Legend Mirror

Last night, Tuesday, July 22, 2008 at 347 West 34th Street in the Dojo, our new Black Belt, Stewart Ratzker was practicing Hengetsu with Ni-Dan Sensei Ken Mikkelsen while I was leading them up front.
It was only last week at our regular workout that I asked each member to practice back fists as if Catching a fly; and bringing the fly back without killing him.

1. Karate is not only dojo training.
2. Don't forget that Karate begins with a bow and ends with a bow.
3. In Karate, never attack first.
4. One who practices Karate must follow the way of justice
5. First you must know yourself. Then you can know others.
6. Spiritual development is paramount; technical skills are merely means to the end.
7. You must release your mind
8. Misfortune comes out of laziness.
9. Karate is a lifelong training.
10. Put Karate into everything you do.

O’Sensei Lenchus has asked that the students in our Dojo’s understand the history of our art, and many of my dojo brothers have asked me to take a few minutes to prepare some of that history for them. We begin each class by bowing twice, once to the teachers who came before our Sensei and then to our Sensei.

Master Shigeru Egami says: If one has the time, he might practice other ancient kata - but to do so to brag about knowing a great number of kata would be pointless. It is said that in former days a single kata was practiced for a minimum of three years. Try to imagine this A kata may be regarded as an integration of offensive and defensive techniques, but it is more than that. One should try to understand the spirit of the master karateka who created the kata, for it has a life of its own and requires five or six years to be mastered.

I knew Mr Kawanabe well as a student. I do believe he joined our club in the 1950’s, he was 2 years junior to me, and since the time he joined we trained together during our University years.
Mr Kawanabe was an excellent practitioner and top of his 1950’s class year, he got his 1st dan one year before I got mine. He succeeded as captain of Waseda University Karate club after Oshima.

This June, I will be testing Ken Mikkelsen, Stewart Ratzker, John Nguyen, and Josh Durkee for their next grade.

It is not a guarantee that they will be promoted only the opportunity that they have spent the appropiate time and should know the basics for their test.

I expect them to go through all five heian katas WELL.

I want to see Bassi Dai, Empi, and Tekki Sho or Ni.
If time allows more on another day we will do Kanku.

I want self defense techniques demonstrated from the front , side and back. High and low. Right and Left.

This picture of Ronnie and myself was taken at Ronnie's Promotion to Nidan on 3/19 a week later Ronnie was shipping out to go to Iraq. He took off his Gi and put on army uniform. We are looking forward to your returning safely and putting back on your Gi.
Oss

I wanted to give a little perspective to the story about O'sensei Lenchus and Mas Oyama. This picture speaks for itself. like Mas O'Yama, O'sensei Lenchus took the art and his Budo very seriously yet was not above wild behaviour when he was young.