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Osu!
Greetings to all fellow Kansuiryu practitioners after another prolonged absence. It would seem that the quarterly newsletter is in danger of becoming an annual affair. Apologies for that, but as they say in life you get what you pay for and as the website is free…
At the time of writing the September school holidays have commenced, which makes for slightly diminished class sizes as families head off on the traditional camping trips, etcetera. Cairns is also suffering from the dregs of the dust storm that has affected much of the East Coast of Australia over the past week, which has made training a bit uncomfortable for those susceptible to such things. Hopefully we will get a wind change before too much longer and things will clear up a bit.
Much time makes for much news. There have been gradings of course. The dojo is busy enough that it is now necessary to conduct junior and senior gradings on different days. Things have gone smoothly with the new system, thanks in large part to the senior grades stepping up to the plate to assist, so thanks to all concerned. Likewise, with Moriyama Sensei frequently out of the country it’s good to see everyone pitching in to make sure things keep rolling along in his absence.
We have had a couple of students grade to black belt level thus far this year. Taylor Tarawhiti jnr and Barbara La Baysse have both reached this milestone, further strengthening our style in the senior grades. Taylor jnr is the second in his family to grade for shodan, after his father Taylor Tarawhiti snr. Barbara has become our third female shodan with hopefully plenty more to come.
Not to be outdone, Taylor Tarawhiti snr recently graded for his second dan black belt. Taylor snr is a longstanding member of the Cairns Dojo and he has put in a lot of time, in particular, supervising at the daytime sessions for those students keeping irregular hours. For the occasion of his grading we were visited by Yoshimura Sensei, Chief Instructor of Kansuiryu in Japan, and Fujita Sensei. In front of Moriyama Sensei, Yoshimura Sensei and Fujita Sensei, Taylor successfully completed all requirements in fitness, sparring, breaking and kata required for his nidan. Well done Taylor sempai!
One of the great appeals of karate is that is an activity accessible to a wide range of ages and fitness levels; in short, a game the whole family can play at. And as often as not it is the kids who drag the adults into the dojo rather than the other way around. Take a look around at a Saturday morning training session and you will notice how many families are participating. This is great for Kansuiryu, and a little intergenerational rivalry can only be a healthy thing.
In Japan the Junior Kansuiryu Tournament has already taken place, with Moriyama Sensei in attendance. The successful competitors have earned a place in the junior divisions of the annual championships to be held in October. As has been the case for the last decade or so, competitors from Australia will also be attending under the auspices of the Kansuiryu Scholarship scheme. The Kansuiryu Open Tournament is a highlight of the year for our style in Japan and represents a valuable opportunity for contact between students here and in the home country. And that does mean contact. The students awarded scholarships for 2009 are Brenda Ryle, Liam Collins and Nicola Sharples. Just getting tapped on the shoulder is an achievement in itself as it reflects a lot of hard work in the dojo. Training and competing in Japan is an intense experience and a unique opportunity, so for those three students, leave nothing in the tank.
In addition to the usual weekly training times, for 2009 Moriyama Sensei has scheduled an additional session on the first Friday of each month for students of 1st kyu and above. All senior students of the stipulated grades are urged to attend these sessions as they allow Moriyama Sensei to address aspects of training in a manner that is not possible in a packed dojo at other times. It is also an opportunity for 1st kyu to pick shodan brains, and likewise shodan to nidan and so on up.
With so many new students at the dojo making their way towards the intermediate grades it might be worthwhile to remind everyone that there is a reference book for the kata of our style. The book is “The Essence of Okinawan Karate Do” by Shoshen Nagamine. Nagamine Sensei’s book includes exhaustive photographic breakdowns of all the kata common to his style of Matsubayashi Karate and Kansuiryu and also has a lot of interesting history shared by the two styles. It’s a book that tends to drop in and out of print but a search of the internet will usually turn up a supplier with copies in stock.
That all for now. Minasan, gambate kudasai!
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