and unit decorations are in order of precedence based on military guidelines and award date):

Began in 1946 at the age of eight. Instructors were Pete Rado and Tony Navarro, both of whom were Filipino Scouts and close combat instructors. Pete Rado taught Advincula escrima and Tony Navarro knife fighting. Later he trained with Loi Miranda in Alaska (1961).

In 1961, after returning to Okinawa, Advincula encountered an Okinawan friend with whom he had worked during his prior active duty. The man, Nago Shinu, asked him if he would like to meet "#1 strong man on Okinawa". Advincula at first declined because he thought Nago was talking about a weight lifter and he had no interest. Nago explained that he was referring a man who had studied Martial Arts in China. When he found this out he agreed accepted the invitation. He and Gayle Beams, who was one of his students at the Anchorage Dojo (see Isshinryu section below) went with Nago to meet Kang Kaneshiro (Kinjo) in Hamada. Kaneshiro initially agreed to teach Advincula but not Beams. He later accepted Beams as a student as well after Advincula requested that he do so. Later, when Advincula began Ryu Kon Kai kobudo training with Kotaro Iha, he found out that one of the instructors in Iha's dojo, Aka Seiko, was a cousin of Kaneshiro.

Advincula began training in Shorinryu with Segin Nagamine at Kin Village, Okinawa in 1962.

Trained in Gojuryu with Kinei Nakasone and Masanobu Shinjo (Nakasone's teacher) beginning in 1963 at Kin village & at New Koza, Okinawa.

Began studying Uechi ryu from Kosuke Yonamine at Koza, Okinawa, 1975 after the death of Shimabuku.

In 1975 started training in Ryu Kon Kai kobudo from Kotaro Iha at Taba village, Okinawa. After Shimabuku died, Advincula's brother in law asked him if he would like to continue his kobudo training with Iha, his friend. He has continued his relationship with Iha to this day and he was promoted to Nanadan and received his Shihan Menkyo (Instructors License) in Ryukonkai Kobudo from Iha in September 2009.

Advincula began hosting Okinawan cultural tours in April 1994. He takes small groups to Okinawa to meet, train and socialize with friends, family and Okinawan Martial Artists. One of the primary purposes of the tours is to give those participating an opportunity to learn about and experience the culture of Okinawa, as his teacher, Shimabuku requested:
"Even if we cannot promote friendship between Okinawa and America through karate, my true hope is that if karate becomes popular in the U. S. A. and Hawaii, then Okinawa would also become more well understood." On one of these tours, April 15, 1999, Shimabuku's second son Shinsho (Ciso) presented Advincula with his father's bo cover. In January 2005 the government of Okinawa held the "Okinawa Karate and Kobudo Exchange Symposium". This symposium was organized to educate and demonstrate the difference between Japanese and Okinawan karate. Guests were invited from several of the different prefectures in Japan, and one guest from each of the following countries Argentina, France, Germany, Iraq, and Advincula from the United States. He was one of only five people from outside of Okinawa and Japan selected to attend. 1992 Designed Fighting Knife (FleshEAteR) for knife maker, Jim Hammond. 1994 Interviewed by CNN as knife expert on O. J. Simpson case. 1994 Flesheater knife plays a major role in the 1994 action novel, The Reckoning, by James Byron Huggins. One editor said, “This book does for knife fighting what Tom Clancy did for submarine warfare.”

2010 The book “The Reckoning” by James Byron Huggins is to be made into a movie with Arcenio Advincula as the martial arts choreographer and technical advisor for the knife fighting scenes.