Sensei Charles Hunter (the chief instructor of Scotland) with the monument of Master Anko Itosu
It was with great pleasure and delight that again this year I found myself going to Japan to train with Soke Sakagami.
This year Soke Sakagami had also arranged for me to train with sensei Kusuhara at the Hodogaya branch in Yokohama. At the Hodogaya branch sensei Kusuhara took a great deal of time taking me through the katas Tomari (Matsumora) Bassai and Ishimini Bassai , correcting my many faults and explaining the bunkai, interpretation of some the moves asking and listening to my own bunkai explanations and discussing them in detail.
It was great participating in the class training sessions and noticing the different training structure of the class compared to my own.
I would like to thank Sensei Kusuhara for his patience with me and for allowing me to participate in his class, I would also like to thank him and his group for taking me out for a late meal after asking me my age and was told that today was my 66 birthday no other excuse was required for a few drinks and I will remember this birthday with great delight.
Training at the Itosu-kai headquarters in Tsurumi Yokohama with sensei Sakagami is always a pleasure, so being able to be guided through Matsumora Rohai, Kusunku Sho, Jiin, Suparinpei and Bassai dai with all the complexity and intricate moves was indeed very enlightening , great care was taken to explain some of the intricate complex moves and why with bunkai in interpretation of such moves making the understanding more clear. I would like to thank sensei Sakagami for their patience of my clumsy attempt at the above katas and in helping me to better understand the movements and basic forms required to perform these and all katas better.