Karateschool Bu Shin Kan

Deze week trainen we buiten, net zoals we een weekje in Kroatië buiten getraind hebben. Maar hier, op het veld aan de Top Naeffdreef.

Maandag 17 en woensdag 19 augustus
18.30-19.30 - jeugd
19.40-21.00 uur - volwassenen

Jongeren mogen zelf weten bij welke groep ze aansluiten.

See you 👋

Joseph Mary Polin always makes beautiful black-and-white photo's. This time also at the Dento Sh*to Ryu International trainingweek in Croatia.

Thank you for the nice photo memory!

Een trainingsweekend of week is niet alleen serieus trainen maar er is ook genoeg tijd voor gezelligheid, babbelen en lekker eten.

En na afloop komen er foto's boven tafel die ergens anders vandaan komen dan uit deze aardse werkelijkheid.

Vooral Jari Räty, vertegenwoordiger van het Dento Sh*to-ryu in Finland is iemand die altijd wel ergens zo'n foto vandaan tovert.

We hebben veel met je gelachen Jari en nu weer 🤣

Many will remember children's parties where a word was whispered to one another, only for the last person to realize that a completely different word had emerged.

Exactly the same thing, or perhaps even worse, happens when you draw a letter on a person's back with a finger. It might go well with the first person, but very soon something completely different emerges.

That is how Soke Mabuni Kenyu, the 75-year-old grandson of the founder of Sh*to-ryu, Soke Mabuni Kenwa, concluded the training week in Croatia.

A week organized by Dento Sh*to Ryu International in collaboration with Sh*to-ryu Croatia in Novi Marof. They invited Soke Mabuni Kenyu from Japan and the European masters Carlos Molina sensei and Anselm Stahl sensei for the annual training week, which began many decades ago under the leadership of the late Nakahashi sensei. A week dedicated to the transmission of a karate tradition that began in the 1930s with the aforementioned founder, Grandmaster Mabuni Kenwa. After his passing, it was continued by his eldest son, Soke Mabuni Kenei, and now, since the latter's passing, has been taken over by his son, Soke Mabuni Kenyu.

Try to imagine how the masters mentioned above do their best to pass on that first word or first letter correctly to the karatekas present. And in such a way that every generation after them still knows the same word or letter.

For me, it is invariably a week of sources, listening to that source again, and re-membering what was once taught to me by Master Nakahashi, Soke Mabuni Kenei, and the many teachers from the tradition of the Sh*to-ryu school.

A week that can also be confronting, unlike the birthday party of our childhood where there was invariably loud laughter upon hearing a completely different word. The responsibility resting on the shoulders of our masters—and on our own—sometimes weighs heavily. It is certainly true that a process of growth and development does not stop with the correct passing on of the tradition of yesteryear (that first letter on the back or the word passed on through the ear of another). Every master and teacher adds something to or expands this tradition with his or her acquired knowledge and skills from decades of study and practice. But it begins with that one word, that one letter.

Thus, Soke Mabuni Kenyu began this week by watching the dan exams, for 1st through 7th dan. Partly as a result of these exams, a week arose of reviewing the fundamentals of our karate: body posture and basic techniques.

Soke Mabuni took us on a journey of experiencing body postures and the consequences a change in one body part had elsewhere in the body or in the technique being performed. Often not 'this is how it should be done' but rather 'this is how it can be done, but also this way' and experience it for yourself. It's up to you, he often said to us.

Using the Sanchin, Tensho, Papuren, and Naifanchin shodan kata, he gave us teachers a wonderfully beautiful progression for the beginner karateka—and sometimes we were (still) that too—up to the advanced.

On day three, he introduced the Chibana no Kushanku kata by a student of Sokon Matsumura, named Chibana Chosho (not to be confused with Chibana Choshin, who was a student of Grandmaster Itosu Yasutsune). At first glance, this kata appears to be a mix of the standard form Kosokun dai with Kosokun sho and Chatan Yara no Kosokun, but Soke Mabuni assured us that this form was actually authentic.

On day four, Anselm Stahl sensei guided us in experiencing the role of the pelvis and hip movements in our karate movements. The way Anselm sensei consistently does this—with plenty of humor and excellent explanations and examples—makes you truly feel it. And of course, it remains a work in progress. Through the use of the hips and pelvis in combination with low stances, we were encouraged to work more dynamically. This dynamic approach was continued in partner work, where attack, defense, and counter-attack were continuously alternated (fukushiki kumite as opposed to tanshiki kumite). We were able to practice four beautiful fukushiki kumite forms, in such a way that we can take them home to our own dojos.

The second training session on day four was led by Carlos Molina sensei. Molina Sensei brought Sh*to-ryu to Germany 50 years ago, and as a personal student of Soke Mabuni Kenei and Master Nakahashi, he took over leadership of Dento Sh*to Ryu International at Nakahashi Sensei's request following his passing. Training with Carlos Molina Sensei guarantees you as a karateka that you are in good hands. You can, as it were, fully trust the knowledge and skill of this master. Under his guidance, we worked on basic movements such as ashi sabaki and the first lines of the three Pinan kata with two partners.

On the morning of day five, Soke Mabuni summarized the week with us once again and reviewed all the important matters so that we could take some of it home with us. Very nice!

In addition to the 18 hours of karate, there was also time during the training week for togetherness and pleasant conversations. Not only with our Dutch karate friends Henk, Hannie and Timothy, but also with karatekas from Portugal, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Belgium, Finland, and of course Croatia.

There was also time for a visit to the home of the well-known Croatian painter and woodcarver Ivan Rabuzin. His house, which is now becoming a museum, is truly magnificent and well worth a visit. It is incredible what that man has created in terms of painting and woodworking.

The week started with the Dan exams, and Henk Luijsterburg managed to deliver a stunningly beautiful presentation for his 6th Dan grade. Very well prepared and with a high level of personal skill, he was able to receive his 6th Dan grade from Soke Mabuni Kenyu on day three of the training week.

A training week often begins with expectations, and after a few training sessions in the summer heat of Croatian Novi Marof—where they also celebrated their 50th Sh*to-ryu karate anniversary, fatigue sets in. Fortunately, there was a fantastic organization, Sh*to-ryu Croatia, that does so many extra things that allow you to relax and stay well-fed in between. The Sayonara party was also incredibly fun and enjoyable until the long-awaited rain cut the party short prematurely.

We were able to quench our thirst at the Sh*to-ryu karate spring; we chatted, sang, and danced; we got tired, and we take the spoken words of Soke Mabuni, Carlos Molina sensei, Anselm sensei, and the many other teachers and fellow karatekas home as a memento. A week has come to an end, and we hope that the lessons from our masters have left a powerful impression on our bodies and our karate, so much so that we may keep that letter on our backs with us for a long time to come.

My heartfelt thanks to our masters, teachers, and fellow karateka, and see you soon.

Begin jaren negentig was Patrick McCarthy in Nederland voor het geven van een reeks lezingen, onder andere in Nijmegen.

Van hem heb ik destijds zijn werk over 'Mabuni Kenwa, standing on the shoulders of giant' gekregen. Zelfs korte tijd nog lid geweest van zijn studiegroep.

Zondermeer een bijzonder mens, pionier en groot karatemeester die met zijn vuur weet te enthousiasmeren, met zijn verhalen weet te inspireren en met zijn vriendschappelijkheid weet te verbinden. Een levend voorbeeld van Kunshi no Ken waar Soke Mabuni Kenei vaak over sprak.

De film met interview is meer dan de moeite waard om te bekijken.

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Arigato gozaimash*ta Rosalie 🙇‍♂️

Vanavond, van 19.30 tot 20.45 uur, katatraining voor karateka's met bruine band 3de kyu en verder.

Locatie: veld Drijflanen aan de Top Naeffdreef.

We pakken het lijstje uit het gele boek van Meester Nakahashi en nemen de eerste 14 kata door. Volgende week maandag de rest.