Asato Dojo Okinawa

The Asato Dojo is only 1 year old today but we have already been recognised and awarded for our achievements by one of the leading karate practitioners and scholars in the worldwide karate community, Patrick McCarthy Hanshi, founder of the International Ryukyu Karate Research Society. We are extremely grateful to McCarthy Hanshi for his support and encouragement, and will strive to continue to deliver an excellent and progressive learning environment for our students and visitors, in the spirit of this award.

We would also like to extend our congratulations to all our fellow recipients of Honour Roll Awards this year. Many are close friends and all exemplary role models richly deserving of this recognition for their contribution to fighting arts practice and human progress.

McCarthy Hanshi wrote in his announcement of this year’s awards:

“2018 ~ The 23rd Annual IRKRS Honour Roll Award Recipients

HONOUR – INTEGRITY – TRUST – LOYALTY

Congratulations, you’ve been nominated and inducted into the 2018 23rd annual IRKRS Honour Roll.

Your wonderful contributions have not gone unnoticed and we believe that your dedication to the fighting arts, and continual efforts to study, preserve and promote its practice, history and values, has been exemplary. The journey for each of us has not been without significant discipline, sacrifice and failure, and yet it is through adversity that we truly grow both inside and out. Ralph Waldo Emerson is remember for having said, “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” I like to think that much of our collective journey is about better understanding this and I’m honoured to be associated with you.

Breaking down walls that divide and building roads and bridges, the IRKRS boldly took an ambitious step in 1988 by being the first to blaze a new and unique path upon which to unite like-minded learners in pursuit of common goals, irrespective of style or political affiliation. In the years that followed we built a strong following, received widespread support, international accolades and a sterling reputation for unreservedly serving our alumni, empowering learners, celebrating personal achievement and camaraderie through this wonderful art. In 1996 we initiated the Honour Roll in an effort to recognise individuals whose exceptional dedication, commitment and contributions to the art of Karate, influence, inspire and touch the lives of so many.

It is my great privilege to announce this year’s annual IRKRS Honour Roll award recipients of which you are included:

• The Kinjo Hiroshi Humanitarian Award ~ Michelle Vanderlinden-Enfield, USA
• Lifetime Achievement Award ~ Meredith Gold, USA
• IRKRS Ambassador Award ~ Delia Piralli, Italy
• Person of the Year Award ~ Brett Hall, NZ [Posthumously]
• Dojo Award ~ Asato Dojo & James Pankiewicz, Japan
• Special Recognition ~ Miguel Da Luz, Japan
• Kurofune Award ~ Joe Swift, Japan
• Writer of the Year ~ Christian Bellina, Austria
• Instructor of the Year ~ Josh Stewart, Canada
• Yudansha of the Year ~ Manu Winter, Germany
• Mudansha of the Year ~ Kenneth Urrutia, USA
• Innovator Award ~ Adette Rice, Canada

On behalf of the IRKRS I’d like to congratulate and wish you the best of luck in your continued efforts. The fighting arts condition the body, cultivate the mind and nurture the spirit, in an effort to improve health, its holistic purpose; be better prepared to protect oneself, its defensive application; build moral character, its social aim; discover and overcome the source human weakness; its philosophical nature; and finally, to know inner-peace, its spiritual essence.

“Blessed are they who have learned to admire but not envy, to follow but not imitate, to praise but not flatter, and to lead but not manipulate”
空手道は人生のためです
http://www.koryu-uchinadi.com/valuable-r…/irkrs-honour-roll/

Have a glass of awamori, hug your lovely wife, watch Bohemian Rhapsody and know that you are appreciated more than you may realise

Warm regards
よろしくお願いします

Patrick McCarthy
マカシー　パトリック
Hanshi 9th Dan
範士九段
Australian Black Belt Hall of Fame 2000
Canadian Black Belt Hall of Fame 2012″

Retracing the footsteps of the civilians who undertook a 113km walk to escape the hell of the Battle of Okinawa and get to a place of safety in June 1945. 
Come to the Dojo Bar and see us off on January 2nd at 2am. Our final destination is the village of Aha on the east coast of northern Okinawa. 
Make a donation as we use the event as a way of raising money for Okinawan orphans.

Donations can be made via Paypal to dojobarnaha@gmail.com

In October 1944, 14 year old Yoshiko Gakiya (now aged 87) and a large group of elderly men, woman and children, fled from the firebombing of Naha and sought refuge in the village of Ahacha (located in present day Urasoe). However, after the US forces landed on the west coast beaches on April 1st 1945, the group made the decision to head north to Kunigami. The group had to avoid the dangerous coastal roads and was forced to machete their way through thick forest along the spine of Okinawa, avoiding both the U.S. and Japanese forces. After several exhausting weeks, the group finally reached Okuma in mid-June. In July, the group decided to cross over the mountains to the East coast where they remained until they were discovered by U.S forces in August. They were loaded onto trucks and sent back south and held in internment camps until they could finally return to what was left of their homes.
Keeping alive the memory of this arduous journey carried out at an atrocious and tragic time in Okinawan history is important for the current and future generations of not only Okinawan people, but people from all around the globe. Today, worldwide, there are 68.5 million people fleeing from warzones, crime, environmental destruction, famine, and drought, seeking their own place of safety. From Yemen to Honduras, Eritrea to Borneo, we see the plight of these people on the television, the Internet and in the newspapers.
On January 2nd, 2018, myself (Paul Vermehren), James Pankiewicz, and Becka Tedder will follow in the footsteps of the Naha citizens of 74 years ago. Setting off from outside the Dojo Bar in Asato, Naha, at 2am, our intention is to reach Aha the following day before sunset. On the first day, we aim to reach Nago Citizens beach around 5pm. The following day we will follow the coastline to Hentona and then cross the mountain to the east coast village of Aha. Total distance: 113km.
Prior to and during the race, we will be collecting donations for an Okinawan charity that supports children who have lost one or both parents in traffic accidents. The 113km walk will be our way of preserving the memory of the past to help the children of the future.
If you would like to take part in the entire walk, or a short section of this walk, please contact me on ssbmusic@hotmail.com

Route and times

DAY ONE
2:00am – 4:40am Dojo Bar to Araha Beach, Chatan, 
12.4km
Break 20 minutes
5am – 7:40am Araha Beach to Yomitan Village Market 12.7km
Break 20 minutes
8:00am – 9:00am Village Market to Sansei Coffee 
4.5km
Break 30 minutes
9:30am – 13:00pm Sansei Coffee to Diamond beach 14.7km 
Break 2 hours
15:00 – 17:00 Diamond Beach to Nago Citizens beach 10.8km
Day One Total 55.1km

Anyone who has visited or seen our dojo will know that on the shomen wall we have four scrolls. These ‘Makimono’ were brushed by Hokama Tetsuhiro sensei, a highly acclaimed martial artist, teacher and calligrapher in Okinawa, and gifted to the dojo when it opened. The four phrases pictured in them were selected by James Pankiewicz, Asato Dojo kancho, for their personal significance and expression of the spirit and philosophy of Okinawa and karate practice.

I’ll explain what they mean and why we chose these ones. 

From left to right:

1-  命と宝  ‘Nuchi du Takara’

(Life is a Treasure) 

First and foremost we must remember that life is truly precious. ‘Nuchi du takara’ is the Okinawan pronunciation of this phrase and it became a motto of peace in Okinawa following the devastation of WW2. 

Karate should be about enhancing and improving life – both for the practitioner but also those around them. We are not here to hurt each other or our bodies.  Notice that the character for life has been drawn with a long tail to signify a long life.

We only get one life. Live it well. 

2-  究道無限 ‘Kyudo Mugen’

(The Path of Study Never Ends)

You train, you learn. You earn belts and ranks.

It’s easy to feel like you’ve  ‘done it’ or you’re ‘finished’.

It is always important to remember that there is always more to learn – more depth, more styles, more arts, more everything.

There is no ‘finish’.

Training has no end.

You just have to keep an open mind,  keep searching and keep studying. 

3- 継続は力なり ‘Keizoku wa Chikara Nari’　

(Continuous practice begets strength)

You either do karate, or you don’t. This one is here to remind us that even when you are busy, tired, stressed or whatever it may be – you need to continue training.

Your karate will not improve or even be maintained if you don’t train consistently. 

Consistency is key to everything and it is a lesson we want to remember. 

4- 温故知新 ‘Onko Chiishin’　

(Study the past to gain new insight)

“on” is “to warm”, “ko” is “old”, “chi” is “to know” and “shin” is “new”: to warm the old and know the new (to learn new things from the old)

To study the old things and gain new knowledge or understanding. When starting something new – start by fully studying the past.

We are surrounded by experienced Sensei,  resources and karate history and this scroll is here to remind us to use all that is available to us and learn from it. Its wasteful and unwise not to.

Here at Asato Dojo we feel it is very important to  know how to wear your dogi correctly and part of that is tying your belt.

We know there are many ways this can be done, all with different styles and purposes. 

Below is how we prefer to tie our belt and so we have created this series of images for our students to follow. 

Traditional karate taught in a friendly environment by experienced instructors Becka and James.  Our students learn karate skills and discipline whilst having fun and challenging themselves.  Mon/Weds/Fri from 16:45, Sat from 16:00. 

Located in Naha, just 15 mins drive from Camp Kinser.  Near Makishi station. 

Please call James on 08039081712 for more details.

FITNESS45 – Daily 7AM fitness program designed to get you strong and healthy through just 45 mins a day workout. Based on proven HiiT and circuit training methods with different workouts daily so you don’t get stale and bored.  Open to all levels of fitness and experience.