Matsubayashi-ryu Karate - Eastbourne

It's always such a privilege to be able to present certificates to students who have dedicated such a large amount of time and effort in achieving their next 'steps' in the lifelong journey of karate-do.

In addition to Tuhin celebrating his first step on the ladder, Shodan (1st Dan), I was also honoured to pass over Yondan (4th Dan) certificates to the two most senior and long-standing students in the Eastbourne dojo - Inge Keats and Mykel Mason.

Congratulations once again to Janey, who successfully passed her Nidan test back in December, but returned to the dojo from University last night which gave us the perfect opportunity to be able to present her certificate, all the way from WMKA Headquarters in Okinawa. 😊

Congratulations to three students from the Eastbourne dojo who successfully passed their promotion tests this evening.

Tuhin joined the dojo around 7 years ago, having originally studied Shotokan karate as a student at University "ahem" some years ago! This evening he tested for 1st Dan and did a great job.

Mykel has been a student at our dojo since the age of around 8 years old and has continued his training, almost without breaks, for the past 25 years. Mykel and his wife Meg now live in Ipswich and he has just become the third official WMKA dojo in England, having received his certification from Okinawa headquarters. Mykel did an excellent job this evening, achieving 4th Dan.

Finally, Inge started her karate journey about 27 years ago, when Sally and I were still brown belts, and has continued her journey ever since, week in week out. During that time she has travelled to Okinawa as well as many karate events throughout Europe. She has been, and continues to be, one of the stalwarts of the dojo and it is a better place for her. Inge also graded successfully for promotion to 4th Dan.

Thank you to ALL the students at our small but dedicated dojo who help out and work hard every class - may we continue for many years to come 🎉

CONGRATULATIONS!!

This evening we conducted a successful test for Janey Hooper,who passed her Nidan (2nd Dan).

Well done Janey 😊

As we approach the end of 2023 it's always a good time to reflect on the past year (that went quickly!) and, of course, look forward to the coming year.

As a dojo, we have loads planned for 2024, including training opportunities both at home and other dojo around the world, culminating with a trip to Okinawa in November. There we will get the chance to train with our Sensei once again, and enjoy the teaching of many other top-level instructors; of course, all students would be welcomed to join us!

This really excites me and ensures that, at a personal level, training remains invigorated, fresh and always relevant.

This is my 30th continuous year of karate study, with the last 26 years being specifically in the Matsubayashi-ryu style and each year just feels better and better - to our seniors who continue to pass on their knowledge we can never thank you enough.

For anyone in or around the Eastbourne area, thinking of trying out karate for the first time, please get in touch in the New Year and see if karate training with us might be something you can enjoy too.

We'd already congratulated Marco for his successful test to Shodan back in July, but yesterday we were pleased to be able to finally present him with his certificate, received from Okinawa.

Our congratulations go out to Marco who successfully tested this evening to achieve his Shodan (first degree black belt) after 8-years of training in Matsubayashi-ryu karate.

The test was performed in front of Arakaki Toshimitsu Sensei (Hanshi, 10th Dan) so a huge honour for Marco and "well done"!!

An excellent article, written by Cezar Borkowski Sensei, that explains the Japanese concept of "giri" or obligation.

There is definitely a need and, indeed, benefit to translating this for use in Western society as it teaches us a deep sense of responsibility and a true link to loyalty without expectation of something in return.

The subtleties within the concept are really interesting and worthy of your thoughts and introspection.

Giri (義理) | Northern Karate Schools Giri (義理) is a Japanese word that is most encountered in the study of martial arts. Giri means roughly duty, or obligation, in English, but as is often the case I believe there are important nuances that are difficult to convey. If the senpai–kōhai relation is a snapshot of vertical hierarchy...