Remembering Kanzaki Shigekazu
January 13th marks the third anniversary of the passing of my teacher Kanzaki Shigekazu sensei. Although years apart, it is a bit ironic that Kanzaki …
Kyoda Juhatsu
Higaonna (東恩納)
On Okinawa, the family name is typically pronounced ‘Higaonna’ while on the Japanese mainland it is usually pronounced ‘Higashionna’. But you may be surprised that …
The Passing of Kyoda Juhatsu
August 31 marks the 52nd anniversary of the passing of Kyoda Juhatsu sensei. On that day I will keep Kyoda sensei in my thoughts as …
How many Sesan do you need to make a style?
Kanzaki sensei performing Kanyu no Sesan kata From time to time Kanzaki sensei would recollect to me about his time learning Tou’on-ryu from Kyoda Juhatsu …
Tou’on-ryu – Olde Style Kume Village Boxing
I sometimes get emails asking me how Tou’on-ryu differs from Goju-ryu. These questions can range from the technical and mechanical, and into the philosophical.
Nepai
Nepai was once an obscure kata in the Karate world but over the decades it has become common-place. I find the increase in the number of …