Karatekas told to up fighting spirit
Karatekas told to up fighting spirit
NUSA DUA, Bali (JP): Shotokan master and president of the
Shotokan Karate-Do International Federation (SKIF) Hirokazu
Kanazawa expressed hope that Indonesian karatekas would foster
their fighting spirit.
Kanazawa said Indonesian karatekas basically had breakneck
movements, but such an ability on its own would not produce
harmony between body and spirit, which is essential in the sport.
"Indonesian karatekas have good physical stamina. But they
fall short of the fighting spirit. Both are good for developing
character," he told The Jakarta Post and Kompas dailies on
Wednesday.
The 68-year-old Kanazawa is attending the 7th SKIF world
championship at the Bali convention center at the Sheraton Nusa
Indah hotel. Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri will open the
tournament on Saturday morning.
Indonesia is deploying 28 karatekas to this event. As of
Wednesday, 800 karatekas from 33 countries had arrived at the
venue.
Kanazawa has dedicated his life to the sport. He said he had
trained with other types of martial arts before he decided to
train for karate with his first teacher, Nakayama, at a training
center at Takushoku University in Tokyo.
"At first, I thought all martial arts were the same. Then I
visited many sports clubs at the universities in my country, and
finally I saw karate training at Takushoku University. That was
in 1952," he said.
"When I first came to the training sessions at the university,
everybody already had good skills. I doubled up on my exercises
to catch up with them. I went to the dojo at night to practice
some movements. I trained in the dark. I found out that this kind
of exercise can improve your visualization skills," he said.
He said he had trained with another master, Gichin Funakoshi,
who introduced karate in universities. He practiced with
Funakoshi for six years before he died.
Years afterward, Kanazawa's career improved and he was
appointed as the Japan Karate-do Association's (JKA) chief
director of the internal division.
But he withdrew in 1978 from the association following a
difference in opinion.
"Many karatekas who want to get their certificates as
instructors have to train for karate for three years in Japan. I
want to encourage everybody, particularly from outside this
country, to get the certificate in order to popularize this sport
in their respective countries. But JKA had a different opinion."
He then developed his own organization, popularly known as
SKIF. The karate style, which emphasizes a balance in body,
spirit and nature, has established federation in 104 countries.
Kanazawa said he was pleased that karate would be exhibited
for the first time in the 2004 Olympic Games.
"I think it's a good start. But it'll be difficult for the
general public to differentiate karate from other martial arts
sports like judo, tae kwon do or maybe wushu. For our athletes,
the Olympics is not the ultimate goal in practicing karate. Some
90 percent to 95 percent of our karatekas want to develop their
bodies and spirits," he said.
He said he would propose his elder son, Nobuaki Kanazawa, to
be his successor. "He's a member of the Japanese national team
and a professional instructor," he said, adding that his third
son was also a karateka while his second child was a businessman.
Kanazawa has set up hundreds of dojo in Japan with its main
headquarters in Tokyo. (ivy)