Category Archives: History

Studying Karate The Okinawan Way by Glyn Jones | Blurb Books UK In the work “Moving Zen” By CW Nicol. Takagi Sensei reminds Nicol “A hunter who chases two rabbits at the same time will catch neither of them.” Following this he said “Make up your mind.” – “Your spirit is pulled in two ways.” I have also seen writings where by Eiichi Miyazato Sensei of Goju Ryu Karate reminds of this too even though he was a skilled practicing Judo ka. Many Karate exponents think that this way of thinking and understanding just relates to their Karate training, but this is not true. If you have to much going on in your life and you don’t keep things simple, as is the Okinawan way of life, then all you do is become overloaded and less focused. Over the past […]

The present disturbing goings on in the world kind of act as a reminder of the true teachings of Karate, and why I personally practice the art. No not a Karate that is solely centred around numerous Bunkai or the destructive maiming of others. But an art that is based around longevity, compassion, and self-improvement, both in character and mind. A Karate that is based off self-preservation and the teachings of the peace-loving people of Okinawa, a people that are warming by nature who have no desire to ever hurt or kill anyone. People often just see the Karate Sensei of Okinawa through outside eyes, maybe then as just being tough and strong, both physically and mentally, which I suppose in many ways is true. I have though over the years seen my teacher, as in Senaha Sensei, in a […]

A book that I’ve been working on for a while now titled “Studying Karate the Okinawan Way” is scheduled to be published later on this month. It’s all finished and ready to go I’m just waiting on a few things. Karate originated through the blue zone peace-loving people of Okinawa, whose culture and lifestyle is about nurturing longevity, through living an active and fulfilling life. To the outsider though Karate is often just seen as a form of self-protection or maybe even a sport, when in fact, these are just segments of a more fully rounded art that has many inherent benefits. Regardless of one’s experience in Karate or style practiced, the reader can through this work capture the spirit, essence, and true nature of the art for themselves. As through gaining an insight into the way that Karate is […]

At times I am often a little mystified why many Karate Ka don’t focus more on the Karate of their choosing instead of spending valuable time attaching their Karate to that which is practiced by others. Now, having formerly spent many years practicing Japanese Shotokan Karate, together with achieving a few Dan grades along the way, the same in Okinawan Goju Ryu too. I can say with honesty that neither art is really any better than the other, they are simply a Karate with differing training methods and practices, and at times emphasis too. In reality ones chosen style/school/teacher is all just down to preference really. In many ways it is kind of like trying to compare fish to chicken even though by definition both are meat. They may taste different, you may like both, just one, or maybe even […]

At times in Karate, and in life too, we learn valuable lessons that kind of stay with us forever, revelation moments maybe. My mother always used to say, “I wish I was eighteen again but know what I know now”. I now understand what she meant as you can’t buy experience I know that, just like you can’t beat the clock or time either. The thing with Karate is that it runs parallel with life, you can either keep making the same mistakes over and over or you can revaluate then change course and direction. Onaga Sensei of the Shinjinbukan School speaks of Karate Ka not fulfilling their full potential and he has this saying, or words to this effect; “There are Karate Ka who have the physical ability, but they don’t use their brain or intelligence – And then […]

During the later end of the summer in 2019 Senaha Sensei visited us here in England to teach Karate accompanied by James East Sensei. This was Sensei’s first return to our shores since back in 2007 when he was accompanied by Tamaki Sensei where we hosted them in Birmingham, which is where I was living at the time. This time around his visit was to centre around three areas of England, as in Devon, the Midlands and London. I not only always relish the opportunity of training daily under Sensei, but I also really enjoy spending time in his company too. As this is where I not only get to learn from his wealth of experience when it comes to both life and Karate, but it also makes our relationship a personal one. To the point that by the end […]