Who is your Sensei?

Why one would ask usually involves a person who practices your martial system because being a community member of that system may have a relationship with your Sensei. If so, then they can get a fundamental fix on your training, practice, and proficiency level. Sometimes a person just wants to see if you trained with anyone they know or who may be special, i.e. like someone who trained with Bruce Lee, etc.

In most cases if you are starting up with another system completely I believe it is merely a conversation question to foster a beginning of a Sensei-Sempai relationship for the future of their practice and training.

If I am asked, either by another Isshinryu Practitioner or another system instructor, I usually provide information about the "person" and not necessarily the person's so-called martial art resume. If I mention the name and see no indication of recognition then to provide any type of qualifications is pointless. No one can determine what that may or may not mean unless they know the person and have experienced training/practice with that person - for a fair length of time vs. say a seminar or such.

Example: My Sensei was also my Company First Sergeant while we both were stationed at a Marine Base on Okinawa. He was my Isshinryu instructor and mentor and he also provided mentoring for me as a Marine. I was lucky to have had his experience in both to provide me the means to excel under his command/guidance. He become a true fellow Marine and a very good friend.

That pretty much sums it up in answering this question. Anything else is pointless once again unless all parties know one another and if I started in on his history, etc. then I am either bragging or lack confidence in him, his training/instruction, and my own proficiency, i.e. I may have some innate need to qualify my expertise by spouting off about his karate resume. That is how I would feel about it. It is like the "bragging rights" of those who seem to have a need for the type of validation, i.e. my Sensei was a First Gen Student of ... fill in the blank here ...

A quick, terse introduction is all that is necessary while all else will become evident once a period of training and practice time have passed then any detailed description regarding the martial arts aspect are moot.

p.s. In my personal case if you mention your Sensei's name, I recognize it, and have some knowledge of the quality of their instruction then I have knowledge of what I need or do not need to cover during the initial training. Nothing else matters.