Master Oscar Higa Karate-do: Kyoshi, Jintatsuu Higa (8th Dan) ~ Father of Kyudokan in South America

Master Jintatsu Higa was born in the city of Naha (Okinawa), October 10, 1912. He started doing karate at the age of 12 with an uncle of the second grade, the master Chojun Miyagi, founder of the Goju Ryu school. In 1825 he started practising Shorin ryu, after meeting Master Giho Maeda and being impressed by the speed and dynamism of his style. The latter introduced him to his master, the sensei Shoshin Nagamine, who from that moment on became Jintatsu's master. It was also Master Ankichi Arakaki (S.Nagamine's master), however, who was to influence young Jintatsu's style and help him in his specialisation. According to J.Higa, Master Ankichi Arakaki was one of the best karateki at that time despite his young years; he in fact died at the young age of 28.
Master Jintatsu Higa lived and perfected himself in Okinawa, in the golden age of karate, when styles didn't yet exist and Shorin ryu and Shorei ryu were practised with great masters who would personally select their own pupils, and train them physically, mentally and spiritually for real combat (kakidamishi), since sporting competitions and tournaments didn't exist at that time. Jintatsu took part in several kakidamishi over the years, occasionally together with his brother Yuchoku. Apart from his interest in karate J.Higa developed his passion for baseball to such an extent that he became member and captain of the Okinawa team. Whilst at secondary school he obtained his black belt for judo and excelled in track athletics. Jintatsu was also a good swimmer, thanks to his remarkable physique, and also distinguished himself in gymnastics, specializing in the horizontal bar.
However, his great passion for karate kept him away from these other activities, which were nevertheless a suitable and efficient auxiliary back-up for his physical preparation. Moreover the practising of the traditional dances of Okinawa permitted him to understand more fully the art of karate-do, improving his movement in both exercises and kata. It is widely known that in olden days the experts in Okinawa-te, during the period in which the activity was banned, concealed combat techniques and movements behind the posing and gesturing of traditional dance.
Dividing his time between between practice and university studies, J.Higa graduated in engineering in 1935. In 1938, on the invitation of his father-in-law, he and his wife moved to Argentina (Buenos Aires) with the idea of staying for a month or two. The onset of the Second World War and the impossibilty of returning to his own country changed the course of his life. In 1940 he performed for the first time in public at a cinema in Burzaco, near Buenos Aires and a little at a time he began to teach karate-do to small groups from the Japanese community in Argentina, and to his two sons Oscar and Benito. He was one of the founders of the Sports Committee of the Okinawa Centre in Argentina, and ran it for ten years. He held the positions of president of the Argentine Federation of Okinawa Shorin ryu Karate-do and president of the technical committee until the day he died.
Jintatsu Higa was also the representative for the whole of South America of the World Federation of Okinawa Kyudokan karate-do, and director and chief instructor of the Argentine centre of karate-do. He also acted as adviser and chief judge in national and international competitions.
During his frequent visits to Okinawa J.Higa kept up a continuous relationship with various well-known masters with whom he had shared both friendship and training-sessions.
On 27 September, 1983, J.Higa passed away in Buenos Aires at the age of 70.
His principal characteristic was a temperamental equilibrium that emanated confidence; he would often say: "over the years you lose physical strength, but you gain in inner strength; you acquire a mentality that prompts you to strike not with the fist but with the inner strength of the self, with that force that is acquired through the experience of one's years. Practice is a constant habit, and consequently one never stops practising, one goes on practising for one's whole life."
When he was asked what karate represented for him, he would reply synthetically: "karate is knowing how to renounce life"; his message was: "karate is a discipline where you learn to stand apart from life, from existence; the separation of the self is, therefore, the acceptance of everything, without dissension, and in a calm and natural way."