The Honbu dojo is quite small with only a handful of black belts regularly training and a few (brave) kyu grades on occasion. It’s something that surprised me at first given the dojo’s famed reputation. Another thing that caught me off guard when I first arrived is how truly international the student base is – there are students from America, Switzerland, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, Israel and surprisingly few from Okinawa or mainland Japan. Add to this the almost weekly influx of visitors from around the word – England, Guatemala, France, Germany, Holland, Spain... With the constant supply of people from different styles and countries this melting pot of a dojo makes for some interesting training sessions and it’s fair share of language confusion.

Training runs from 8-10pm every night but usually kicks off a little late and runs even later. On normal training nights, the few of us without work commitments (or possessive partners) often stay late to work on corrections, practice sparring or applications, or do a few more reps with the metal clogs (tetsu geta) or gripping jars (nigiri-game). On nights when Sensei’s feeling particularly ‘genki’ - it’s not uncommon for us to find ourselves training through until 11.30/12pm and sometimes staying even later while he tells us stories about Kanryo Higaonna and Chojun Miyagi’s era. In any case, my life training at the Honbu dojo seems to have become a little nocturnal and even when I get home before midnight, I find myself needing at least another hour or so to slow my brain down to speed capable of sleep.

5 comments

1. Anonymous on 1 March 2009 at 17:49

   Sounds like you're right where you should be ;)

    
2. Anonymous on 17 March 2009 at 22:27

   Krista you sound like a really good person and someone who really wants to know more and more about the training of Okinawa Gojuryu, but have you looked into the history of the person you are studying with? Some people feel that they can try and cahnge the past. Good Luck and stay strong!

    
3. Krista de Castella on 18 March 2009 at 11:34

   Glenn,
   
   Thanks for your comment. You've made an interesting point. I can only assume that you're referring to the controversies over the 'true' lineage of Goju-Ryu?
   
   History is indeed rarely black and white, and I am aware of the differing account of things within the Jundokan. But, regardless of which version you subscribe to we are after all, all siblings from the same founding parents right?
   
   At the end of the day I think what's really important is finding an instructor that you admire and respect. One that inspires you. And one that lives by the values, principals and ideals of traditional karate.
   
   That's all that really matters to me anyway.

    
4. Anonymous on 22 March 2009 at 08:58

   Thank you, Ms. de Castella, for a superb (intelligent, articulate) site. I've been a student of traditional Okinawan Karate for four years, and look to the words of artists such as you for insight and inspiration. For example, I read Sensei Charles Godin's blog religiously. Please, keep up your good work. Many train to improve themselves, fewer train and share the human values of karate-do. Stay on The Path!

    
5. Sensei Michael Rajchandra on 16 March 2010 at 15:58

   This comment has been removed by the author.