WHAT HAPPENED LAST APRIL:

OSHIRO SENSEI’S YAMANNI-RYU SEMINAR:

Fri Apr 4: I can no longer bring Oshiro sensei here early on a Friday to teach a karate class. He had made me aware that it’s a hardship for him to leave his home extra early in the morning to catch that 7:00 a.m. flight out of San Francisco airport; so from now on I’ll be bringing him later on Friday evenings and just prepare for our East Coast Yamanni-ryu seminar on the weekend. Still, this plan didn’t go without a hitch: Sensei had to languish on the tarmac in San Francisco for some two hours before arriving here--late, of course. When we finally left Newark airport, it was past 10:30 p.m. and the only restaurants open at that hour were diners. The fare and service were disappointing, to say the least.

Sat Apr 5: This morning, at 10 a.m., my Yamanni-ryu students (Michael Boasso, Alex Mintz, Samantha Bahia, and Miro Musulin) received the benefit of Sensei’s attention as we relished our private lesson. Sensei’s innovative approach was to start training with the (much despised) nunchaku. Sensei had discovered that training first with the nunchaku actually predisposed people to Yamanni-ryu’s bodyworks. For this purpose, he had created two brand-new basic katas, as yet unnamed. After going over a quick but essential warm-up involving the use of thumbs, thus by extension, the gamaku muscles, Sensei taught us nunchaku fundamentals, then proceeded to introduce the first kata. The purpose of this form is to cue the student onto internal manipulation and concentration on the embusen. When he felt we had enough nunchaku work, Sensei ran us through Suuji-no-kon as a way of assessing my students’ level and teaching bojutsu technique at the same time. All the while, he discussed the notion of kehai (the projection of the human aura and its electrical imprint in space) and the need to suppress it (or “kill it”, as Sensei eloquently put it) and the method of Zen walking which should eventually replace suri-ashi. Sensei joked that he should name the katas “Ghost kata” since he had put so much emphasis on stealth; he bowed the group out at 11:15 a.m. Samantha stayed behind to test for shodan-ho. Sensei gave her 15 minutes to warm up and practice.

At 11:30, we bowed her in and Sensei asked to see her katas, starting with sai. Samantha was understandably nervous and at times, made a few mistakes but caught herself and went through the rest of her tunfa and bo katas with good aplomb. When she was done, Sensei called her over and made suggestions for improvement. His main point was for her to straighten up her posture, which should ameliorate her overall performance. Then he congratulated her on passing her examination! Exhausted but elated, she beamed proudly. My pride in these instances stems not so much from my students’ promotion per se, but from Sensei’s acceptance of their grasp of Yamanni-ryu. His seal of approval is my greatest satisfaction.

At 1:00 p.m., Messrs. Andre Tippett from MA (former linebacker for the New England Patriots), Sam Brockington from NY, and Kowa Chhe (with three of his children) from upstate NY, arrived for their RBKD Instructors-only session. As before, Sensei went over nunchaku training but this time taught both basic katas. He spent the entire time focusing on the finer points of embusen and seichusen, going over the two katas repeatedly. We ended class at 3:00 and reconvened at Ichiban, the ersatz Japanese restaurant in the West Caldwell Plaza for a relaxing early bird dinner.

Sunday, Apr 6: On this overcast and windy –but thankfully dry--Sunday, we convened at our usual seminar haunt: Bloomfield Middle School. Mr. Tippett was already on the premises and greeted us as Sensei and I arrived; later, as I set up the gymnasium and participants came trickling in, we received a surprise visit from Miyazaki sensei, the famed Queens Shotokan instructor who had introduced me to Oshiro sensei over twenty years ago. He came with two of his students, Caron and John. Now looking more frail (due to Parkinson’s) and hesitant in his movements, he still exuded class and dignity. Soon, the expected four main groups (Baxter’s, Chhe’s, Brockington’s, and mine) of participants were gathered for a total of 25 attendees, and we bowed in at a little past 10 a.m. Sensei had me start with warm-ups, then he took over and led everybody through nunchaku training. Luckily, everyone had brought his/her own weapon (I only had to provide for two people). The basics and the two katas took us all the way to noontime. When Sensei asked me how long we were supposed to teach this session, I mentioned to him we should now break for lunch!

When we resumed at 1:00 p.m., I led a quick bojutsu warm-up before Sensei split up the class; he had me take the neophytes (Kowa’s beginners) while he broke up the main group further, taking the intermediate and advanced people for Sakugawa-no-kon while he delegated Kowa to work with the rest on Choun-no-kon and Ryubi-no-kon.

After a while, Sensei called me over to join the advanced group in Shirataru-no-kon training. He clarified the technique he had surreptitiously shown me at Cleve’s seminar in Yonkers last fall. Afterwards, we took a short break and resumed with saijutsu. Sensei led everyone through the two kihon katas then broke up the group again. Once more, I took Kowa’s neophytes to the side and introduced them to Kyan-no-sai while Sensei trained the rest on Nakan Dakari kata.

At 3:30 p.m., he called everybody over and gave a short lecture on the relationship between the weapons arts and kenjutsu, juntai positioning (maintaining a “front-wheel drive”), tanden training and Okinawan dance, and not blinking for 50 minutes! Seeing how tired the attendees looked, Sensei paired us up and showed us some massaging exercises to loosen up our spines, calves, and arms.

After we bowed out at 4:00, Cleve followed Sensei and me back to the AAC where two of his black belts met us; they were to be tested by Oshiro sensei for their next rank. The poor guys were even more nervous than Samantha was the day before! Struggling through their Shorin-ryu katas and drills, they lightened up when sparring. Kowa and his son later joined Cleve, Sensei, and me for a delightful (and authentic) Japanese dinner at Tomo’s in Little Falls.

KURASHITA HANSHI’S THIRD ANNUAL GOJU-RYU GASSHUKU, APRIL 21-27:

SUNDAY, APR 20: Sensei’s trip this year was quite hellish, even though he took it all in stride, saying, “without overcoming obstacles, we don’t grow.” Starting from Naha airport in Okinawa, where his flight was delayed, and then rerouted to Narita/Tokyo instead of his original destination, Kansai/Osaka, to Detroit where he sat on the tarmac for some five hours, to Newark airport where I was going crazy, unable to find his arriving flight on any monitor. It was as if his flight didn’t even exist! Finally, the plane that was supposed to land at 7:59 p.m. (Already late from the original 7:00 arrival time) came in at 10:45! At that hour, only diners were open...(Here we go again) Fortunately this time around, the fare was better and quite abundant, and service was a step up. Go figure.

In spite of all this, things did look up: one omen told me it was going to be fine notwithstanding “obstacles”. Sensei’s room number at the hotel was 117, a personal lucky number for me. I smiled at Providence’s encouragement as the concierge handed me his key.

MONDAY, APR 21: Talk about obstacles that had piled up before Sensei’s arrival: our crew had been vastly reduced due to various personal reasons: Sal and Michelle Amoreno were away on vacation (since this week was spring break for most school districts); Mai and Theresa Nguyenwere sidelined by surgical operations; Gregg Scott had knee problems; Miro Musulin was busy with college studies and missed the first two days of training, and so did expecting new dad Michael Boasso. So on hand to greet Sensei were the skeleton crew of mother-and-daughter team, Kathy and Brooke, who made every valiant effort to show up at every class, day and night, staunch Michael Kolwicz, Alice Freund, and Jerry Yoskowitz.

To rectify last year’s DVD testing debacle, Sensei felt he needed to be in control of the promotional examination this time to ensure success so he established a strict schedule of basic training and test practice. He broke down each technique and detailed its execution, went over all the katas, corrected their performance, and watched each person practice his/her examination katas as per the Federation’s requirements.

Today was special: it was Brooke’s 21^st birthday. At the end of the evening’s session, Kathy and her husband Ron brought a cake and we held a little party for her. Sensei was very happy about the occasion; he does similarly for his staff in Okinawa.

TUESDAY, APR 22: The weather continued to hold beautifully for us: bright and sunny and cool enough in the morning but warm in the afternoon; Sensei delighted in the springtime and marveled at the sight and variety of flowers in full bloom. To him, New Jersey was truly the “Garden State”! Today he quickly checked our yakusoku kumite (usually known as Jo-chu-ge) and kakie just to make sure we had a clear understanding of ma-ai (distance) but focused right back on technique and kata. He patiently worked with Kathy and Michael Kolwicz on staying loose in order to achieve explosive power. This is muchimi: 90% softness plus the final 10% explosive energy, utilizing tanden in a total body sudden acceleration.

WEDNESDAY, APR 23: This morning Michael Boasso joined us in class. The stork had just brought him his second daughter and we all showered him with our congratulations. Miro joined us in the evening session as well and now the group was complete (or as complete as we could muster) so Sensei concentrated on everybody’s test requirements. After group kata, he would watch individual practice. Many kata techniques had changed since last year, and since I first met Sensei in Okinawa.

THURSDAY, APR 24: Today was a break for everybody as I took Sensei sightseeing: we went to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. Again, the weather was exquisite: a cloudless blue sky on an early summer preview. Sensei thoroughly enjoyed the ferry rides and the impressive sights of these momentous American landmarks.

After the tour, we returned to the dojo where I proceeded to interview him for American Samurai magazine. My aim is to alert Goju-ryu practitioners in this country to the availability of another lineage, the Seko Higa line, that so few Americans are privy to. Hopefully, this article will open their eyes and mind to the notion that there is another, older, Goju tradition here in New Jersey.

FRIDAY, APR 25: It’s back to test training. We’re winding down and at the same time building up to Sensei’s continued program of getting everybody ready to test: Kathy, Miro, and Michael Boasso for shodan (1^st degree black belt); Brooke and Alice for nidan (2^nd degree); Michael Kolwicz for sandan (3^rd degree); Jerry for yondan (4^th degree), and myself for rokudan (6^th degree). Besides all the kaishu katas, Sensei also reinforced our performance and understanding of Sanchin and Tensho katas, fine-tuning every breath and every energy punctuation.

Today, we received the visit of Mr. Yaro Tarana, 6^th dan, the Federation Representative from Canada. Originally from Slovakia, Mr. Tarana has been a resident of Montreal for over twenty years. He had driven some eight hours overnight to get here. A quiet and unassuming man, he watched us practice and when he performed his katas, exhibited a strong, hard, unmistakable tournament flavor.

After the evening session, we rallied at Ichiban in the West Caldwell Plaza for an informal banquet.

SATURDAY, APR 26: Today is the official testing day: Michael Boasso has brought his camera and everybody would take turns performing their requirement katas, to be recorded on DVDs for Sensei to bring back to Okinawa and show the Federation’s board on the first Sunday in June for them to make their promotion recommendations.

Today we also received our second guest: Pat Grimail from Philadelphia, a brown belt Goju-ryu practitioner from a different organization who had caught wind of our gasshuku on the internet.

At the end of the long day’s class (10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.), Mr. Tarana had to return to Canada by way of Toronto (where he had to attend a tournament). The rest of us (minus Brooke and Kathy) reconvened at Ginza on Passaic Ave. for our official banquet. Sensei reveled in the family atmosphere.

SUNDAY, APR 27: Today’s weather soured a bit, turning cloudy, windy, and drizzly. But the brunt of the training was done, and the examinations were behind us so Sensei decided to treat us to the bunkai application techniques to Seiyunchin and Seipai katas. However, he did want to make it clear that, as far as bunkai were concerned, there was no hard and fast rule and nothing was set in stone. Each dojo, each teacher had their own interpretations. The class was extremely enjoyable and soon it was time to bow out. The students had gotten together and presented Sensei with a nice souvenir.

We were left with two thoughts: first, Sensei had recently retired from his post of president of the Federation after nine years at its helm; the new president is sensei Gushiken Zensei, a former fire chief. I proposed to Sensei to invite both of them to our dojo next year for Gushiken sensei’s first visit to the U.S. Branch. Secondly, Sensei mentioned that the four main karate federations in Okinawa are finally coordinating their efforts towards organizing an all-Okinawa International Tournament in August 2009; as many of us as could go were invited to attend. Our Federation will be conducting a seminar at the event (to be held at the huge Budokan in Naha) and so will Oshiro sensei, showcasing Yamanni-ryu. My problem then will be one of ubiquity.

__________

P.S.: Sensei’s return flight turned out to be smoother than his incoming U.S. trip. On June 1, the GIKKF High Dan Board reviewed the DVDs Sensei had brought back and passed all our candidates for their respective promotions. So here’s a hearty “Congratulations” to everyone involved!

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN JULY: THE DOJO WILL BE CLOSED FOR INDEPENDENCE DAY, FRIDAY, JULY 4. ENJOY THE HOLIDAY!

FRI JULY 11: CLASSES WILL BE CANCELLED. I WILL BE ATTENDING MY SON’S WEDDING!

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN AUGUST: THE ASIAN ARTS CENTER’S JUNIOR KARATE SUMMER CAMP, AUG 11-15.

Our annual karate summer camp will run from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., Monday 8/11 through Friday, 8/15. Classes will offer basics, competition training, and weapons (bo, sai, nunchaku). Please bring a small lunch. Friday, 8/15, is our mini-tournament and pizza party, culminating in our award ceremony. The camp’s fee is $200. Please register early!

Kirashita sensei at Elis Island

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

WORDS TO LIVE BY:

–“Our normal waking consciousness, rational consciousness as we call it, is but one special type of consciousness, whilst all about it, parted from it by the filmiest of screens, there lie potential forms of consciousness very different.”

–William James, Supernatural

–“DNA and RNA, with their four bases, remain exactly the same and fulfill exactly the same functions in all living things, whether bacterium or elephant, flea or dog, jellyfish or acacia tree, cabbage or butterfly, minnow or whale, worm or man, four billion years ago or today.”

–Graham Hancock, Supernatural

____________________________________

RECOMMENDED READING:

SUPERNATURAL: Meetings With the Ancient Teachers of Mankind by Graham Hancock, published by The Disinformation Company, Ltd., 2007. Graham Hancock writes an in-depth analysis tying together cave paintings of Europe, Australia, spiritual knowledge of shamans, the European faery tradition, the miracles at Fatima, modern extra-terrestrial lore, and “junk DNA”. These seemingly disparate elements, separated by time, space, and context, somehow all share a common thread and constitute “the greatest riddle of archeology–how we became human and in the process began to make art and to practice what we call religion”. This is absolutely fascinating reading.