Though the focus was on kobudo, or traditional Okinawan weapons, Friday night’s events included instruction in the Matsubayashi Shorin Ryu karate katas Chatanyara Kusanku and Kyan Chinto. Saturday’s and Sunday’s workshops focused primarily on Yamanni-Chinen Ryu bo (staff) kata and techniques, but also included instruction for the sai and tonfa.

Toshihiro Oshiro, Yamanni Ryu seventh dan and chief instructor for the RBKD, demonstrated the advanced bo katas Yunigawa no Kun and Shinakachi no Kun. Yunigawa’s techniques are executed primarily with the left foot forward. With Shinakachi, the performer’s grip has palms facing the same direction.

Mr. Oshiro called the event a success, citing both the large numbers of participants and the quality of their techniques. "Because everyone seems to be improving greatly," he says. "I’ll be able go into more detail when teaching at future seminars."

Mr. Oshiro says he holds the seminars in the hope that participants, who usually study kobudo as an auxiliary discipline to other styles--like karate or tae kwon do--will not only get further exposure to kobudo, but that they will get a deeper understanding of the martial arts in general.

Because the style had been kept so secret until recently, Yamanni Ryu’s techniques are widely regarded as relatively unchanged, compared with other Okinawan-based styles, which have been modified to make them easier to learn for the masses. "I hope participants can see what Okinawan martial arts looked like before they became so popular and modernized," he says. "Maybe through Yamanni Ryu, they’ll be able to see their karate in a different light."

RBKD has scheduled its 2001 Yamanni Ryu Fall Seminar for September 29 at the same location. Mr. Oshiro says he’s planning to bring his sensei, Chogi Kishaba, from Okinawa to attend. The September seminar also will be the venue for the second annual RBKD Yamanni Ryu Championships.

The RBKD is an organization dedicated to the preservation and propagation of traditional Okinawan martial arts.
See pictures from the seminar.
Posted by martin nobida on Wednesday, March 07, 2001

Wakai is a two-time WKF world kata champion and four-time all-Japan national kata champion. She captured her first world title at the 14th WKF World Championships held in 1998 at Rio de Janiero, Brazil, and her second world title at the 15th WKF World Championships held in 2000 at Munich, Germany.

Wakai was accompanied by Hideharu Igaki, kumite coach for the USA National Karate Federation.
See pictures from the seminar.
Posted by regis bectarte on Wednesday, February 28, 2001