You can have whatever reason to do karate - to work out in practices, to win in a match…
However, karate techniques were originally skills just for self-defense.
Mr. Tetsuhiko Asai who has done numerous actual fights - his soul and techniques are extremely practical.
This time, we would like to introduce some of the techniques and philosophy of the Asai Karate.
・Justice and Courage
Why do karate?
There are many reasons that people decide to do karate - for their health, to win a competition, to be strong enough to defeat in a fight…
Suppose there is a bad guy standing right in front of you.
He might be bigger than you.
Or he might be hiding a knife.
"Courage is doing what is right."
Would you stand up against him or not?
There's this one, who cannot overlook injustice in spite of his age.
He's Mr. Tetsuhiko Asai, the Principal Grand Master of NPO Japan Karate Shotokai.
One of his officials says,
"It was a month ago.
There was a guy on the seat of the subway train for Ogikubo, leaning back with his legs crossed, taking a lot of space. He was tall, and looked like 30ish.
Some people around him looked disgusted by his behavior, so Mr. Asai tried to convince him not to do that. He wouldn't listen to him, and suddenly made a snatch at Mr. Asai.
However, Mr. Asai easily got control of him just by snatching the guy's arm.
This kind of thing happens like every day. lol"
Another official of him says,
"One day, I got on a train at Ebisu, when the train was not crowded although it was a rush hour.
Mr. Asai sat on a seat, and found a vulgar fellow on the other side of the train. He was smoking, and playing a joke on a girl. That was the reason for the emptiness of the train.
Mr. Asai gave caution to the fellow, but he took a knife out, and tried to hack at Mr. Asai.
Mr. Asai ducked his knife without standing up. He just moved his head backwards to the window, and at the same time, he stopped the guy's next step by sticking out one of his legs toward that guy.
In another second, he grabbed him by the neck, and slammed him down back on his seat.
Then, people around burst into applause.
You need to be careful when you pick a fight with someone."
Mr. Asai, now being 68 years old, doesn't really have the ideal masculine body.
He, however, has practiced every day, which made him proud of being a martial artist. Also he has done a reasonable number of actual fights.
"I did some bad things just like other people when I was young.
I sometimes even think how I could survive, lol"
says Mr. Asai.
Despite his dovelike tone of voice, the keenness of his eyes he shows at times is filled with his self-confidence as the true martial artist.
Mr. Asai was born in Ehime Prefecture on June 7, 1935. He started learning judo, kendo and jukendo.
His father had a great influence on him.
"When my father passed away, I was conducting karate training in Chile.
He fell sick in the bathroom, and when the family members gave him a hand to take him to the ambulance, he turned their offer down, saying, "Go away!" Then, he stepped forward to get on the ambulance by himself.
He spent a checkered life, and the way he spent his life also influenced mine, I think.
Mr. Asai as a little boy was learning some basic stuff of martial arts from his father until he met karate when he was 12.
That's when he saw a fight between a karate artist and a boxer. The karate artist simply defeated the boxer with a strong kick.
Ever since, he has been devoting himself to karate.
He then joined Karate Club at Takushoku University with the nickname of Fighting University. The practice there was so hard that most of the 150 original members left the club within the first month. The rest of the original members who bore throughout the practice joined Takkujuku.
Takkujuku has been developing a number of human resources that are currently leading the karate world. Mr. Asai describes his hard practice as, "I am always practicing except for when I am eating or sleeping."
After graduation, he joined Japan Karate Association (JKA) as the founder of JKA, the late Mr. Masatoshi Nakayama, asked him for participation.
At that time, JKA was on the first Golden Age, and Mr. Asai practiced more hardly ever.
At the 5th National Karate Competition in 1961, while Crown Prince (present Emperor) was watching, 26-year-old Mr. Asai proudly won the first place.
After that, he flew all over the world, starting in Taiwan, to spread karate.
It was the time when karate was barely known in the rest of world.
It was not easy to introduce a Japanese martial art, karate, in other countries with different backgrounds.
Local martial artists often offer challenges to him, but Mr. Asai went over numerous adversities with his fist.
Also, simultaneously, doing some research on local martial arts gave him a chance to add some new techniques into his karate.
Even after his return, he has been teaching karate as the technical director, and now has countless disciples all over the world.
He founded NPO Japan Karate Shotokai in 2001, and is exerting himself to popularize karate and to make a social contribution.
Source :www.ijka.jp
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