Budo seminar inspires Gordon
The Southbroom man has rubbed shoulders with some of the top martial arts experts in the world.
GORDON Douglas of Southbroom, who is one of two people in South Africa certified to teach aikisambo, recently attended a Budo seminar in Cape Town.
He said anybody interested in learning this dynamic art was welcome to contact him.
Towards the end of December, Cape Town was graced with the presence of two leading Japanese Budo experts, namely Tsuneo Ando Shihan, 8th Dan Yoshinkan Aikido, Kancho of the Ryudojo and Kenji Nakazawa Kancho, founder of aikisambo.
In early January, they had a joint seminar in Grassy Park (Lofob dojo), featuring aikido, aikisambo and ashihara karate.
Interestingly enough, all three start with an A and all three use tai sabaki as an integral part of its art.
Tsuneo Ando Shihan is the chief instructor at Ryu Headquarters Dojo and the head of non-profit organisation Yoshinkan Aikido Ryu.
He was born in 1956 in Nihama City, Ehime Prefecture on the island of Shikoku. He attended Tokushima University where he studied engineering. Ando Sensei joined the Tokushima University Aikido Club where he first became captivated by aikido. After graduating from university he was briefly employed by a chemical company, however he quickly decided that the life of a Japanese salary-man was not for him.
Kenji Nakazawa was born in 1949 and brought up in Yokohama, Japan.
He studied English and French in college and, after graduating from Dokkyo University in 1972, worked for Kanagawa Prefectural Police Department.
In 1972 he joined the Kanagawa Prefectural Police Dept, stationed in Yokosuka.
While there, he studied various martial arts, training in judo, kendo and taihojutsu.
He experienced judo and taihojutsu competition for four years.
In 1976, he left Yokosuka for San Francisco, USA where worked for a tour company as a tour guide and interpreter for eight years.
Hoosain Narker, Gordon’s personal shihan, is a black belt with over 40 years of martial arts experience.
He has a vast knowledge of many major styles of martial arts, holding dan grades in ashihara karate, kyokushin, goju ryu and taekwondo.
Other than that, he has been training since 1974 and has been teaching professionally since 1985.
Under his guidance, the Ashihara Karate organisation has expanded to over 30 countries around the world.
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