Conqueror

Shooting a gun is a very enjoyable and rewarding experience IMO. I think it's also very practical knowledge that serves every person well. I personally own a number of firearms and enjoy teaching my noob friends how to use them. As others have said, it's all about safety. When I teach groups of new shooters, I tell them right off the bat that if they make a single mistake they will be sitting down for the rest of the day. A single mistake could cost someone their life, so it is a little nerve-wracking to shoot for the first time, but once you get used to it, it's a blast (forgive the pun). I generally prefer shotguns, but rifle and pistol are great fun too! CQ

Welcome to the family! I know Sensei Green well, and am good friends with his son (and to a lesser extent, his daughter). I train with Perry Sensei in NC. I'm sure you've heard some talk of our annual camp which is coming up in August. Unfortunately I've had to miss camp for the last several years due to academic commitments (and that will be the case again this August), but I highly recommend you come if you meet the requirements and have the time! And yes, your bones will eventually harden up. Over time the hard blocks will condition your arms and it won't bother you so much. CQ

If I understand what you're asking, I believe you're saying "Are there weapons in karate". In Okinawan Shorin ryu and Shudokan karate-do we do indeed study weapons, including the bo, sai, kama, noburikaman, tonfa, and nunchaku. Intorductory kata for the bo and sai are tokamina bo and chatanyara sai, respectfully. With respect, Sohan A slight correction: in Shorin-ryu we do indeed study weapons, but they are not considered a part of the actual system. That's why black belts can have different ranks in karate and kobudo - they are technically separate systems. Hell, "karate" even translates to "empty hand" - pretty much precludes the use of weapons. CQ

In shorin-ryu, Sempai = Senior student under black belt in a class Sensei = any Yudansha Shihan = Licensed Instructor Renshi = 5th and 6th Dan Kyoshi = 7th and 8th Dan Hanshi = 9th and 10th Dan The last three are honorary titles. Some instructors prefer to be called by their honorary title, and some prefer simply "sensei." For example, Pat Haley, a 7th Dan in Chico, CA, is always called Kyoshi by his students. Doug Perry, an 8th Dan in NC, is called Sensei by his students. I don't really see a problem with instructors preferring their honorary titles, so long as they earned them properly. CQ

Agreed wholeheartedly. I've failed several tests in my time, and it's always been a good opportunity for self-examination. CQ

It's not that I need some specific poems translated. I'd like to browse through a bunch of random poems and choose some that work best, but I need to have an image available of each poem written in any form of calligraphy. Am I making any sense? Probably not. :-/ JB

No one?

Hi all. I'm working on an "art project" per se, and I really want to incorporate some Kanji calligraphy into the piece (I'll eventually post pictures when it's done). Here's my dilemma: I want to use poems from feudal Japan (ideally some of the longer works by the old poetry masters), but I'm having trouble finding websites that offer both English translations AND images of the Kanji that would be used for the poem in Japanese. Does anyone have a good online source of Kanji calligraphy that might fit the bill? If so I'd be most appreciative!

Agreed, those points have always bothered me a little bit. Best of luck Joe.

Check out https://www.weaponsconnection.com - the prices are comparable for his hardened agena sai; a few people at our dojo have these and I must say they are very nice!

Yeah, I feel sorry for those who live in some of the more populous areas that have outlawed handgun carry. Here in NC it costs about $150-200 to get a concealed weapon permit. It's tough to beat a good pistol for self defense, IF you train with it. Too many people buy a gun and carry it around but never actually go shooting with it on a regular basis, and they expect to be able to use it effectively. Any weapon is just like karate - you have to train regularly to become proficient.

I don't work with swords, but my kama are certainly metal blades. The Bo is my favorite weapon, both for its feel and its practicality - it's easy to find a pool cue, broom handle, stick, whatever in a fight, but when are you gonna find some sai in that dark alley?

Our sensei has been training martial arts for roughly 50 years and holds an eighth dan... clearly the ranks come slower when you reach the upper atmosphere. As far as personal feelings, I never really felt different when I was promoted... still come to the same classes and learn from the same people.

Westerners do not understand that the point of martial arts is NONviolence. They just want to learn how to fight well, and unfortunately many dojo augment this emphasis and attitude. Kata should always come first - without kata, how can one ever hope to execute a proper technique?

Which history? All the ones I've read have Okinawa firmly established, complete with a monarch, by the time the 36 families arrived in (1388?).