Chito-ryu Karate-Do - United States Chito-ryu Karate Federation

CHITO-RYU KARATE-DO NEWSLETTER SUMMER 2008HATS OFF TO HAMADA HANSHIWhile I have always been deeply impressed byHanshi Hamada’s accomplishments as well as hissteadfast dedication to the Martial Arts andWays, this event has taken my personal esteemfor him to a whole new level.I have now had three occasions to be in thepresence of this major figure in the currentmartial arts arena. Each event that I attendedbrought together numbers of karate-ka frommany different nations around the globe. Theamount of work behind the scenes is infinitesimaland can only be understood by someone who hasorganized such grand scale events such as these.numbers of practitioners off and on the floor ofthe Butoku Den. He made great use of the manyentrances of this building and flawlessly guidedthe participants to and from their assignedseating areas and onto the floor for theirdemonstrations.Hanshi Hamada can seem stern at times in hisdemeanor, however, with the responsibility thathe holds and the workload that he manages, hemaintains an inordinate amount of patience aswell as graciousness towards his flock. I know fora fact that his composure over the course of theweek in which these events occurred was farbeyond anyone else that I have witnessedundertaking such a huge project I am honored tohave been part of this great success and was ableto lend in a small way to the coming together ofsuch budo spirit.This student of Hamada Hanshi is cleaningup rocks from outside the ButokudenHamada Tesshin is a man with multitude of loyaldisciples and they are eager to assist him in theseendeavors. Kyoshi Baylor is probably the mostoutstanding person that comes to mind as beinghis “right hand woman” assisting in these events.However, there is an army of budo-ka that flanksthis noble man. Nonetheless, Hamada, Sensei isthe “Cecil B.Demille” of the DNBK.The WBS/CRT hosted over 650 Martial Artists atthe eminent Butoku Den; this building has beenthe training arena for the great Masters of Budofor hundreds of years. It was amazing to watchHamada direct this number of individuals withsuch graceful choreographic skill, movingHaving extolled the virtues of Tesshin Hamada,Hanshi, I must not omit the great pride that Ihave being a part of the United States Chito-Kai;our own William J. Dometrich Hanshi wasawarded the rank of 9 th Dan during this occasion.He also called upon some amazing inner strengthas he performed the kata seisan during the osamino gi portion of the demonstration. In spite ofbeing ill with the flu coupled with his Parkinson’sdisease, the raw power of his techniques wasobvious to one and all.It was a memorable time in the far east for everyperson that attended the 2008 WBS/CRT.By: Linda GageCharlottesvi!e YoseikanUNITED STATES CHITO-RYU KARATE-DO FEDERATION PAGE 10