"Karate Ni Sente Nashi"

Group shot

Shotokan Karate Institute - Summer Camp 2012

www.shotokan.com

My sensei, Hanshi M.A. Sharifi.

Taken at the old dojo of the Shotokan Karate Institute.

Shotokan Master Hidetaka Nishiyama in his office in Los Angeles. It is interesting that he was a cigarette smoker.

Interesting article on Frank Smith and politics of karate.

Black Belt Magazine, January 1984

I can send the pdf to anyone who is interested.

Rest in peace Master Hidetaka Nishiyama.

Lyoto and Chinzo Machida. I like the picture of Sensei Nishiyama in the background. My dojo has the same one.

Okinawan master Chōjun Miyagi, founder of Goju-ryu karate.

Chinzo, Yoshizo, and Lyoto Machida

Shotokan Master Keigo Abe at the memorial of Gichin Funakoshi, the founder of Shotokan Karate, pointing to the second of his twenty precepts (Niju Kun).

The precept reads: “Hitosu, Karate Ni Sente Nashi”.

This translates to: “There is no first strike in karate.”

(The word Hitotsu means “one” or “first” and precedes each rule, to place it at the same level of importance as the others.)

My sensei (Hanshi M.A. Sharifi) received his third dan from Sensei Abe.

The Dojo

Discussing aspects of kumite

Francis working with my brother on Nijushiho

Hanshi Sharifi and some of his top students. In the top right picture (left to right): David Ebrahemi, Sensei Madjid Shamsahmar, and Sensei Gholam Shirpanjeh.

I Love Karate

Tekki Shodan. I’m trying to figure out how old I was in this pic…..