Last week end was the 35th edition of the Dothan Open Karate Tournament .
Attendance was great, good competitors in Fighting, Kata, Kobudo, some old faces, some new ones.
The 2 highlights of this event however were the presence of both Soke Katsuoh Yamamoto and Kaicho Hiroaki Toyama.
Soke Yamamoto brought with him his new book :
and signed it for those students who purchased it.
He had come from Japan with his daughter and grand daughter who also competed in the tournament.
But the most emotional part of the tournament was the return among us of Kaicho Toyama. Last February, Kaicho Toyama fell very ill, victim of a sudden infection. For several weeks, we were not sure he would survive.
After Multiple surgeries, Kaicho Toyama beat the disease, and he was among us for the first time this week end, signing on Soke's book for those of us who asked him to do so !
Mr Toyama's will to survive and overcome the disease, and the way his family helped him should be examples to us all. At times, we might feel miserable for having missed a plane or having been treated unfairly by life. The next times this happens, let us remember Kaicho Toyama.
Iki o sakan no subeshi
(Keep High Spirit)
