Karate Family 6/2014

I know people in all parts of the world, Japan, Eurasia, Europe, Australia, New Zealand,and Indonesia.

All because of one common thread:  “karate”. These people have become like family to me, my brothers and sisters. This art has united us in a way that breaks down race, language and brings people together for the same thing; the training of mind, body, and spirit.

I wonder if the old masters of Okinawa could have imagined that their karate could or would travel worldwide like it has. Most of the Masters never left Okinawa or even knew of some of the countries that are now practicing the art of karate. Karate was taught and handed down from teacher to student for generations. There were only eight men who passed this art to the world. They were the ones who took it out of Okinawa to Japan. To be a part of this living history is such a great feeling and a big responsibility to pass it on correctly.

Our Karate came from one of these great masters. Master Kanken Toyama moved to Japan and opened his Shudokan dojo in 1930. To be able to train and practice the same drills and forms that have been passed down for hundreds of years is really something.

I think the old masters knew that they were on to something big. Not only was it a self protection art, but a way of life that helped you get through the day and kept you healthy. Some of them made their living teaching karate, but most of them just trained a handful of people not thinking about the lasting effect that it would have on the world.

I have been to major tournaments and seminars were there were a number of people from all parts of the world. We all got along and were able to communicate because we knew the karate language. I’ve been to Japan a number of times without knowing the language, and it really wasn’t a problem. In the dojo we communicated Just fine. I have made some very close friends that are still a part of my life today. I have met new friends because of karate that are now in my life. Karate builds a kind of friendship that grows between students, a feeling of camaraderie, and having something in common with people in all walks of life. To be able to put yourself out there where everyone can see how hard you train and know just what you can do, is a hard thing-but this is what builds strong trust, and a feeling of respect towards each other. This is most likely the reason why karate is still alive and going strong in the 21st century.

Nowadays, it is so much easier to keep in touch with everyone. The internet has made the world a small place. I have found and been found by a number of people all because of karate. The people who have come and gone through my dojo are some of my best friends and have been for years; not to mention the ones who are still training at the dojo. I feel very close to them all. There is something about pushing ourselves and sweating together that makes a great bond.

To study the old ways and to be a part of a karate family is something to be proud of.

“to study the old to understand the new”

G.F.

See you in the dojo