The venue was the famous Okinawa Kenritsu Budokan in Naha, training started at 8am for 3rd – 7th Dan every day, then one hour with the Master for basics which included all grades, then there was group training for 3 hours, so a total of 5 hours.
We were also honoured to be given lectures by Aragaki Shuichi Sensei who was a direct student of Miyagi Chojun Bushi and the Sakiyama Sogen Roshi of Kozenji who also trained with Miyagi Chojun Bushi. The world famous Higaonna Dojo in Naha, Okinawa is a short walk from the Asato station on the Okinawa Monorail (or Yui Rail). On an exterior wall visitors are greated with the following words: The kanji next to the IOGKF kenkon reads "Okinawa Goju Ryu" followed by "Higaonna Karate Dojo" in larger print. The remaining text tells us that beginners and women are welcome for maintaining health. These simple words remind us not only that karate is for everyone but this martial art is for the purpose of looking after your body.
Martin Stockley Thank you to Kumiko Akamine for the translation. Course Report from Martin and Louise Stockley, Cambridge
On a sunny Friday 25th May we boarded the Eurostar at London’s St Pancras station and 2 hours later we arrived in Brussels. We were met by Fréderic Lantreibecq, who whisked us out to our hotel on the outskirts of the city. Sensei Marc Sanglier and his wife Els had done an excellent job organising this first Gasshuku in Brussels and after a brief rest at the hotel we were driven to the training venue by Alex Gherschon, another one of our very welcoming hosts. IOGKF Dojo Kun (Dojo Oath) Respect others Be courageous Train your mind and body Practice daily and protect traditional karate-do Strive to teach the essence of Goju-Ryu Never give up The full article can be found here. Explanation of the IOGKF Badge Heaven and Earth are described as Kenkon in Japanese. Ken meaning heaven and Kon indicating earth. Heaven is shown as round and earth as square, which symbolises the vastness of heaven and earth. The badge expresses the harmony of hardness and softness in nature...heaven and earth. The meaning of Goju is directly related to the badge since this also means hard and soft, Go translates as hard whilst Ju equals soft. The symbol within the circle is the family crest of the Miyagi family, since the idea of heaven and earth, hard and soft originated with Miyagi Sensei. Translation of the IOGKF Dan Grade Certificate
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George AndrewsChief Instructor OTGKA Archives
February 2022
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