Karate Three Shotokan karatekas awarded 1st dan black belts |23 July 2022

The new black belt holders with guests (Photo: Contributed)

The Japan Shotokan Karate Association Seychelles recently welcomed three new black belts in its ranks, after successfully climbing their way up the ranks through hard work, devotion and discipline.

The three karatekas from Praslin are Anto Suzette, Arnaud Lacage and Diridaran Sarvarirajou received their belts – Shodan – from club instructor Shihan Baby Akarra during a ceremony held at the Vijay International School hall in the presence of member of the National Assembly Doyace Poris, district administrator Dennis Antat, principal sports officer for the National Sports Council (NSC) on Praslin, Nadine Finesse, other students and parents.

In her address for the occasion, Miss Finesse congratulated the students on their achievements and expressed how impressed she and the attendees were with their demonstrations, pledging full support of the authority for the club.

She seized the opportunity to invite all Praslinois, especially children and youth to join the club, noting that they look forward to welcome them all to a sport that instils confidence and self-discipline in individuals while enhancing character, self-defence and leadership skills.

On behalf of his colleagues, Anto Suzette, who has been practicing this uncommon sport on Praslin for the past eight years, shared his experience and feelings towards reaching such a milestone.

“Today, I feel so proud to have achieved the black belt which was a very difficult task,” he said, adding that without determination and patience it would not have been possible, especially in balancing work, family and karate, which he said was not easy.

“But with much passion, I struggled through and now I am overjoyed with this achievement,” he added.

The club which debuted 12 years ago under the leadership of Shihan Akarra welcomes students from the age of seven and above, and training sessions take place six days a week at the Vijay International School at Baie Ste Anne and at the Grand Anse Praslin district administration office at Grand Anse.

Shotokan is a style of karate, developed from various martial arts by Gichin Funakoshi (1868–1957) and his son Gigo (Yoshitaka) Funakoshi (1906–1945).

Gichin Funakoshi was born in Okinawa and is widely credited with popularising "karate do" through a series of public demonstrations, and by promoting the development of university karate clubs, including those at Keio, Waseda, Hitotsubashi (Shodai), Takushoku, Chuo, Gakushuin, and Hosei.

Funakoshi had many students at the university clubs and outside dojos, who continued to teach karate after his death in 1957. However, internal disagreements (in particular the notion that competition is contrary to the essence of karate) led to the creation of different organisations — including an initial split between the Japan Karate Association (headed by Masatoshi Nakayama) and the Shotokai (headed by Motonobu Hironishi and Shigeru Egami), followed by many others — so that today there is no single "Shotokan school", although they all bear Funakoshi's influence.

As the most widely practiced style, Shotokan is considered a traditional and influential form of karate do.

Contributed