Roushiiichi, I have been away so long don't know where to start.
First, The new picture of the month looks great! That looks like one "ruff group" group of little budo-ka. I also notice that Shihan Kimura as lost much of his "Shihan's Hara"; fruits and veggies look good on you my friend.
Second, about the actions and writings of the Kyokushin leaders on the web sites: Due to my engagement, and work, school and karate, I have not been at the computer in over a week. I have been reading this morning, trying to catch up. The one statement that resonates with me this morning, I found reading Kuristina Oyama quoting her father "When I became a leader of an organization, I could not live as (a) Budo ka", by Kuristina Oyama » Sat Oct 24, 2009 11:35 am. To me, it speaks volumes of the actions of many of the current high-ranking dans. I would like to think that all of these man and woman, started with hearts true to budo. I would also like to think that these leaders make their decisions only in the best interest of their students. In short in my limited knowledge of all this, Budo and Business do not “workout” or “work out” together. I know that Sosai, like all of us suffer from this condition we call incurable humanism with all its good and evil, but He sure did have a way of pairing things down to there true core. One of my bootcamp ladies gave me a check yesterday and said, “Tony I want you to know that this is far to little for what you do”. It was very kind. I am sure that many budo-ka the world over, just as you Roushiichi (and I hope me) treat money like food. We take just what we need, and live as modestly as possible.
I will be reading the all your writings this morning, and will then start getting back to writing …..your lost pen pal Tony…
Roushiichi, my cop eye tells me that is a new location? Has the temple changed given you new space, or was that in a new location of practice. Looks very nice....
ReplyDeleteAloha and good morning Tony,
ReplyDeleteFufu. Good observation. Naah, the temple is having bazaar and we used the smaller communal meeting space. Despite the sweeping and mopping, the bottom of our feet ended up the same! Gahahaha. Gotta save money for some mats!
Couple of kids and adults were absent and missed out on the group photo. All the white belts are 5 years old, give or take two or so. (^^)
A lazy afternoon here in Honolulu. Just returned from the Temple's Bazaar. (^^) Picked up some stuff that I will hopefully use. Gahahaha. It's the thought that counts, Right? I am very appreciative of the Temple letting us use it facilities at a nominal rent in an expensive environment.
ReplyDeleteYes, Oyama Sosai hit in on the nail. When an organization grows, you can't run it the same as when it was small and made up of folks similar in thought and spirit. It is not easy. That is for sure! It's hard enough ensuring things continue to go smooth in Yokohama! Lord knows, it hasn't been always a smooth path now that I am located a sea apart.
Fufu. I sometimes think any organization should be run by a dictator! Then you will not have problems. The down side is when the dictator passes on then the organization crumbles. Human nature I suppose, more so when $$$ are involved.
After all, look at all the hot spots in the world. Most if not all were never really a concern for United States while they were run by a dictator! Problems began after the "Main Man" disappeared.
Reminds me of a book titled, "Management by Genghis Khan" (^^)
With joking aside. Running a Dojo is not easy whether it be Non-Profit or Commercial. Rent, expenses for equipment, insurance always on the shoulders of the "Sensei". As a Sensei you want to provide a good environment for the students.
Certainly one can teach out at a public park and not worry about rent and expenses. Hawaii is ideal in that we don't have winters! (^^) But I do not think it is an ideal environment. For a change of scenery, great. For a permanent site.......Hmmmm.
Both Yokohama and Hawaii Dojos charge dues. Yokohama is still 2,000 yen (sounds like a lot huh, but at commercial Dojos monthly average tuition is 6,000 to 10,000 yen) and Hawaii $20 a month. Yokohama uses the neighborhood elementary school gym so there is no rent. All the yen goes into equipment, gratuities to guest instructors and Dojo events. They even offset my travel expenses when I visited Japan and at 80 some yen per dollar, it was a life saver. All the monies go back into the Dojo.
Here in Honolulu, the main expense is the rent of the hall. As I mentioned, very reasonable for Hawaii. Whatever is left over after rent goes to purchasing equipment for the Dojo. So depending on the number of students, expenses can be out of pocket. But then, when you think about how anyone spends their $$ on their own hobbies, no big deal really. After all teaching karate is my "hobby".