Okinawa Karate 2019

Back in the south, on my last day before flying back to Nagoya, we had a little “gokurou-san!” dinner party after training, both for me . Ritsuko-san made some delicious yakisoba and I brought a Bueno chicken with me. My friend had told me that this was a famous chicken and a common thing to...

Week 4 Didn’t take as many extensive notes this week; most of them are written at night and I’ve been too exhausted to write much. Since the kids had finished their performance they only came for Tuesday and Friday’s sessions, but they’ve earned the rest. I’m grateful for the festival, as it...

Saturday 9/28/2019: Performance day! The kids did great, smoothly running through their enbu so quickly I was glad I was at the ready with several cameras to capture it. There was a full roster of performances, mostly dance, and throughout the evening various dances with the Shiisa...

Friday 9/27/2019: Met up with Sensei early today, and went to the Karate Kaikan with him and his wife Ritsuko. We met up with Miguel Da Luz, who I had recognized as an interpreter in some of the videos I’d seen in my research. The kaikan was just finished 3 years ago so there's still plenty to...

Thursday 9/26/2019: Went to yoga at Asato Dojo and hung out a bit with James (the owner) afterwards. Very interesting conversation, he noted that there was almost no knife work in Okinawan karate, except for a style that does some sword and tanto work, and Nakamoto sensei (I think this is a...

Wednesday 9/25/2019: Sensei came through today, not only bringing naihanchi back up, but also letting me swing around a little nunchaku when I first arrived. Mostly just for exercise, but he emphasized holding them in different grips and feeling their weight in different ways, and using...

Week 3 Sensei told me about a monk that came to Okinawa to pray for the restoration of its pristine waters and landscape. He was around the island for 6-8 years and Sensei would see him around the same place all the time. Finally he approached him and asked "what's the purpose of meditation...

Week 2 Classes continue, and the kids have been coming every day to practice with me. After kihon, we'd do kata, then maybe some kobudo. So far I've gone along for Pinan shodan, Pinan nidan, and Passai sho. I've followed along with Naihanchi and Chinto but don't feel too comfortable with them...

This article was written for posterity and translated for Akamine sensei. It was posted to the Matsumura Seito Karate-do Hozonkai homepage. September 13, 2019 / Friday It’s important to know that there are peaceful moves in the kata; the beginning of kusanku is raising your hands in apology, to...

This article was originally posted to The Matsumura Seito Karate-do Hozonkai Homepage. September 12, 2019 / Thursday Well, today is my birthday. I should probably do something to celebrate. Work and train like normal? Sure why not. The ride into the dojo has been getting quicker, I'm down to...

September 11, 2019 / Wednesday I arrived a little early and Akamine Sensei showed me some of his photos. Some were of his students that visited, some of himself and Soken Sensei, including a photo of Sensei when he came to Akamine's wedding; clearly the men shared a deep bond and Akamine Sensei...

Karate Training with Akamine Sensei - Okinawa 2019 Below are my notes from a month of training with Shihan Yoshimatsu Akamine, a direct student of Sensei Hohan Soken and head of the Shorinryu Matsumura Seito Karate-do Hozon-kai Honbu. September 10 to October 5, 2019. I hope they prove to be of...