Sakura Kokumai, the seven-time United States karate national champion, listens to music to help her relax and eats lots of rice to “give (her) that power†before a competition. However, during competitions, she is laser focused. “Usually, when I’m in my zone, I focus on my performance, my movements and my breathing,†Kokumai told the […]
Speaking the language of karate for the Tokyo Olympics
March 31, 2018 by Leave a Comment
As if fluency in both English and Japanese wasn’t enough, Gakuji Tozaki has used a different type of skill as a means to positively express his Japanese American identity. Through karate, the 26-year-old is aiming to represent the country of his birth in the land of his ancestry in the biggest sporting event in the […]
Steeped in tradition, American karate pioneer Bernard Edwards
April 1, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Bernard Edwards Shihan (grand-master) has been a lifelong practitioner of karate. A competitive champion in the early part of his life, he won several prestigious tournaments both in Japan and the U.S. He opened his own school in San Mateo, Calif. to teach Hakua Kai karate, which was the style’s first official school in America. […]
Japanese cultural classes
April 4, 2014 by 2 Comments
Taiko San Francisco GenRyu Arts Location: Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California, 1840 Sutter St., S.F.’s Japantown Contact: (415) 420-3151, info@genryuarts.org, www.genryuarts.org Maikaze Daiko Location: Dance Mission Theater, 3316 24th St., S.F. Contact: (415) 513-7798, info@maikazedaiko.org, www.maikazedaiko.org San Francisco Taiko Dojo Classes: 212 Ryan Way South San Francisco, CA 94080 Contact: (415) 928-2456, […]
In karate, manners matter
April 4, 2014 by 1 Comment
On a Friday evening, the seven students in Sensei Naohiro Tomiyama’s Japantown-based Enshin Karate dojo spar with each other in two-minute battles, kicking, punching and pulling at each other’s uniforms. When Tomiyama-sensei’s timer dings, it’s always the same thing: A handshake, a bow and a polite thank you. Then onto the next classmate for another […]
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