Some exciting news from our friends at GojuRyu Kenkyukai Melbourne!
"Well done to Graeme Loison who graded to Sandan with Taira Sensei’s approval. Thanks to Paul Chandler who assist me in overseeing Graeme’s grading. Also to Steve Evans who was Graeme’s Uke." Congratulations Graeme!
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We want to thank everyone who participated in the recent North America Workshop. During that time, besides training, everyone had a chance to meet and connect with members from all over the world. The workshop was more than training. We all come together for Taira Sensei's education of Okinawa Gojuryu Kenkyukai. However, we all all one Kenkyukai Family. TO celebrate all of us being one unified group we have renamed the "Okinawa Gojuryu Kenkyukai North America Dojo" Facebook Group to the: We would like to invite and welcome all members of Okinawa Gojuryu Kenkyukai to join us in this group to communicate, connect, and continue to support our Karate Family! We hope everyone as now made it safely home and recovered from both the workshop and travel. We have many milestone moments from the workshop share with everyone! First we would like to give a big thanks to our hosts! A big thanks to Mark Kapel Sensei, Mountain Martial Arts / Gojuryu Kenkyukai of New Jersey for hosting and teaching everyone Taira Sensei's basics and Bunkai. We all appreciate you opening your home and Dojo for everyone.
Thanks to Mat Weisfeld, United Martial Artist for co-hosting the Kobudo portion of the seminar and providing a place for visitors to stay. We are proud to see all the schools in our Karate Family coming together to support and help one another. Please remember that all students are welcome to train in either dojo regardless of whether there is a seminar. Big thanks to Taira Sensei for traveling educate all with the desire to learn! Is innovative abilities and teaching continue to have a profound impact on us all. Arigato Gozaimasu! Thanks to Ray San for making the trip to New Jersey from Arizona to train with Taira Sensei and join Okinawa Gojuryu Kenkyukai North America. Ray San first discovered Taira Sensei after seeing a National Geographic special featuring Sensei. He knew from that point he need to seek out and train under Taira Sensei. In previous years he had his first experience and train with Sensei here in New Jersey at a previous seminar.
We are excited to have him back to visit and train at the Head Shibu Dojo. We also look forward to visiting Arizona and provide training and workshop opportunities. Arigato Ray San for joining our family! Congratulations to everyone who graded today! Students from Mountain Martial Arts / Gojuryu Kenkyukai of New Jersey and United Martial Artist demonstrated their abilities, understanding, and proficiency in the curriculum requirements for earning their black belt.
Some of those curriculum requirements included Kihon, Sanchin with Shime, all required Katas, Bunkai, Chi-Shi, Nigiri game, makiwara, and more. Congratulations to Greg (previously graded), Adel, Silvia, Mat, Bridget, Mat, Sensei Ash, and Anthony. A big congratulations to Greg San who earned his rank of San Dan at the age of 71. You are never too old to train or start your journey in Karate! Greg San is an inspiration to all interested in learning Karate as a reminder that it is never too late to start your journey. Regardless of age, there was no shortcuts in Greg's grading. During an in class grading Greg demonstrated proficiency in all curriculum requirements in Kihon, Kata, Bunkai, and more! Greg gives back to the school and community by teaching others including Senior Citizen programs to encourage others for a more positive path. His school is Mountain Martial Arts and learns under Mark Kapel Sensei.
Thank you Greg San for your continued efforts and dedication to Okinawa Gojuryu Kenkyukai! Always a proud day when our Okinawa Gojuryu Kenkyukai family trains together. Schools from all over North America made their way to Syracuse Martial Arts Kenkyukai for this event. Featuring Aivaras Engelaitis Sensei, the goal was to train and prepare all practitioners for Taira Sensei's arrival for his June and other future seminars! Each session focused had their own focus point to cover a strong range of basics and training exercises for all students and Shibu to bring back to their own home dojos. On the Saturday sessions the first part covered simple but effective training exercises to strengthen everyone's core, balance, and other foundational concepts. This followed by detailed explanation and training in Kobudo. Each new technic was explained, demonstrated, practiced, than applied with a partner. One of the important points was the connection Okinawan Gojuryu has with Kobudo. The same fundamentals from Sanchin are applied to Kobudo making the session easy to follow for both the experienced and novice Kobudo practitioner. Thanks to Syracuse Martial Arts Kenkyukai again for hosting such a fantastic event. Big thanks to Sensei Aivaras Engelaitis Sensei for flying over and helping us all learn and prepare. It was a great experience for everyone and please join us in June to further your training with Taira Sensei himself!
We also want to thank all of the schools that took the time and made the trip to come and support your Okinawa Gojuryu Kenkyukai Family. Syracuse Martial Arts Kenkyukai East Wind Budo Mountain Martial Arts United Martial Artist Academy Brewster Karate Kokoro Dojo Please feel free to email us at [email protected] for any questions or concerns! Be sure to join us this weekend at Syracuse Martial Arts Kenkyukai for this weekend's Taira Bunkai Basic Seminar! Contact SMAK right way for more information.
Looking forward to everyone training together in preparation for Taira Sensei's visit in June! UPDATE: This seminar will also be feature Kobudo training for all interested practitioners!
Gasshuku 2023 - New Jersey USA: June 23, 24, 25 Learn directly from the Masaji Taira Hanshi 9th Dan of Okinawa Gojuryu Kenkyukai. Hosted by the North America Head Shibu Dojo Mountain Martial Arts / Gojuryu Kenkyukai of New Jersey registration is now available at [email protected] We hope to see all dojos come out to support and learn from Sensei! Miyazato began practicing Karate with his father and then became a student of Miyagi around the age of 13. Since that time, Miyazato, except for a short period during the war, trained continuously with Miyagi until his death. He also assisted Miyagi in teaching in the Okinawa Police School and was also the only one to have learned the entire teaching system and all the Kata. Miyazato was also a judo instructor: a discipline that Miyagi himself invited him to cultivate as it was complementary to Goju Ryu Karate Miyazato joined the Ryukyu Police Department on Miyagi's recommendation in 1946. He served as physical education instructor at the police academy, and assisted Miyagi (then an instructor at the academy), teaching karate and judo there. Upon Miyagi's death in 1953, Miyazato inherited his teacher's training equipment; he also took up the position of teaching at the 'Garden dojo,' which had been Miyagi's dojo. After Miyagi's death (1953), the family communicated that the founder of the style wanted Eiichi Miyazato to succeed him. The Goju Ryu committee (formed by its major students) at a meeting in February 1955 voted almost unanimously Eiichi Myzato as the official successor to Chojun Miyagi. In 1956, Miyazato opened his own dojo, the Jundokan, in Asato, Naha.[3][4] The building had three levels, with Miyazato's dwelling located on the top level.[3] In 1972, he retired from the police force and devoted the rest of his life to teaching karate.[3] Through the early 1970s, he served as Vice-President of the Okinawan Judo Federation and President of the Okinawa Prefecture Karate-do Federation. On March 20, 1988, the Okinawa Goju-ryu Karate-do Kyokai awarded him the rank of 10th dan in karate.[3] Apart from his karate rank, Miyazato held the rank of 7th dan in judo from the Kodokan, and was President of the Okinawa Judo Federation. Miyazato Sensei's memory continues in North America with Shibu Dojos across the country. Most notable being Kapel, Cunningham, and Loterbauer Sensei to name a few.
We continue to strive in following his teaching and keeping his memory alive! |