HIS Karate-Do

Over the years, I’ve attended seminars given by various Shotokan Karate-Do and Aikido masters. Every one was so knowledgeable and I always learned something new. I especially enjoyed and was amazed by those given by the late Tetsuhiko Asai as well as the late Koichi Tohei (Aikido). Beyond their amazing expertise and knowledge, each master was gracious and seemed happy to share their wisdom with the attendees. Recently, I came across a video of a 2013 demonstration that was given by the late Shito-Ryu Master Yoshimi Inoue. I was immediately taken by the concepts about body movement that he shared with a group of black belts in Italy. Shito-Ryu is a close cousin of the Shotokan system and his techniques will be readily recognizable to you. His ideas resonated with me since they are similar to much of what I believe – though he demonstrates and articulates them far better than I can. You may not be able to replicate his flexibility, control, and speed; however, gaining some insight into this approach to basic technique and movement can be invaluable towards understanding how you can continue to improve your own techniques in the future. This clip is from a seminar [...]

Speaking of exams, remember that I once mentioned that the very first time I saw karate in person, I was watching two “white belts” (actually two brown belts from other schools testing for rank in the KAH) taking an exam and being blown away by their “beginner skills”?  The fellow who invited me to watch was my good friend’s older brother; a KAH black belt named Dennis.  Separately, he had gotten Sensei Wayne interested in joining and you all know that, in turn, I persuaded Sensei Peter to join up with me.  Dennis also had interested my old SKC partner Sensei Paul along with a large number of other UH students (mostly from Pearl City and Waipahu) to give it a try.  I guess he was a natural karate recruiter, planting the seed of interest among our friends and many subsequently joined.  Later, Dennis graduated from UH, received his commission into the U.S. Army, and left for his assignment; never returning to regular training.  While his karate experience ended after 4-5 years, Dennis did leave a lasting legacy…us, haha. , Over fifty years later, we four old-time karateka that he talked into joining, are still involved in the art. Anyways, [...]

Happy 2023 Everyone! Wow, 2023 marks twenty-two years since we started the HISKarate-Do Karate Foundation! Somehow, placing on our gi’s and practicing karate at the Momilani Community Center, time may seem to stand still. Yet, outside of the dojo; in the world, in Hawaii, and in our own personal lives, time keeps on ticking and change keeps on happening. Much like how we measure progress and growth for the students (and instructors) in the dojo, we should all be striving to better ourselves and those around us in our daily lives. It is also important to savor and appreciate every moment that we are blessed to enjoy with family and friends. In that context, I thought about how much had changed in my own family since we created HISKF. I dug through old photos and was able to find one taken of the Nakamoto Family as we were, back around when the club started in 2001 and we just took one earlier this week. Today, some twenty-two years later, it’s no surprise that our family has grown. Where once, there was one household, now there are three. Comparing the two photos, I could hear my Dad solemnly proclaiming, “Time…waits for [...]