Shushikai Karate

NEW PLYMOUTH

SHUSHIKAI KARATE

DOJO

NEW PLYMOUTH-

Dojo is within the Racecourse complex, New Plymouth, NZ.

Directions: From Coronation Avenue, turn on to Rogan Street. Follow this along, past the children's playground, and past the TSB Stadium. On your left you will see two grandstands/buildings. The dojo is located upstairs in the first/closest (open stand) building.

Tuesdays and Thursdays

Beginners 6.00-7.00pm

Graded Members 6.00-8.00pm

Intending, Present and Past Members Always Welcome

Suitable for both older, and younger persons

Traditional Karate, Kata, Kobudo

Dojo Instructors: Terry Foster, Wayne Gilmer

Contact: 027 404 1071 (Terry)

email: [email protected]

The Badge (Mon, or family crest) of Shushikai Karate Kan

The badge worn by kai-in(students) on the left side of the karate training jacket is known as the togo. It derives from the times when the ancient Japanese warring clans needed an easily visible way to identify who was on which side in skirmishes and battles. The 'mon' as it was called became adapted and used by most styles of karate and is known in Shushikai as our 'togo'.

The Shushikai togo is very distinctive. The design symbolises core qualities aimed to be developed through training in the Shushikai style. The crossed white feathers represent the plumage of the Japanese hawk. The hawk is renowned for its amazing fleetness of attack and pin-point accuracy of its strike against its prey. The hawk attacks only from necessity - to eat/survive. The six-sided shape of the togo symbolises qualities found in the turtle/tortoise. This animal may seem slow and ponderous but despite its obvious handicaps it demonstrates the strengths of perseverance, resoluteness and refusal to give up against almost any odds.

So - the hawk and the turtle have much to teach us both in attitude and in skill. Together they give us a balance of qualities that the founders of the Shushikai style believed were, and will always remain, worthy.

The colours of the Shushikai togo are predominantly black and yellow for no other reason than these primary colours are regarded as having the most graphical visual impact.

Incidentally, the Japanese word Karate is a compound of two words. 'Kara' means 'empty'. 'Te' means 'hand'. Karate means Empty Hand. The preparedness for combat lacking weapons other than one's own body.

Gichin Funakoshi 1868-1957

founder of Shotokan Karate

Shushikai History/Genealogy

Shushikai Karate traces its origins to Gichin Funakoshi's Shotokan, the style named after Funakoshi (Shoto was his pen name). Masutatsu Oyama studied Shotokan, Goju Ryu, and added some Kempo (chinese) influence, and named the style he founded Kyokushinkai. This style successfully spread internationally including New Zealand in the 1960's. The New Zealand leader was Doug Holloway.

This New Zealand Kyokushinkai group later split into two; one with Holloway, the other with John Jarvis. Holloway's group became Oyama Kyokushinkai Karate Kan, and on his retirement from Karate was headed by Doug Jackson, James Bryce, and Bob McCallum (all Sensei). In 1975 with the help of the Japanese Embassy, the name Oyama Kyokushinkai was replaced with Shushikai Karate Kan. Doug Jackson being the remaining founder, headed Shushikai and was given the title "Kancho" (first of school). In 1985 Kancho Doug Jackson retired from Karate, and in 1997 the head of Shushikai in New Zealand, Alfred Terry (yon-dan), accepted the title "O'Sensei") and in 2005, the title of “Kancho”. Kancho Doug Jackson died in Australia in 2004.

Masutstu Oyama 1923-1994

founder of Kyokushinkai Karate

trained in Shotokan Karate

John Jarvis 1940-

personal representative of

Masutatsu Oyama and Kyokushinkai

Bob McCallum

co-founder of Shushikai Karate

Doug Jackson

co-founder of Shushikai

first Kancho of Shushikai Karate

James Bryce

co-founder of Shushikai Karate

Doug Holloway,

Oyama Kyokushinkai Inc

Alfred Terry

Present Kancho of Shushikai Karate