ええええええええ！！！！！大変だ！！！！！！ＯＭＧ！！！！

ええええええ！ななななんにー！

Whaaaaaaaaaat? OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!

本当にー？

FOR REAL???

Tony and Jennifer got MARRIED TODAY!!!!

トニー先生とジェニファーが今日結婚しました！

おめでとうございます！

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!

Update On Wristbands

Photo from the Times Union Newspaper here in Albany. My friend and her fellow Japanese lecturers who teach Japanese language, Kyoko Mono Ullrich, (in red). Mono, Sensei, and her fellow lectures hold some of the 2000 wristbands, at the time of the article, we had raised $2000
for Japanese earthquake relief. You may remember seeing the wristbands that they're holding. The article ran in the local paper Tuesday April 12, 2011 in Albany, NY. (Philip Kamrass/ Times Union ). Thank you to all in the Mechanicville Dojo who helped by buying or selling the wristbands. Our total as of the writing of this post, was close to $6000.

Music Karate?

Hmmmm. What can I say? ううん。なんと言いましょうか？
Just enjoy. まー楽しんでください。
Put aside any debates of Budo. 武道うんぬんは置いといて。
I believe Japan and Korea are behind USA and Europe in incorporating music into their arts. Much of what I have seen here in the States is more gymnastics with kicks and punches added.(^^)
日本と韓国は米国と欧州と比べ、音楽を取り入れるのが遅いと思う。米国で見た限りは床体操に突きと蹴りを着けて印象が強い。





空手の創始者の大先生方は思ったのだろう。（＾＾）
I cannot help but wonder what the fathers of our arts would think?

Comparative Study of Tsuki. A punch is a punch is a punch?????

Let's take a look at basic punching techinques. Today I have picked Japanese Kenpo, Shorinji Kenpo. Wing Chun and JKA karate styles of punching. Note that all the Kenpo styles punch with the vertical fist compared to the horizontal fist of JKA.


This is the mainstream Shorinji Kenpo as known in Japan. It is interesting to note that they do not emphasize "Hikite" as in Karate Basics.


Nippon Kempo is another major style of Kenpo in Japan. From its inception, utilization of body armor and face mask (similar to Kendo), throws, joint locks along with kicks and punches were incorporated into its style.


What more can I say of this style? (^^) Karate as most people know it!


Bruce Lee's original martial art, Wing Chun. The vertical fist is also their basic punch just as in Shorinji Kenpo and Nippon Kenpo.


My good friend Fukushima Shihan's kids practicing their basic punches. Fukushima Shihan is formerly a Shorinji Kenpo instructor. We worked together when he was in the Japanese Coast Guard. Notice the hip movement and weight shift in his punches.


Of course we should look at boxing! (^^) Interesting to note that in this video the fist is corkscrewed more than in a karate tsuki. The foot stance is "somewhat" similar to Seisan dachi (some call it Hangetsu dachi). When executing the right cross the stance looks like an shortened zenkutsu, albeit with the rear heel up. This advice of pulling the shoulder back when doing the cross (gyaku tsuki) reminds me of Hikite. (^^)
     Now how do we punch when it comes to competition? Do we punch according to our Kihon? (^^) That is one topic I always ask myself when teaching. Kihon is important, no doubt. But when we spar we don't really punch with what is taught as Kihon. There is no hikite true to kihon. Yakusoku Kumite, yes we still have hikite in basic form. In Point sparring (WKF style) the hikite is emphasized more for show than for its impact. In full contact do to the continuous attack, we rarely use hikite, at most when sweeping the opponent to the ground and making a "pose" to claim a point. So is t better to teach kumite dachi and punches from kumite dachi as Kihon and shed the traditional sanchin dachi in position kihon? (^^) Just food for thought on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

A nice and lazy Sunday morning.

Time to chill out (^^)　ノンビリと行こうぜ。

　　It's a beautiful Sunday here in Hawaii! Blue skies, a slight breeze, no commuter traffic noise or dropping off of kids at the nearby schools. (^^) A time to relax, perhaps read a book or sit poolside and get a tan. Of course I am sure that those scheduled to compete in the AAU Nationals are already doing their dashes and other "stuff". Well, it takes commitment to compete. Oh well that's a topic I won't discuss this morning. It is too goods a morning to start a debate. Junin Jushoku. 十人十色。

　　清清しいハワイの日曜日。青い空、そよ風、通勤の車の雑音なし、近くの学校の登校の雑音無し　（＾＾）リラックスする一時、読書でもまたはプールサイドで日光浴。ＡＡＵ全米大会の出る選手は多分すでに走りこみやら何やらしているだろう。まー試合に出るって事はそれなりの傾注でやらないと。まーその課題に置いていこう。討論を始めるには勿体無い朝だし。十人十色。

　　I have been reading Ushiro Sensei's book " Karate and Ki" an extremely interesting read.  In it he writes "The ultimate goal of martial arts shugyo is kakugo (resolve). This is the spirit of not starting war and the commitment not to let others start one." How does one do that through Budo, a martial art that teaches home to maim and kill people? Is that the difference between Bujutsu and Budo? Or is there a difference?

I guess I think about those things while enjoying my lazy Sunday. (^^)Hmmm I feel like eating some good pancakes with lots of butter and syrup. I think it will be good for my Gikkuri Goshi!

      宇城先生の「空手と気」を読んでいる。とても興味深い本でせう。その中で”武道の修行の目標は覚悟である。戦争を始めない心そして他に戦争を始めさせない信念。」注意：英語文を翻訳してので、原本は多分違っていると思うが、ご了承願います。(**:)

どの様に人を怪我させたり、殺したりする術を教える武道を通してそができるのだろうか？武術と武道にう違いがあるのだろうか？まーそんな事を考えてゆっくり今日を過ごすかな？

　　うううう。でもバターとシロップたっぷりの美味しいパンケーキが食べたい気もする。多分ギックリ腰に良いかも。

いいねー。平和は。人間は物に集中過ぎるよー

Ahhh- Peace is nice. Humans concentrate too much on having things.

Pancakes are calling me!!!!

早くおいでー

ふふ。食べてきた！（＾＾）美味しかった！

JUMP!

     Just back from watching the Korean Martial Arts Comedy performance. (^^)
Haven't laughed sooooo much in years! Amazingly there is no dialogue just action!
The skills of the performers was absolutely amazing.
I hope everyone gets a chance to see it one day. 90 minutes of non-stop action and laughter.

A must see performance!

Comparative Study of Maegeri

Aloha Everyone! (^^) Thank goodness for You Tube. Thought it would be interesting to compare basic techniques of various martial arts. Start off with the simple (??) front kick or maegeri. Each art has its theory for its waza. Depending on what you practice it may make sense or not make sense. But the important thing is in trying to understand the theory. It may or may not be something you can use to improve your own front kick. Have fun!

Please note the slight variations in the chambering of the knee, use of the supporting leg and hip joints in the four styles.

I think this is a good way to develop your legs! Slow is also painful.....(**#)


Of course let's not leave out the Kyokushin or full contact method (^^)

Training is universal!

This Friday Yachiyo and I are going to the Hawaii Theatre to watch "JUMP" a Korean martial arts
comedy production. (^^) Just watching the intro video has me all excited !!
I hope that many of you will have the opportunity to catch this production. Unfortunately it is only a short run in Honolulu.
I can imagine the hours that the actors have to put in to get to that level. My hats off to them.
Talking about intense training, this guys train hard as well.
明日金曜日やちよとハワイ劇場で韓国の武道コメデイ劇を見に行く。紹介ビデオを観るだけでワクワク期待する。皆も見る機会が有ると良いが。ホノルルでの公開は残念ながら短い。
役者達があのレベルにまでなるのに超凄い稽古なのだろう。頭が下がる。
厳しい稽古といえば下記のグループも凄い稽古をする。



Exile, a popular song and dance group in Japan. Yachiyo actually talked to one of the lead singers without knowing what Exile was!! After she had talked to him, she was working in a Marketing booth in Waikiki at that time, she was deluged with "going crazy" Exile fans asking her if he was one of the singers! Gahahahaha (^^) She never heard of Exile until then. I think the singer was astounded that she didn't know!!!
やちよは実際エグザイルのボーカルと話したことがある、但し、エグザイルのエも知らずに！会話が終わった後にエグザイルファンに囲まれ彼女は質問攻めに逢う羽目に。それまでエグザイルなど聞いたこともなっかた。ボーカルの人も驚いてたとおもう。確かいまＮＨＫの大河ドラマに出演中だとおもう。

Congratulations! Tamura Sensei and students!

Sensei Tamura and his Gitokukai members did well at today's AAU Regional Competition!!!

Team KATA　
David,Tokio,Isabel IntermediateClass, Bronze

Individual KATA
Hayato Nagai Beginner(White), Gold
Yudai Nagai Beginner(White) Gold
Noah Otani Beginner(Yellow) Bronze
Elle Otani Beginner(Orange) Bronze
Isabel freeland Intermediate(Green) Bronze
Tokio Hamamoto Intermediate(Green) Bronze
David Ohara Intermediate(Brown) Silver
Steave Freeland Intermediate(Black) Gold
Takeshi Tamura Advance(Black) Gold

Individual KUMITE
Hayato Nagai Beginner(White) Bronze
Yudai Nagai Beginner(White) Bronze
Noah Otani Beginner(Yellow) Bronze
Elle Otani Beginner(Orange) Gold
Isabel Freeland Intermediate(Green) Bronze
Tokio Hamamoto Intermediate(Green) Bronze
David Ohara Advance(Brown) Bronze
Steave Freeland Intermediate(Black) Gold
Takeshi Tamura Advance(Black) Gold

DOUBLE GOLDS IN KATA AND KUMITE

 FOR  TAMURA SENSEI AND STEVE!!! GREAT JOB!!!

OMEDETOU GOZAIMASU

NEXT STOP AAU NATIONALS IN FLORIDA!

 GANBATTE KUDASAI

 

Steve and Tamura Sensei

勇気 Ｃｏｕｒａｇｅ

      I have been reading articles on police officers and firefighters who lost there lives during the tsunami while guiding others to safety.  Just as at the Trade Center in 9-11, these men/women stayed at their posts to save others knowing that their own chances of survival was diminished. I am overwhelmed at their courage. What supports that courage? How does one continue to stay at his post knowing that the tsunami is right behind his back? What stops the desire to run in the face of imminent danger? How will I react in the same situation? Do I have the courage to stay? I recall how frightening it was when the earthquake hit Tokyo. I will admit that the first thing that entered my mind was "Oh ****! Hope that Ferris wheel doesn't fall on me!" I literally could not move due to the shaking. Such helpless feeling. (**#)

       津波の際に殉職した警察官や消防士の記事を読んだ。彼らは人たちを安全な場所に誘導して殉職した。９．１１のトレードセンター同様に彼らは持ち場を離れ無かった。自分達が助かる率が減るの承知に。自分はその勇気に圧勝された。何がその勇気を支えたのだろうか？直ぐ後ろに津波が押し寄せてくるの知りながらどうやってその場から逃げなかったのか？逃げる気持ちをい何が押さえのか？自分は同じように反応するだろうか？居残る勇気はあるだろうか？東京での地震は恐ろしかった。一番最初に脳をよぎったのが「げー。あの観覧車が落ちてこないといいが」だった。揺れで動けなかった。なんとも頼りない気分だった。

     Recovery operations have only begun make some progress. It will probably take years to establish a "normal" life in the devastated areas. I have some former LE counterparts that have the undesirable task of identifying the deceased, an endless task....Anyone who has had to deal with the deceased in non-normal circumstances can understand the horrifying nature of the job. Courage is needed to be able to go out day after day and do such a job. I have been told the officers that are sent to do the job are rotated back after a week or so and receive psychological care to lessen the trauma.  I am sure it is the same with the SDF soldiers and US Forces soldiers that are assisting in the devastated areas.

　被災地の回復作業は始まったばかり、普通に戻るには何年も掛かるだろう。法律施行機関のい知人達らは遺体の確認作業のため派遣されている、とても悲惨な任務である。誰でも遺体、まして普通の死に方をしてない、を扱った経験があるのなら分かると思う。痛烈に悲惨である。毎日その任務に出るには勇気が必要である。聞いた話では一週間位のロテーシオンで戻って精神的な治療を受けるらしい、トラウマを少なくする為。被災地に派遣されている自衛隊、在日米兵も同じだと思う

      I can only hope that when the time arises that I have in me the same courage.

　　必要な時に同じような勇気は自分にある事を願う。

OSU!



Jita Kyoei. Learning from others (^^)

   

      自他共栄 Jita Kyoei has always been the foundation for my Budo. We learn and grow with each other.  By teaching, we learn from our students. By opening our minds to other martial arts we also learn. Certainly there are things that are hard to incorporate into your core art, but that does not mean that the concepts cannot be studied to improve your own martial art. That is why I encourage my students to learn from other martial arts.

自他共栄は常に自分の武道の土台である。お互いに学び成長する。教えながら生徒からまなぶ。他の武道に心と開け又学べる。実際自分の武道のコアー「基礎」には導入辛いものもあるだろうが、けしてそれらを自分の武道の上達に学べないものではない。だから生徒達には他の武道から学べと指導する。

     The trick here is not to become a jack of all trades master of none. It is imperative that you  must be solid in your chosen art. I, myself,  studied Judo for over 20 years before I came upon karate, military and LE self defense. This background, in my case, allowed me to be open to the "new" concepts while also being able to adopt the concepts from a Judo perspective. It also allowed me to understand the principles in the bunkai of Karate Kata which involved throws and grappling. Perhaps the "light bulb" switches on faster than a person with no Judo background.

だが気ををつけなければならないのは色々「知って」は居るが何一つ使えないようになってはいけない。自分自身、空手と法律執行機関、軍隊の護身術と出会うまえに２０年以上柔道をやっていた。その基礎があったからこそ柔道の視線から新しいコンセップトを受け入れることが出来た。空手の型の分解で投げや寝技をも理解できた。多分柔道無経験者よりは早く理解出来たとおもう。

       As for my students, who are no experts by any means, I hope that by exposing them to other martial arts they do not wear blinders. There are too many folks out there that put on blinders when it comes to appreciating arts other than their own. In the worst case almost a cult like attitude of delusional supremacy. That, for me, is not what Budo is about.

経験の浅い生徒達には他の武道と触れ合って視野を広げてもらいたい。それでなくっても世の中には視野の狭いひとがおおい。自分達の武道だけを考えない、酷いのにはカルト的な優位感をも持つ。自分としては武道はそんな物ではないはず。

"One for All and All for One"

Memories of Japan Part 5 (Kau Kau)

        Needless to say (write?) Japan is a eater's paradise with so many choices! You have to watch out for your wallet though. Next to transportation costs eating out can add up to a bundle, especially, at 78 Yen per dollar! (**;) Due to the unexpected earthquake and tsunami my eating ventures probably were cut down by half easily.  But here are some more pics of the great food I was able to eat! I definitely gained weight during this trip.

Korean style BBQ (Yakiniku) at Michele's graduation dinner with her mom.

Yummy! Nothing like BBQ fresh off the grill.

A typical Chinese meal. Omelet with sweet sour sauce over rice, deep fried chicken, gyoza, cabbage salad and egg drop soup for under $10.00

Beef with KimChee, rice, pickles and miso soup.

Vegetable tempura bowl !

Chicken in soy sauce/vinegar dressing at Torakichi.

Special Omelet with Char Siu in sweet/sour sauce at Kougen, our usual after practice meeting place.

       The owner's son and daughter are students of the Dojo. They joined when in Jr and Senior High School, just arrived from China. Iwasaki and Ookoshi Senpais, regulars of Kougen,  brought them over with the hopes they would better adjust to the new environment. Now they are both college students with the sister studying to be a pharmacist (6 years course) and the brother enjoying typical Japanese college life? Now their cousin has just passed her medical school entrance exams as well!! They all help out at the restaurant when they are not studying. I wish more American and Japanese kids would be just as diligent and determined to work for their futures!

Torakichi owner/chef. Supposedly the stores ran out of regular candles, so he bought these just in case of electrical black outs. Gahahaha

Mysterious riverside ally lined with bars.......Go through the wring door you'll leave with the wallet empty!

Once in a while, eating at a fancy French restaurant. Hmmm I selected the "Healthy Course" Perhaps they should of titled it "Starvation Course"????? Not to worry this was just the appetizer........Quite tasty in fact.

A treat from Michele's mom

Flounder and seasonal vegetables in tangy herb sauce. Very good

Some sort of creamy leek soup????

My last meal in Japan at 2300 hrs at Haneda International Airport.(^^) It was Ono!

 A fish based soup Ramen

.

     

Memories of Japan Part 4 (^^)

 Deep in the bowels of Shinjuku is an area named Omoide Yokocho "Memory Lane" to others known as Shonben Yokocho "Urinating Lane" for the urinals that could be found behind the rows of small eateries.
A perfectly safe place (^^) with eating stalls lined up on two separate lanes. You can see the entrances by the two green signs.

Across the street from Omoide Yokocho, normally an overwhelming hordes of people are waiting to cross the intersection. A sight in itself. But due to the disasters the crowd had really dwindled.

Don't ask me why the pic is sideways! It was upright when I uploaded it...(**#) Anyway, one of the entrances to the two alleys. Not how narrow the alley is. There are eateries on both sides. 

 

The alley next to the rail tracks, Normally all the signs are brightly lit up, but some effort is shown to cut down electricity use due to the Nuclear Plant breakdown which severely limited the electrical supply to Tokyo. Scheduled blackouts were already in effect.



Owner of Fukuhachi, the destination (^^) He cooks up the BBQ sticks on that small charcoal grill in front of him. The display case holds a variety of ready to BBQ items. As we say in Hawaii "Ono" nothing like straight off the grill BBQ. 

Inside the shop. Note how narrow the kitchen is! Everything is served up from here. That's a balloon fish and Shark jaw hanging from the ceiling. (^^)

His delicious BBQ chicken sticks!

Stuffed Green peppers are a must here as well! All cooked on the grill. 

Other dishes such as pickled sardines, Potato salad, stewed bamboo shoots line up the counter.

Ahhh. My favorite grilled tomatoes wrapped in bacon. YUMMY!

    What is really interesting is the owner travels twice a year around the world to play golf! He is an avid golfer and has gone to famous courses all over world. Now, how a BBQ stick owner can afford such hobby is really beyond me. After all only 12 customers can sit at the counter and the prices are very reasonable. The wall is full of golf photos of him and famous players as well.

     I used to go here to meet with a LE counterpart at least twice a month. Unfortunately, could not post a picture of him due to his sensitive assignment. We would usually start here and work our way through Shinjuku until wee hours of the next morning and catch the first train back to work! No time to go home!

(^^)  High stress jobs requires High impact tension release activities! Fufufu. And Fukuhachi was the place to start for us. Ahhh fond memories for sure. Not quite sure our wives appreciated it..........(**;)



Memories of Japan Part 3

         I would be remiss not to have pictures of Yokohama's China Town! It still retains its mysterious atmosphere with all the narrow side streets. Restaurants, shops and living quarters all jammed into every available space there is.

Typical side street with more restaurants! It appears that the "All you can eat Buffets" are the prime eating attraction in Chinatown.

The main temple in Chinatown.

One of the main streets in Chinatown Note the old style electric power poles.

        An interesting note. When the troubles with Fukushima Nuclear Plants began to attract media and people's attention, many of the Chinatown establishments closed with the owners returning to China until things are deemed safe. Joke was that only Japanese owned places stayed open. (^^)

Memories of Japan Part 2

Chatan Yara Kushanku Kata by Shiga Prefecture Police Karate Club Member

      

 This Kata demo was done during my visit to meet with Inspector Tao of the Shiga Prefecture Police Mobile Investigations Division. The Kata is known as Kankudai (Sho & Dai) in Kyokushin and Shotokan styles. Tony, you will notice that The Kyokushin Version does not resemble this Shorin Ryu version much. (^^) You will however recognize several movements that are in Heian 4 and 5. It is said that Kushanku or Kankudai is the original Heian Katas put together.  The officer's movements are crisp and focused. I wish I only had more time to get into the bunkai of the movements. Interesting positioning of the hands.

       That day I was asked to demonstrate some SDF techniques for police work, I showed them the negotiation stance and the application of mawashiuke from the position.  Also had a little fun with my "iron forearm Bon Odori" drill. Had their biggest guy swing a hay maker at me which I naturally stopped with what looked like an arm slightly waving... Fufufu. From there the irimi with the Bon Dance stance.

A sample of non-contact tournament sparring. What a great foot sweep!

        

 The Shiga Prefecture Police Karate Club is a member of the All Japan Industrial league as well a the All Japan Police League and competes in yearly tournaments in sparring and kata. As a former member of LE I know how difficult it is to get prime training time! I also showed them some high intensity drills that could assist them in cardio training in their busy schedule without taking up time. Of course, I always had a younger member demonstrate. (^^)



Memories of Japan

        Although the "highlight" of my trip to Japan was the unexpected earthquake and tsunami, it was a very memorable one. I was able to meet many old counterparts in the Japanese Law Enforcement agencies as well as my Karate students and fellow instructors. The aftermath of the disaster also showed me the strength and resiliency of the Japanese people. The self discipline and never give up spirit. we should not delude ourselves that there were no crimes committed  after the disaster, there were, but in comparison to other countries next to none. No looting and or rioting. Many critiques will be written on the Japanese government response to the emergency. I will forgo being a Monday morning quarterback. I am certainly appreciative to those city workers who provided shelter to those of use that were stranded away from homes and lodging.
They themselves must have had worries about their own families, yet they worked around the clock to provide shelters for others such as myself  in a cold environment.
       I am certain that the Japanese people are appreciative of the all the support that is coming in from throughout the world. My personal thanks go to Tony and Mano Sensei for starting the wrist band campaign in their area. The last I heard cash support is a better form of assistance.
       Well not all the time was spent in gloom in Japan (^^). I'll be posting some of the "better" times that I was fortunate to have while in Japan. It will be in no chronological order.

Hawaiian music at my favorite hideout "Zucchero"

         Zucchero is a small hole in a wall bar in the Fukutomicho entertainment district in Naka Ward, Yokohama. The owner Sato-san is a very funny person and keeps you entertained all night long. As it is a very late night operation, a variety of customers or "Joren" come and go. This night a young Japanese guy came in with his girlfriend who came to pay up her bill from the previous night (yup it's that type of bar). We ended up with a mini Hawaiian concert. Pretty good singer. He had studied Hawaiian music in Hawaii and is now playing professional gigs in Japan.

Boys Day Figurine on a Harley!

Koi  noboris (Carps) One per son in the family.

          This day Michele and I were in Ningyocho doing some shopping at a super discount store for her mom's preparatory school . As the name implies the district has many doll stores. With Boys Day around the corner many stores were displaying boy figurines in samurai outfits! I really liked this one!

          Along with samurai figurines, floating carps are displayed at homes matching the number of sons they have in the family. The carps in the photo above are in front of a figurine store so I think it was out to attract customers. The carps are usually attached to flag poles so that the carps can be seen"swimming" in the breeze.  

Michele's late night dinner after getting off work! Not bad for under $8.00

Sweet sour pork, Chicken soup, Salad with sesame dressing, almond Tofu for dessert

I had the SURAMEN noodles with veges, soup heavy on vinegar and a side dish of steamed rice dumplings



Of course my non alcohol beer for the day! (^^)

More to follow. Time to sleep! zzzzzzzzzzz