Things Japanese | KARATEbyJesse

The Okinawan Karate Myth

Posted on 02. Jul, 2010 by Jesse in Archive, Things Japanese

Imagine that you are living in a small village, hidden deep in a valley somewhere in a land far away. You don’t have any telephones or computers.

We’ll even, heaven forbid, say that you don’t know what iPods are.

Shocking, right?!

Kime: Putting The Nail In The Coffin

Posted on 12. Jun, 2010 by Jesse in Archive, Things Japanese

It was a hot and humid day in August, and we were quietly walking home from the Kenritsu Budokan (Prefectural Hall of Martial Arts) in Okinawa, where we had spent our whole day.

Time tends… (READ MORE)

The Secret of Reigi

Posted on 08. Jun, 2010 by Jesse in Archive, Things Japanese

When you’re teaching beginners they’re bound to ask you challenging and thrilling questions.

I love that.

After all, they haven’t entered ‘the box’ yet and tend to see Karate from a different perspective, compared your… (READ MORE)

“Kamae” – By Hatsumi Masaaki

Posted on 27. May, 2010 by Jesse in Archive, Things Japanese

Masaaki Hatsumi (b. 1931) is the founder and current Soke of the Bujinkan Organization, currently residing and teaching in the city of Noda, Chiba, Japan.

He wrote a great piece on kamae, that I think… (READ MORE)

Kaisho, Gyosho and Sosho

Posted on 07. May, 2010 by Jesse in Archive, Things Japanese

Thinking about my recent amateurish wall painting made me remember what a wonderful connection there exists between painting and Karate.

Or just between the fine arts and the martial arts.

As I recently… (READ MORE)

Pimp Your Dojo (pt. 2)

Posted on 05. May, 2010 by Jesse in Archive, Things Japanese

Remember that time when I wrote about how I easily created some nice paintings to beautify my dojo?

Well, last Friday I let my inner artistic beast roam free, because it was time… (READ MORE)

“Practise Kata Correctly” by Mabuni Kenwa

Posted on 02. May, 2010 by Jesse in Archive, Things Japanese

Translated by Mark Tankosich MA, this essay, originally written by the founder of Shito-ryu Karate (Mabuni Kenwa), first appeared in Vol. 29, No. 1 of the Hiroshima University of Economics Journal of Humanities, Social and Natural

… (READ MORE)