Nakamura Sensei visits London and Winchester, 2004
I invited Nakamura Sensei to England, to conduct a Gasshuku which proved to be a great success. He arrived with his wife Rania and their lovely daughter Emily who is two. Emily soon found her feet, in the company of our two foster children playing and exploring together.
The training was over four days and was attended by 110 people, most of them were Yudansha. Nakamura Sensei was very impressed with the Honbu Dojo especially with the statue of our Busaganashi.
Nakamura Sensei taught basic IOGKF Bunkai from Gekisai Dai Ichi to Sesan, with lots of explanations on tradition and the roots of Goju Ryu. Everybody was very enthusiastic and eager to learn and the time went very quickly, as it always does when you are enjoying yourself.
On Saturday evening we held the traditional B B Q, where conversations varied from person to person, and appetites were fulfilled.
Next it was to Winchester. We arrived early so the Nakamura family could enjoy some of the wonderful historic sights. Sensei Simon Budden did the honours, after lunch at a typical English pub on the river, one could not have had a better day.
In the evening, training, people lined up to receive instructions from Nakamura Sensei and me; he took the Dan Grades and I took the Kyu Grades then we changed, maximising the knowledge available, as we did in London.
Gasshuku means community; to eat, sleep and train together, which is what was achieved. After 17 hours of training with Nakamura Sensei and me, the range and depth of training that was to be had, everyone had a look of complete satisfaction - and fatigue.
Here is the next generation of Oriental Masters and I am proud to have had him teach at my Dojo. We are fortunate to have such a good instructor as Sensei Nakamura, a wonderful personality and very keen sense of humour. Nakamura Sensei is a direct student of Master Morio Higaonna, and the official translator for the IOGKF, so there’s nothing lost in the explanation of a technique, this was an opportunity not to be missed.
My thanks to the people that helped to make this Gasshuku a success.