HIS Karate-Do

I first met Sensei Allen Wakai some dozen years ago when he visited our club as one of several long-time black belts Sensei Ed had brought along with him on a joint training session at HISkarate.  Although he had begun training many decades before, I recall that he insisted on wearing a white belt for the purpose of attending our class. Then, about a year later, a bunch of our brown and black belts attended a training seminar given by Kancho Nobuaki Kanazawa, head of the SKIF world-wide.  Sensei Peter and I had a great time working out during the several-hours long session with many senior karateka from other dojos.  I remember mentally comparing my speed/power in technique to the younger black belts around me and feeling pretty good about myself, haha.  Big, big mistake!  In all of my life, I had never encountered any difficulties with any long training session.  Then the Kancho called a short break with 15 minutes to go…and as I walked back for some water, both of my 60 year-old legs suddenly surprised me by cramping up, haha.  As I stiffly limped back to the bleachers, I found Sensei Peter already there – his 60 [...]

Hey – who remembers what an autostereogram is?  Nope, it’s not another version of Instagram, haha.  Actually, it’s a throwback to the 1990’s, and while you older folks may not have known the term, I’m sure that you’ve all seen and stared at one, many years ago.  Back then, there was a fad that involved staring at a colorful picture filled with repeating patterns.  These pictures resembled colorful psychedelic wallpaper, but if one stared at it long enough, one would be rewarded by a hidden three dimensional image that would appear.  These were called autostereograms and were very popular with the public for a short period of time, then quickly lost their “fifteen minutes of fame”. Our younger members probably don’t know what an autostererogram is nor have ever seen one.  For that reason, they may find the one below interesting.  Unlike the usual autostereogram, this one doesn’t contain a hidden 3-D image.  Instead, it contains a checkerboard pattern of leaping tigers.  If looked at long enough, the tigers pop out into several rows of differing depths.  I chose it because it’s easy to tell when the 3D effect takes place (no hidden image) and also because the tiger is [...]

Hi Everyone…Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year!  Have you noticed that during this rather unusual year, the holidays seem to go by before we even realize it? Not having seen many of you since we ceased general classes in the Spring, it is my deepest hope and prayer that each of you is keeping safe and healthy and enjoying the Christmas Season despite some limitations on usual activities.  In the summer, the sempais and senseis did hold some training sessions working out the safety protocols (temp, contact logs, masks, social distancing) for whenever it becomes safe enough to restart class.  Till now, however, Oahu’s case counts continue to rise and the tier system and gathering limits has prevented normal training for all dojos, with the exception of virtual Zoom classes by a few places. That said, outside activities are less restricted than indoors where air is recirculated.  There is a hidden blessing in that our training actually occurs under a covered pavilion that is outside, exposed to fresh air.   Sometime next year, after case counts have dropped, perhaps after a successful vaccination rollout, with appropriate masks and social distancing, we’ll be able to safely train together once again. For [...]