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On Saturday
January 27th, 2007, Shihan Stuart Corrigal and I traveled to
Los Angeles
to participate in the activities of the 3rd US
Weight Category Tournament.
Soon after
arriving at our hotel we met up with Shihan Lowe (8th
Dan from the Hawaii Branch) and two of his students, Shihan
Herb Ishida and Sensei Glen Oyama. After a quick chat and a
bite to eat it was off to the newly relocated Los Angeles Dojo
(Little Tokyo Branch) for an officiating clinic. Soon after
the officiating seminar was completed a training session was
held. IKO Secretary Shihan Gorai ran the first half of the
class covering kihon and basic fighting combinations. The
second half was conducted by Shihan Lowe with the assistance
of his two long time students. Shihan Lowe is the only
remaining direct student of Sosai Oyama who has mastered all
the self defence techniques by Sosai. Indeed it was a
privilege to be a part of this learning experience.It should
be noted that these three karatekas from
Hawaii
have over 150 years of karate training between them, and that
they all trained extensively with the late Sosai Oyama. Indeed
they put on a self-defense display that will not be soon
forgotten …amazing.
After the strenuous class it was back to the hotel for a quick
shower and then off for the evening at a local restaurant. It
is at these functions that I find the family of Kyokushin to
be. Simply put: close, connected and full of remarkable
individuals. Over the years I have developed many Kyokushin
friendships with people from all walks of life from around the
globe and we all tend to live our lives the same way. The
Kyokushin Way. It is during these” times“ that I see how
Sosai’s vision of world peace could actually be realized. I
find it truly astonishing how one thing: - “Kyokushin” - can
truly bring all these people into a certain harmony with one
another. There are so many deeper lessons, meanings and
perspectives on life that are examined during these precious
“restaurant” hours amongst these individuals….indeed we are
always learning. It was another phenomenal evening.
The next
morning we arrived at the auditorium at
8:30 for the tournament. The morning began with the elimination
rounds of kumite for all divisions. As well, the Kata
competitions were completed in the morning. The afternoon
showcased the top rounds of each division, with all the finals
running in a row from the children’s divisions to the super
heavyweight open division. It was a different way to present
the finals, and effectively demonstrated the progression of
Kyokushin fighters’ skill as they advanced through the
divisions.
Canada’s only
participant Daymon Miller placed third in the Men’s Super
Heavyweight class, losing against an opponent from
Costa Rica.
The day ended with a fantastic Sayanora party which was held
at the dojo. It was a great chance to reminisce with old
friends and meet new ones, and as always, a memorable time was
had by all.
The organization of an event such as this takes a great amount
of time and effort. Thank you to Sensei Taku Nakasaka and his
team for the exceptional job. Thank you also to the IKOK-C for
allowing me to take part in another great event.
Osu
Brad Gillespie |
Photo
Gallery
Sensei Brad and his Hawaiian Family, from left Shihan Ishida,
Shihan Lowe and Sensei Oyama
Shihan Corrigal and Shihan Kamoshida
Goshin-Jitsu
The venue
Kyokushin family unites
Work hard = Play hard
Maybe greeen should win
Daymon from Banff received third place.
Shihan Kamoshida from Japan
Sempai Nakakuki from New York |
