Renshukai Update

There will be no session of Renshukai on the evening of Monday, February 27 as Shinjuku Sports Center is closed. 

Renshukai is the informal training group of Members of Gojuryu Karatedo Yoyogi Ryushinkan that meets at Shibuya and Shinjuku Municipal Sports Centers weekday afternoons and evenings.

Mawashi Uke Applications

Interesting video of Masaji Taira Sensei in the US teaching bunkai applications of the fundamental Mawashi Uke technique. The technique is a core component of Okinawa Gojuryu karate, and found in Sanchin, Tensho and many other kata. The video is from Taira Sensei's own channel. His teacher was Eiichi Miyazato, the founder of the Jundokan dojo to which Gojuryu Karatedo Yoyogi Ryushinkan is affiliated. Taira Sensei's karate follows that of Miyazato Sensei and the Jundokan, with the addition of his novel approach to the bunkai application of kata. 

Shibuya Ward Spring Tournament

The 2017 Shibuya Ward Spring Karate Tournament will be held on Saturday, April 29 (Showa Day). There will be kata and kumite competitions divided into categories by age, gender and grade. There are 22 categories for kumite and 19 categories for kata.  

The opening ceremony is at 9:45 The Venue is Shibuya Sports Center at 1-40-18 Nishi Hara, Shibuya-ku.  The nearest stations are Hatagaya  and Yoyogi Uehara.

Shibuya Ward is the home to Gojuryu Karatedo Yoyogi Ryushinkan. There are many different dojos and university sports clubs in the ward, including Imperial University's highly rated team, so the tournament is a good opportunity to see and compare various styles of and approaches to karate.

Randori

Randori is a form of controlled, semi-full contact sparring used in Gojuryu karate and other martial arts. The purpose is to practice a variety of techniques in a realistic situation without causing injury. Here is footage of instructors from the famous Yoyogi dojo sparring in South Africa during an exhibition tour in 1976. The three instructors featured from Japan are Tadano Sensei, Terauchi Sensei and Aragaki Kancho, who became the head of the dojo several years later in 1981. The name of the dojo became Gojuryu Karatedo Yoyogi Ryushinkan in 1986.