Karate: Joshinmon 50th Anniversary Championship |12 August 2019

Souvenir photo of the karatekas and representatives of sponsors

10 local karatekas at Golden Jubilee international festival

The Jyoshinmon Shorin-Ryu karate style founded by Soke Hoshu Ikeda in 1969 is celebrating its Golden Jubilee this year and Seychelles will miss no part of the celebration which will be marked by the 50th Anniversary Joshinmon International Budo festival to be held in Kagoshima, Japan from August 24-25.

Seychelles will be represented at the championship which will be hosted by the Kushira Heiwa Arena by nine youngsters, along with a more senior member, while three members of the team will be doing their grading.

The 10 athletes are Wayne Louise, Aeryl Marcel, Kimberly Valentin, Hauldie Herminie (14 years old), Jean-Phillipe Servina (13 years old), Abraham Thayaludu (9 years old), Ian Hoareau, Walter Cherry (11 years old), Kaysie Traoré (10 years old) and Steven Fanny (40 years old).

Fanny will also be doing his grading for second dan black belt, while Shihan Donald Celestine and Shihan George Cherry will be going for their fifth dan black belt.

The delegation will be also made up of Regis Loizeau and Lisette Servina who will be the boys’ and girls’ team managers respectively.

The team received their tickets and other travel documents on Friday, during a small presentation at the Perseverance Primary School, in the presence of parents and sponsors and respective head teachers.

The international flights have been sponsored by Ethiopian Airlines and it was Area manager Meron Tsegaye who presented the tickets to the athletes.

Local insurance firm, H. Savy Insurance Co. Ltd will be covering the athletes’ travelling insurances and it was the firm’s representative Marie-Paule Lesperance who handed over the documents.

In his capacity as branch chief and also chairman of the Seychelles Karate Federation (SKF) Shihan Celestine thanked all the sponsors and all those who have helped them in one way or another to materialise the trip.

He noted that preparations for the competition started since last year, with the athletes training up to six days per week.

Shihan Celestine added that after the hard training, both physically and psychologically, he is confident that the young athletes are ready to prove themselves and represent the country at the championship.

With over 47 years of experience under his belt, Shihan Celestine said the decision to take the younger athletes to the championship, instead of the older ones is a wise one, since it will encourage them to maintain their exemplary lifestyle, as they will have something to look forward to, instead of routine training and local tournaments.

He also added that with the increase in social ills, it is better and wiser to start with the kids as they are the most vulnerable and that martial arts help to instill mental focus in children, giving them the ability to concentrate on a task and see it through to its conclusion.

The style of Jyoshinmon Shorin-Ryu was founded by Soke Hoshu Ikeda in 1969. The basis of Jyoshinmon is very old, Soke Hoshu Ikeda having based his teachings on those of Kyan Chotoku. A master who lived between 1870 and 1945, Kyan is considered to be the founder of the Shobayashi branch of Shorin-Ryu.

Of the three areas in Okinawa that can be attributed with the creation of "styles" in karate, Jyoshinmon is influenced mainly by Shuri-Te (The style practised in Shuri), and Tomari-Te. This can be seen from the seven core seiden kata. These kata are Ananku, Wanshu, Seisan, Chinto, Tomari-Bassai, Gojushiho and Yara-Kushanku. Ananku was created by Kyan Pechin, the father of Kyan Chotoku within the Shuri area. Wanshu was created by Maeda Pechin, and has its roots in the Tomari-Te style. Both Seisan and Gojushiho were devised by Matsumura Sokon, a very famous master in the Shuri area. Matsumura Kosaku, of the Tomari area, created the version of Chinto that is practised today. There are possibly eight different versions of the Bassai kata. The version that we practise was that of Oyadomari Pechin, using the Tomari-Te style. Finally, Yara-Kushanku was created by Chatanyara Uekata of Shuri-Te.

R. D.