Katsuoh Yamamoto dans la Pop Culture Japonaise

Une video un peu decousue et assez amusante, en Japonais, sur certains episodes extraordinaires de la vie de Katsuoh Yamamoto, fondateur du Karate Yoshukai, qui nous a quitte il y a bientot 5 ans en Fevrier 2017. 

 

Katsuoh Yamamoto était l'un des derniers maîtres de karaté Japonais ayant etudie avec les Maitres d'Okinawa qui avaient apporte, au debut du XXeme siecle, le karaté au Japon.

J'ai eu la chance de rencontrer et de m'entrainer de nombreuses fois avec Sensei Yamamoto aux Etats Unis de 1993 a 2016 et j'etais present a certains evenements figurant dans cette video.

Tai Chi videos : First 3 forms of Four Winds Tai Chi

Vanished Tai Chi videos !

I realized 2 weeks ago that my Tai Chi videos had disappeared from the Youtube Mokurai Dojo channel.
I had shot some of them 15 years ago, when I did not have the ability to edit them properly and decided to start doing just that.

Modernized versions

During the next 2 months, I will be editing and uploading new versions of these Tai chi videos. They will be available on my Mokurai Dojo channel.

The 4 first forms of 4 Winds Tai Chi

4 Winds Tai Chi includes 8 Tai Chi forms and sets of Qi Gong and Breathing exercises from different traditions.

The first or short form includes 10 moves, counted from 1 to 10. Moves 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 are performed with the left foot forward. Moves 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 are mirror images of the previous ones.

The next 3 forms of Four Winds Tai Chi are built on the same structure as the short form, they include the same 10 moves, in the same order, and additional moves in between.

In this video from 2003 I demonstrate the 1st, 2nd and 3rd forms.



I will post additional videos of each individual forms, performed solo and in a group.

Shindo Muso Ryu Jo Jutsu

Not easy to locate good instructional videos... Here are 2 great Jodo videos with Masayuki Shimabukuro Hanshi.

JODO KIHON

And JODO KATA

Enjoy, Practice  ! 

...

Visit Mokurai Dojo

Short home-made video of Mokurai Dojo where we train and practice in Tai Chi, Yoshukai Karate, MJER Iaijutsu and Soto Zen Buddhism.

Come train, practice or visit with us !

You can reach me at frederic.lecut@gmail.com or by phone at (334) 798 1639.

Mokurai Dojo - 610 Mitchell St, Headland, AL 36345, USA

In this remarquable video, Masayaki Shimabukuro Hanshi and Carl Long Kyoshi demonstrate the details of the 2 waza Tsukikage and Suigetsuto. These kenjutsu waza are performed with a boken - a wooden sword. They are part of Tahiuchi no kurai set of the Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu school of Japanese Swordsmanship.

Carl Long Sensei  goes a very long way to explain all the details of these 2 techniques, how it's done, and why it's done that way. This is very important, too often, in Iaido, Karate or other Budo, you see people perform techniques in a way that may be at times elegant, but is also wrong, because they were never told (or they forgot) what these techniques really were about. When you get to that point, you don't do Martial Arts anymore, but a sort of aerobics... If you can remember the details exposed here, and try to practice keeping them in mind, you should improve your own technique.

This segment is part of a set of 3 DVD available on line.

Buy them, train with them

(don't just leave them on a shelf...)

Iaido - Zentekigyakuto

Another video taped at the Dothan Botanical Garden last Thursday with my students, in the first part a group practice of the Sword waza "Zentekigyakuto", the 7th one of the "Batto-Ho" series. In the 2nd part the Bunkai practice of the same move.

Batto Ho is a group of waza common to several Styles of Iaido, including Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu.

the one we study in Dothan at the Yoshukai Dojo and in Pensacola at the Big Green Drum Dojo. 

In our Bunkai interpretation of Zentekigyakuto, the two opponents walk in the same direction. As Uchidachi (the bad guy) turns and draws his sword up to cut Shidachi (the good guy), this ones stops him by an upward draw (Kiri age) toward his hands or face and keeps pushing him back. As Uchidachi steps back he is off balance and Shidachi cuts him in an oblique cut (Kesa Giri).

There are 2 versions of Zentekigyakuto, depending upon how fast Uchidachi retrreats, Shidachi takes one or two steps toward him before cutting. The finishing oblique cut is to the Right or the Left, depending upon which foot is forward (it is advisable to cut away from one's own foot).

As previously stated for our other videos this is not a perfect demonstration, but simply an example of what we practice in our Iaijutsu class at the Yoshukai Dojo in Dothan, Alabama. If you wish to see the real stuff, please refer to Masayuki Shimabukuro Sensei videos : Samurai Swordmanship

The Bunkai is our own interpretation of a situation where Zentekigyakuto could be used. There are of course other possible interpretations. I invite you to figure some out and post videos on Youtube for us to compare and discuss. Remember however that Sword Practice, even with a Boken (wooden sword) can generate serious wounds.

Bunkai practice brings an element of reality in the practice of all our waza (or kata in other martial arts) it forces us into taking into account various elements such as terrain, light, distance and timing, which are not easily taken into account in the Dojo. 

Good luck in your practice.

Another Video of the Four Winds Tai Chi Short Form

Short Form deomosntrated at the Yoshukai Dojo.

We will perform this form together for World Tai Chi Day next April 24.

The Short Form is the first one I teach. It is composed of 10 - actually 5 very simple moves, performed first on the left, then on the right. These moves are basic defenses against simple attacks.
High Block against high punch, Outside block against straight punch, Knife block against hook punch, Low block against kick, and Inside block against hook punch.

The Short Form is the entry way into the Four Winds Style. It teaches the pattern common to the 3 other more advanced forms we practice. The main emphasis is on Breathing.

Video of the Four Winds Tai Chi Short Form

The Short Form is performed as a group at the Yoshukai Dojo.

This is the form we will perform together for World Tai Chi Day next April 24.

The Short Form is the first one I teach. It is composed of 10 - actually 5 very simple moves, performed first on the left, then on the right. These moves are basic defenses against simple attacks.

The Short Form is the entry way into the Four Winds Style. It teaches the pattern common to the net 3 forms we practice. Its main emphasis is on Breathing.

More video will follow...

Katsuoh Yamamoto - Defense against grabbing

Another video from the 70's of our Grand Master Katsuoh Yamamoto demonstrating defense moves against grabbing opponents. Some of the techniques are the same his instructor Dr Chitose was using, which you can see in one video on one of my previous posts.



These tapes being pretty old the quality is far from good. These are however interesting moves. I was practicing most of these in a slightly different form when I was studying Ju Jitsu with Sensei Rolland Hernaez in France.

I will soon post on You Tube an other video of defense against atemi (Punch and kicks). Stay tuned...

Sai tai Bo Video - Yamamoto Sensei.

For everybody's enjoyment, an old video footage of our Yoshukai Karate Grand Master Katsuoh YAMAMOTO performing Sai tai Bo in the 2 roles, first with the Bo, then with the Sais.

For those of you familiar with the Kata, some waza are a little different than the way we perform them today, also they are not performed in the same order. However, look at the speed and accuracy. Rikki Hitatsu - Strive for excellence...

Thanks to Mike Culbreth Sensei - WYKKO Kukaicho  - for letting me scan some of his videos archives and find these clips. I will soon post more original Yoshukai Karate Videos, some of them featuring our Grand Master again, prepare to be amazed !

OSU

Tai Chi Yang Form

The 24 postures simplified form of Yang style Tai Chi was the result of an effort by the Chinese Sports Committee which, in 1956, brought together four eminent tai chi teachers to create a simplified form of tai chi as exercise for the masses. (A little in the same way the Nihon Kendo Kata was designed in Japan by asking masters of several Kenjutsu school to design a modern exercize)

The creators truncated the traditional Yang family hand form generally composed of 108 postures) to 24 postures. It is difficult to see the Martial application of these moves. They are however extremely efficient when it comes to stretching muscles, joints and tendons.

Here is a very gracious demonstration of that form.

The 24 postures form is likely the Tai Chi form with the most practitioners in China and the world over.