Although every visit to Canada by a highranking Japanese Chito-Ryu instructor is important, this year's tour is a special honor. Coming Over are two of the most distinguished men in our style: its head, Sensei Tsuyoshi Chitose and the president of Chito-Kai International, Sensei Tsutomu Tashiro. The senseis will arrive in Vancouver on April 9 and will travel through Canada and the United States until the end of May. An exact itinerary will be sent out to each dojo.
Chitose-Sensei, the son of the master, needs no introduction, but KIME has some information about the remarkable Mr. Tashiro. The president of our international organization is no mere administrator, but holds an eighth dan in karate as well as seventh dans in two sword arts: kendo and iai-do. He is 68-years-old, a former lieutenant-colonel in the Japanese army and he lives in Kumamoto City. Though he is retired, no one has told him he may slow down. Last year he ran a marathon in the USSR. An associate of KIME who travelled to Japan a few years ago recounts a story of Tashiro-Sensei practising kata at the hombu dojo during a rainstorm. A clap of thunder suddenly boomed directly overhead the dojo, sending most karateka to the windows to take a look at the storm. But Tashiro-Sensei did not miss a beat in the kata he was performing and refused to lose precious moments of diligent karate-do practice to mere atmospheric disturbances.
But beyond the qualifications of these two gentlemen, this tour has the added significance of being the first trip to North America for Chitose-Sensei since the death of his father. There had been some concern that some of the older senseis might have trouble accepting this young man as their leader. But travelling here in the company of the older and respected Tashiro-Sensei will demonstrate that he has overcome this problem and has consolidated his position. Furthermore, having taken over the reins from O-Sensei, he becomes, like a monaroh who is the symbol of the state, the living embodiment of Chito-Ryu. We will be able to pay our tribute to him in this capacity for the first time. In turn, he will be nterested to see how we have progressed in our practice of karate. During nis last two trips Chitose-Sensei introduced us to the fundamentals of Chito-Ryu. We have had time to learn finesse and mature in our execution of techniques. We must put our best foot forward.
Last October 9 the Gander, Newfoundland paper, The Beacon, ran an article on the Joe Gilles Karate School, which is associated with the Tsuruoka chain of schools. The article contained various interesting statements, such as: "Dr. Chitose died in 1979 at the age of 85." Or: "Chito-Ryu style of Karate is being spread throughout the world by Dr. Chitose Sensei's students and in particular in North America by Masami Tsuruoka." Or: Tsuruoka-Sensei is the "Chief of the Canadian Chito-Kai."
Of course, none of these statements bear even a passing relation to the truth. Dr. Chitose died June 6, 1984. Although Tsuruoka Sensei at one time was the head of Chito-Ryu in Canada (and is the acknowledged father of karate in the country), his association with the style was completely severed in 1979 In tournaments both his and Mr. Gilles's students predominantly perform Shotokan katas. And if a Chito-Ryu kata is done, it is performed in an incorrect manner with Shotokan stances. A lawyer's letter was sent to Mr. Gilles reminding him that Chito-Ryu is a registered trademark and he has no right to pass himself off as a representative or a practioner of the style. Furthermore, the headquarters of Chito-Ryu in Japan does not recognize Mr. Gilles or any of his students as practioners of the style.
Although she has no official title within Chito-Kai Canada, with her handling of so much of organization's day-to-day administration and business, Joy Guenther has carved herself a Position of importance and grandeur. So that her many admirers and correspondents from coast to coast can keep in touch, KIME has has decided it is a matter of national importance to print her new address and phone number. (Joy is finally moving into a home of her own, though she has assented to take her husband and kids with her.) It is:
56 Purvis Cres.
Agincourt, Ont.
M1B lH9
Phone: 416-297-9662
Just arriving for the spring buying season is the new, improved edition of the mini-manual called, appropriately, the maxi-manual. As well as having grading requirements up to shodan, it features such additions as bunkai explainations and illustrations. It will all be bound in an attractive soft cover. Its cost is $15 or $10 for black belts with a teaching manual.
Ontario has long been a hotbed of political intrigue: karate empires have risen and fallen; backs have been stabbed; reputations have been savaged; and secret zenkutsu dachi societies have flourished. It is, therefore, a pleasure to announce two positive political events that occurred in the recent past of this least loved of the ten provinces.
Last December an Ontario Chito-Kai association was formally set up. Though Toronto is home to Chito-Kai Canada's national headquarters, there has been no body, until now, specifically designed to look after our style's regional interests. Among the duties the new body has taken upon itself are fund raising, organizing tournaments and clinics, helping out fledgling clubs and just plain promoting Chito-Ryu karate. Ontario Chito-Kai will soon be incorporated so it can start approaching corporate sponsors for funding. Kathy Constantinou is president of the nine-man board of directors, assisted by vice president Maureen Royale and secretary treasurer Cristina Campanelli. Kathy would like to hear from the various Ontario clubs to find out what they feel the new body should be doing.
And last January, Chito-Ryu sensei Ted Jungblut was elected head of the Karate Ontario Association -- the body which represents all the provincial, NKA karate styles -- after former president, Sensei Masami Tsuruoka resigned suddenly. Sensei Jungblut has been dropped into the middle of the onerous task of organizing and finding funding for the national championships, which will be held a month earlier than usual this year, May 10 and 11, in Toronto. After this ordeal is over, he plans to work at bringing greater unity to the provincial karate styles. Already all the styles are represented on the KOA's board of directors and Sensei Jungblut notes that so far "there's been no fighting." KIME feels that's pretty good for a bunch of karateka.
Although they are the exception rather than the rule, recently a couple of squabbles between Canadian Chito-Ryu dojos were brought to the attention of Higashi Sensei. He was understandably upset about the disputes and would like to remind the heads of all the Chito-Kai clubs that the success of our organization owes as much to the goodwill of its members as the hard work they have all put in. Karate is designed to foster harmony among the practioners mind, spirit and body; this same harmony should reflect itself in the various parts of Chito-Kai Canada. Disputes should either be put aside or talked out and resolved, for the good of both Chito-Ryu and the individuals involved.