TRADITIONAL OKINAWAN KARATE IN EDMONTON
International Okinawan Shōrin-ryū Seibukan Karate-dō Association
国際沖縄少林流聖武館空手道協会
人に優しく己に厳しくそういう精神が厳しい稽古の中で培うものである
This spirit of being kind to others and being strict with oneself is cultivated through rigorous training
島袋善保先生 Shimabukuro Zenpō Sensei, leader of Seibukan karate-dō worldwide
The Seibukan Karate Dojo honours the International Transgender Day of Visibility.
There is no place for hate and bigotry on our dojo floor.
Canada will never be the 51st state. #ElbowsUp
12 year-old Kristian drew this. Two of the karateka were Black, two were White, one was Asian. But Kristian saw what we really are in Seibukan. On this International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, try to be a bit more like Kristian.
Seibukan is #DEI.
The concept of the dojo is that sharing a commitment and supporting each other wholeheartedly makes people better at what they share and as human beings.
The same is true in marriage.
NEWS
My 9.5 lb dog Murphy shows up at the end of every online class to say hello. One of our young students in Austria sent this wonderful drawing of her.
The Seibukan banner which we've hung with pride in our home. It's signed by Zenpō Sensei, Zenshun Sensei, and Zenei Sensei.
Someone asked me, "If you don't take care of yourself, who will?"
In the way of the karate, the answer is, "Everyone else in the dojo." For us, that's the meaning of community. We work very hard on ourselves, for years and decades, so we can lift up others.
Training in Okinawa
Zenpō Sensei is unequivocal that it is necessary for Seibukan karateka to go to Okinawa:
Karate is from Okinawa, so you must go back to Okinawa and see what we do; every karate technique you must correct in Okinawa. Make sure you visit your sensei and feel all Okinawan people.
Please visit Okinawa, to feel traditional Okinawan karate, and eat Okinawan food and breathe Okinawan air. Many things you have to experience in Okinawa.
Our dojo funds instructors and senior students to go to Okinawa to learn from the finest Seibukan sensei in the world. Last October three went there. Craig stayed for two weeks; Lucy and Doug were there for a month. It was demanding, illuminating, and marvelous.
Lucy and Doug will be returning in May. It will be their eighth trip since 2014. Three other members of the dojo will be going in October. Clayton will be going for a fourth time; Craig for a second time; Jared for his first.
The purpose of our dojo is to be a bridge between the karate and culture of Okinawa and good people in Canada seeking to move with more grace through life.
When we go to Okinawa, we generally train six days a week. But some of the best lessons we've had about the way of karate have come in personal conversations with Zenpō Sensei outside of the dojo.
Our Edmonton Dojo
9000 km from Okinawa, we are doing our best to uphold the great tradition of Seibukan karate-dō.
The definition of equity is "the quality of being fair." Fairness is a fundamental value of Seibukan karate-dō, and our dojo will always fight for equity against the malevolent forces which seek to eliminate it.
The women and girls at last Saturday's morning class.
Currently, 44% of our 62 person roster of in-person and online members is female. From white belt to black belt, each one of them makes our dojo community better.
Inclusion.
Karate-do is merely a reflection of our true selves. Excuse-makers will make excuses. Boasters will boast. The aggressive will do anything to beat someone else. Karate-do itself cannot change all this, but it can make these things much more obvious. It then becomes our responsibility to recognize ourselves and make the necessary changes.
Adapted from Onuma Hideharu
