UsagiYojimbo

I've got a quick question for anyone who's familiar with Japanese translations. I've just started reading "The Essence of Okinawan Karate-Do" by Shoshin Nagamine. On page 33 of my edition of the book, he talks about his commander committing hari kiri. I was under the impression that hari kiri was a somewhat insulting term, roughly translated as "gut spilling", and the honorable term was seppuku. So why would Nagamine have used the term hari kiri? Or was it a translator error? Can anyone clarify this?

Oh my gods, you've finally found a reason for me to go to McDonald's! Must.. try... Oh, and thanks for the info on dog poisons.

What are "alcopops"? Sounds like something I need to try.

Yikes! Doesn't chocolate kill dogs? Unless you've got some giant breed that it wouldn't affect.

Ok, I know this has nothing to do with anything. But I just finished eating my annual Cadbury Cream Egg and it was SOOO good. The fact that you can only get them once a year makes them even more delicious! Anyone else like these things?

Thanks for the responses. I may follow the suggestion of checking the kata list and doing some of those. Although, I suppose I could just ask. So, has anyone actually competed in the Arnold Classic?

Hey all, Just wondering if anyone here has competed in this event. I actually got to attend for the first time this year; that's part of what gave me the "bug" to get back into martial arts. My goal is to compete in next year's competition. So I've got some questions. First off, does anyone know if Shorin Ryu would fall under the category of "traditional" karate? When I looked at the rules, it said that traditional consisted of schools derived from Goju, Shito, Wado, and one other I can't remember; not sure if Shorin is counted. Anything I should know ahead of time that wouldn't be listed in the rules? I'm probably going to be competing in kata; anyone have any experience with this? Thanks.

I'm 25. I just started Matsubayashi Ryu Shorin Ryu, so I'm not even a white belt yet.

Not always true. There is a dojo in my town that's run out of the basement of a Baptist Church.

It really varies from state to state. Here in Ohio, you can carry a sword, but only if it's visible, or you have a concealed carry permit. Therefore, you could get in trouble for having a sword hidden in a bag.

Ok, now I have to show my ignorance... I don't know what Tomoe means. [edit] Ok, yeah, the character Tomoe. It's been a while since I read the comics and I didn't read a lot of them; I just thought Usagi was cool. But yeah, Tomoe kicks *. [/edit] It's Matsubayashi Shorin Ryu. My Senseis are Richard and Jo McCulty. They studied under Gary Tiktin, who studied under Master Nagamine Shoshin. Our school is a member of the American Shorin Ryu Karate Association. [Edited to fix links.]

Actually, I'm a she. But thanks! It's kinda tricky, though; since I used to do goju, I kept wanting to do long deep stances. Gotta get used to this whole "natural stance" bit.

Hm. There's an Ed Parker Kenpo dojo here that seems to be pretty popular, and one where my mom lives as well. I thought it was a pretty popular style.

So, after weeks of careful research and study, I've finally decided on a school. It's a Shorin Ryu dojo, and I'm excited about finally beginning my training in earnest. Thanks to all of you who offered knowledge and advice.

First and foremost, tell the sensei about your knee injury. He/she should know about any physical limitations before you participate.

Well, I took him in this morning. He had been breathing with difficulty since yesterday; he just seemed to want to stay in one place, and I could see his little chest heaving. Also, he was making a little clicking noise when he breathed. The first thing the vet said was, "This is a very old gerbil you've got here" (judging from the age the pet shop told us he was when we got him, he's about 2 years and 8 months). She thinks it may be pneumonia, but with his age it could be any number of things. They're putting him on oxygen for the night and they'll feed him subcutaneous fluids. I just called to check on him, and the vet tech said he was breathing easier than when I brought him in, so they're keeping him on the oxygen. If he improves significantly by tomorrow, they'll give him some medicine and I can bring him home. Thanks to everyone for your concern and kind thoughts.

Hi everyone. My pet gerbil Pacifican is very ill. I tried to get the emergency vet to see him, but nobody was on call. If you're reading this, please spare a thought for him. Thanks.

I'm amazed that nobody has posted a link to https://www.trickstutorials.com yet. That webpage has tutorials for lots of tricks, including backflips. Haven't had the inclination to try any of them yet, though.

Sweet! I'll have to check out the crossover comics now.

um, actually Usagi Yojimbo wasn't a ninja turtle. He's a comic book character named after Miyamoto Musashi, but his name is Miyamoto Usagi (meaning rabbit), because he's a rabbit character. If this is somewhat nonsensical, forgive me because I'm drunk (just celebrated my 1st anniversary)!!

Actually, if you click to go to the ASKA website, you can see it says Shorin Ryu across the top, and ASKA at the bottom, if that's significant.

Yes, the instructor is Richard McCulty. The website for the dojo is at http://www.karateheart.com , and they are a member of the American Shorin Ryu Karate Association. [Edited to fix link.]

Hello all, There's a dojo I'm checking out Monday that's Shorin Ryu. I talked to the sensei on the phone, and he said that, although they do spar at upper belts, head strikes are not permitted. Is this common to Shorin, or just this school? Thanks.

Thanks all. As for using my neck for leverage... I just finished physical therapy for my neck a couple weeks ago, and don't want to have to go charging back in.

Lately, I've been all about the Polyphonic Spree. Happy fun music.