Ryushinkan Kata

Gojuryu kata as taught by Aragaki Seiro Kancho and practiced at the Gojuryu Karatedo Yoyogi Ryushinkan Dojo are listed in the photo below (read from right to left). Sanchin kata is described as kihon, or the fundamental kata.  The “kaishu kata” (literally "open hand kata") are:

Gekisai Dai Ichi

Gekisai Dai Ni

Saifa

Seiunchin (or Seiyunchin)

Shisouchin

Sanseiru

Seipai

Kururunfa

Seisan

Suparimpei

Tensho, the “soft” counterpart to sanchin kata, is listed at the end, on the very left side. We will be examining each kata in forthcoming posts, especially from the perspective of Aragaki Seiro Kancho's unpublished "Philosophy and Mindset."

Zen Meditation

Zen meditation has always played a key role in the development of Japanese martial arts, as it has in Okinawan Karate, which has its roots in Chinese and Shaolin Kung Fu.

 "Zen" refers to seeing into and discerning the truth of the way things are, then harmonizing the mind to properly correspond with that understanding. It is also to maintain the harmony of body, breath, and mind by sitting in a stable position with a focused mind.

"The practice of zazen isn't only sitting, but discovering that all of our everyday activities have the same value as zazen to do them as the practice of Zen. It may seem as if practice is something special, somehow removed from regular life. However, our practice is to undertake all our daily activities as if they were the same as zazen and to continue and maintain that practice." This applies to karate as much as Zen. More information is available here.

Training Schedule Update

The evening training session on Monday, March 14 has been cancelled as Heiwadai Municipal Gym is closed on that day. Instead, there will be a group training session at the same venue in the afternoon on Sunday, March 13 from 13:30 to 15:00.

Members of Gojuryu Karatedo Yoyogi Ryushinkan continue to train together as Renshukai," with Aragaki Kancho supervising many of the day-time sessions at Shibuya Sports Center. The evening sessions, currently held at Heiwadai Municipal Gym on Mondays and Kami-Itabashi Municipal Gym on Wednesdays, will switch back to Shinjuku Sports Center from April, when it reopens after renovations.

Shibuya Ward Spring Karate Tournament

The 2016 Shibuya Ward Spring Karate Tournament will be held on Friday, April 29 (Showa Day), a national holiday in Japan. There will be kata and kumite competitions divided into categories by age, gender and grade. There are 20 categories for kumite and 19 categories for kata.  

The opening ceremony is at 9:30 and the competition itself begins at 10:00. The Venue is Shibuya Sports Center at 1-40-18 Nishi Hara, Shibuya-ku.  The nearest stations are Hatagaya  and Yoyogi Uehara.

There are many different dojos and university sports clubs in the ward, so the tournament is a good opportunity to see and compare various styles of and approaches to karate.