The Karate Master's Video Project Series

First, there was the Karate Masters Portrait Project.
Chris and James realised that there are no good photographs or records of sensei's past or present.

In response to this they embarked on a enormous project producing this beautiful book of the current Karate Masters of Okinawa professionally photographed and presented in this book.

This book is just volume one (which took around three years to produce) the project is still active behind the scenes with currently over 100 sensei's photographed.

You can view all the images and find more information on the Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/pg/chriswillsonphotography/photos/? tab=album&album_id=406168962731317

Here's a link to the website where you can buy the book:
http://www.blurb.com/b/5879527-karate-masters-portrait-project


Now, Chris (and James) are taking it to the next level with the Karate Masters Interview Series.

Instead of just photographing the Sensei, they want to create video's. Asking all the questions we are always wondering about our sensei's and preserving them for future generations to learn from.

So far in the series there has been two sensei's interviewed and the video's released.

Number 1: Arakaki Sensei - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODziB93h2_c

Number 2: Senega Sensei - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9jDJV9j52E

Number 3 is Koiichi Nakasone Sensei. I was lucky enough to go along for the experience.

We met sensei at his house where we discussed the plan for the afternoon with him.
We would video a little at his house, visit Nakijin Castle and then go to Chris' house where we would do the main interview.
Then of course, we would go to dinner.

We started with sensei at his house.
This is a super cute little house in Nakijin. It reminds me of the movie 'UP' because he built it for him and his wife to live in when they decided to move to Nakijin together.
It is a very traditional house with tatami interior and a red tiled roof.

From there we went with sensei just a five minute drive or so, to Nakijin Castle. 
Nakijin is the northernmost castle in Okinawa and is the most well preserved because of this.
Now is Sakura (Cherry Blossom) season in Okinawa and the castle is lined with the trees so it was more beautiful than usual!

We did some filming around and inside the castle.
Sensei was a little nervous, i think we all know that the karate masters are more often than not quiet, humble people who prefer to stay away from the limelight.

This may be a difficulty encountered with the project. Hopefully with Chris' bubbly personality and taking people or students that the sensei is familiar with will make it somewhat easier and less intimidating.

Sensei explained some of the memorials and shrines around the castle.

Once we were done filming at the castle, we made our way to Chris' house and did the sit down interview with the black background.

Before this though, sensei showed us some of his karate techniques in the garden while being watched by the goat that lives next door.

This is the part where sensei's sparkly eyes really started to show and he started sharing with us what he really loves in life.
Once he started demonstrating and getting us to try there was no stopping, it was really interesting.
He explained about using relaxation and body and joint flexibility to move out of the line of attack and respond.
Once we were finished all the videoing we went to dinner together where sensei taught us about his top three respected karate masters.

Can you guess who they were?

Who would yours be?

Opening of the Year 2019

I've gotten really behind in updating my blog recently, and honestly started to think that there is nothing happening that's worth blogging about.
Then, the more i thought about it, the more i realised there has been things happening. Not as often as before, but thats what happens when you're part of running a new dojo, planning events, studying, working and training alongside it.
So, the goal for this year is to find the good things, make them happen and blog about it.
So that when i'm old i can remember this.
All of it.
The good, bad, exciting, frustrating, inspiring karate life that i'm living.

I took the opportunity on the 13th January to spend the morning at the Budokan watching all the different martial arts do the 'first practice' of the year.

The thing that caught my eye that I hadn't seen at any of the other years was a little girl as part of the sumo group.

I thought this was really wonderful. To see an art that is dominated by men welcome girls to the group is a big step forward in what is still a hugely male dominated part of Japanese culture.

Then I started looking around the room and noticed that now, with the girl in the sumo group, every martial arts group that was practicing had both males and females practicing.

The event went as it usually does, the ceremonial speeches, the opening of the sake, the demonstrations from the masters, followed by the group training.

It was nice to be able to watch it as a spectator and not be a part of it as we have been the past couple of years.

113km Walk

In the first few days of the New Year we decided to attempt to walk from the Dojo in Naha 113km up the island to Aha Village on the north east coast.
In total- 113km. That is about 70 miles which is actually the entire length of the island.
The route that we took though meant that we didn't quite go from bottom to top, but near enough!

The reason that we decided to do this was because during world war 2 when the US attacked Japan, they had to take over Okinawa first to reach the mainland.
The attack came from the south and so citizens of Okinawa fled the capital city and the southern area of the island for safety in the North. 

The only way they could do this was on foot.
It took them weeks to get to relative safety in the North, but this is considering lack of food and supplies and also not being able to use the regular roads because they would have got caught hence usually travelling at night, in darkness through the wilderness. 

Our goal was to complete the walk within two days (maybe 3).

Day One- Goal- 53km. 

We started the walk at 2 am and walked 12km north towards Chatan. We arrived around 6 am and took a short break before continuing on through Yomitan.
We had completed around 40 km before we decided to stop for real food as opposed to convenience store food. Because it was the New Years holidays, there was only a soba shop open with a limited menu, but at this point anything would do! 

After the food, we carried on the last 15 ish km for the day.
We started the walk as a group of six and ended it with the three of us.
Mike had only planned to walk until the end of the day before heading back to Naha and the other two were having issues with their shoes and blisters and so decided to go back. 

We made it to the beach where we would camp for the night around 5pm.
I took a hour or so nap (so tired i couldn't stay awake and wait) before John and Pam joined us and made a fire to roast marshmallows on (that was really cool, i had never really done it before)

Then everyone went to sleep because one exhausting day was over but there was another to do tomorrow. I didn't sleep well, outside the tent was loud and it was cold.

Day 2- Goal- 40km. 

We got up and packed everything up around five am to start walking again just before 6 am.  The goals have changed now and it's been decided that we will take 2 and a half days to complete it.
We will walk to Onna and then sleep and continue the last 20km. 

We walked right up the coast and through Nago.
Chris joined us after the first 10km or so and joined us for the rest of the walk today.
At this point though, most of my family had caught onto what i was doing and were really keeping me going.

Day 3- Goal- 20km. 

Today was the most beautiful and daring day of them all.
we walked the mountains of Okinawa. Around one and over another.

 This was the part where Paul freaked out because of the height of the wall and the possibility of falling into the water below and dying.
I thought it was really cool and got a few videos of the waves and water crashing into the cliffs and making the most beautiful blue whirlpools. It made all of this walking along pavements thing far more fun and exciting.

The beach with the cliffs and rocks gave me the perfect time to get my 100km Rock as my souvenir.

In the distance you can see the ocean, this is where the mountain we just walked around was. It's the final five or so km to go now.

before we reach the next village and finish this walk we are truly in Okinawa's jungle. Probably even today a good place to go and hide should anyone or anything attack the island.

Thats it, we made it to the end.
I've got my pocket full of my rocks, lots of layers on to cope with the January 'cold' of Okinawa
(i also get cold when i'm tired so i was REALLY cold!).
113km walked.
This was a walk i never really had any interest in doing in the first place- completely organised and initiated by Paul and James, I just got pulled along for the ride.
A walk which really helped me begin to achieve a few of my new years goals for 2019 and a walk which helped me to understand and learn a little more about the past and the present ways of life.