The grading covered all the usual key points – kihon, kata, fitness and kumite. Basics were covered extensively, as well as partner work, combinations, ido geiko and senior techniques. Kata of all level were performed by those attempting new grades.
The karateka from Lismore – Evelyn, Annabelle, Letitia and James – showed great spirit in their fights, including up to 15 bouts for Evelyn and Annabelle, who were grading for 2nd Kyu (Brown Belt).
Congratulations to all those who graded. In addition to several Kyu grades, three new Black Belt grades were awarded:
At the end of the grading, Shihan Mark Shelmerdine presented Hanshi Howard Lipman and his wife Masumi a photobook of the 2023 Japan trip, as a group thank-you gift for the tour. Afterwards, Hanshi presented Shihan Idir, Shihan Mark McFadden and Sensei Alex their new grades.
Proceedings began on the Saturday morning, with Sempai Maia taking the class through basic techniques and stances, with Hanshi Howard providing technical feedback to the class throughout. The morning session moved on to fitness, kicks and kata, with the guest instructors all rotating through taking the class.
After a quick lunch, provided by Lismore Dojo and cooked up by Ken and Masumi, Sensei Alex took the class through a session on kata and bunkai. Pinan Sono Ni was focused on in depth.
From here, Sempai Maia continued taking the students through more kata while Sensei Alex worked with seniors on black belt kata. Sensei Mark Long wrapped up the day with some fighting techniques and combinations, followed by everyone participating in kumite.
The senior grades met at the Cherry Street Sports Club in Ballina for dinner on Saturday night.
Sunday morning began with Sempai Maia taking a ‘Little Lions’ Kids class.
After this, Shihan Alex led a Kobudo class – during which Sensei Wally Gray was being graded. The whole group went through some basics with the Bo, before Shihan Mark McFadden took the juniors outside to keep to the basics of the Bo while Shihan Alex went through more senior techniques and kata with the other students.
The senior Kobudo students revised the Bo, Sai and Eku, including bunkai and partner work.
It was an enjoyable weekend for all. As Sensei Mark McFadden remarked, getting together to train on occasions like this reminds us all that we’re part of something bigger rather than an individual club.
Special thanks go to Sensei Mark for hosting; Sempai Trish Tan, Masumi, Ken and Laura for their assistance; and to the guest instructors.
For the first time in almost seven years, Kyokushin International Martial Arts Australia sent a group tour to Japan for training. This occurred in November 2023 and was a marvellously successful trip with an intense training schedule.
KIMAA’s trips to Japan for training with Sensei Tetsuhiro Hokama (Hanshi, 10th Dan Goju-Ryu Karate and Kobudo) began when Hanshi Howard Lipman first met Sensei Hokama in January 2008. During this meeting, Hanshi Howard knew at once that this Sensei was the man with whom he wished to continue his martial arts studies.
For the next few years, KIMAA senior grades went several times a year for training – sometimes just Hanshi Howard and one or two other seniors, or larger group tours. Over time, Hanshi Howard was made Australian Branch Chief of International Hokama Kobudo and the training trips continued biennially. A KIMAA Japan trip was planned for March 2020 but had to be cancelled last minute due to international border closures and the COVID-19 outbreak. After many years away from Okinawa, this year was a triumphant return for KIMAA.
The main purpose of these trips has been to learn Kobudo so it could be taught to the KIMAA students as well as Kyokushin, and therefore broadening the organisation’s martial arts knowledge, as well as learning kata bunkai from Sensei’s Goju-Ryu school to add significant depth and relevant self-defence application to KIMAA’s Kyokushin syllabus. This tradition continued with the 2023 group tour.
The tour officially began when the bulk of the group departed Sydney on Sunday November 19th, with Sensei Mark McFadden and Sempai Trish arriving in Okinawa a day prior. Monday was a day off to arrive and settle in.
Tuesday November 20th was the first day of training with Sensei Hokama and some of his senior students. The morning session focused on self-defence work: pressure points, grabs, takedowns, chokeholds and more. This session expanded on previous bunkai we had learned, as well as continuing and advancing previous sequences. The day also included dexterity exercises and Sanchin conditioning.
The afternoon session was Kobudo, practicing single and double nunchuck techniques. We then revised Sensei Hokama’s nunchuck Kata, where we discovered new bunkai and took the pattern to a more advanced level with additional moves and making it more dynamic. We then learned a second nunchuck kata that was new to everyone.
This was the first Okinawa training session for Sensei Ben, Sensei Mark Long and Sempai Angus. All of the group learned something new this day and enjoyed a valuable experience in what was a promising start to the week.
On Wednesday, in the morning we trained again with Sensei Hokama, revising more self-defence techniques, going over bunkai for Okinawan Seipai and Saiha Kata, and practised the new nunchuck kata. Shihan James, Sensei Alex and Sensei Ben could already repeat the pattern from it first being taught the day prior, now only requiring more finesse and speed going forward.
That evening, the group returned to its martial arts roots by training with Shihan Shichinohe (8th Dan) and his senior class in Kyokushin Karate. Hanshi Howard and Shihan Shichinohe have been friends for a long time, and the tour group thoroughly enjoyed the class that focused on Kihon, Kata and application to Kumite techniques. The KIMAA group tour in 2013 trained with Shihan Shichinohe, and went to tournaments he hosted in 2015 and 2017, so it was wonderful to train together again after a whole decade. Training was followed by a group dinner to celebrate the occasion.
On Thursday, KIMAA enjoyed reuniting with Shihan Ken Ogura (8th Dan). Shihan Ken is one of Sensei Hokama’s leading instructors and has taught KIMAA Kobudo and karate bunkai in Okinawa and at multiple Australian seminars hosted by Hanshi Howard.
Thursday’s class with Sensei Hokama and Shihan Ken centred around partner work, Seienchin bunkai and then a Kobudo session, going through nunchucks, Bo staff and the Eku. Speed, hip power and more speed was the theme of the day, thoroughly testing everyone’s agility – and knees!
Friday’s training with Sensei Hokama and Shihan Ken was extensive, as the group revised the remainder of the Bo syllabus. Some classic partner work and takedowns were revisited, giving the juniors a firsthand opportunity to experience this with Sensei, while the seniors were also given some further refinement of their kata in terms of movement, dynamism and of course “more speedo!”
The Saturday morning class with Sensei Hokama and Shihan Ken was another valuable session. The group went through the Tonfa and Sai kata – a new experience for some, and the seniors were once again on this trip introduced to a higher level of movement, integrating speed and body power to create a more powerful and faster performance. The seniors all remarked on what a difference these more advanced elements made to the Tonfa kata in particular, transforming their practice of it into a much more impressive and meaningful kata. The class finished with some extra Seienchin and Saiha bunkai.
Saturday night November 25th 2023 was a great honour for KIMAA. Sensei Hokama, after spending the week assessing the tour group, surprised Hanshi Howard Lipman by awarding him 10th Dan, the highest grade in the International Hokama Kobudo Organisation. As a further surprise and honour, out of recognition for years of dedicated training at seminars in Okinawa and Sydney, Hanshi and the senior Kobudo students were also given honorary Dan grades in Goju-Ryu Karate.
Sensei Hokama chose to honour Hanshi Howard with an unexpected 10th Dan grade for his commitment, knowledge, execution and support of both Goju-Ryu Karate and Kobudo since 2008 as Australian Branch Chief. Among his many trips to train in Japan, Hanshi has also facilitated representatives from Goju-Ryu to come to Australia to instruct aspects of this Karate style, including bunkai for kata, and Kobudo.
Hanshi already has dedicated his life to karate – including as Kyokushin Australian Branch Chief under Sosai Mas Oyama, who promoted him to 5th Dan, and has continued teaching the martial arts since Sosai’s passing in 1994. Hanshi has practised Kyokushin for over 50 years, and has risen to the highest levels within Australia and the world as a Kyokushin 9th Dan. Now Hanshi Howard has been elevated to the most senior grade in both Goju-Ryu and Kobudo by Sensei Hokama. Both are now ‘Hanshi’ and 10th Dan in these two styles.
The honorary grades bestowed upon Renshi Mark, Shihan James, Shihan Mark, Shihan Alex and Sensei Ben also reflect well upon their years of study. Throughout the week of training, Sensei Hokama was delighted and impressed by their technical ability and martial arts spirit.
Sempai Trish continued to impress Sensei with her cross-disciplinary knowledge and insightful questions. Sensei Ben, Sensei Mark Long and Sempai Angus all excelled in their first trip, stepping up to receive the ‘pressure point fun’ from Sensei Hokama when required and gave all the training great gusto.
Hanshi Howard treasures the long-standing association between KIMAA and Sensei Hokama and Okinawa Goju-Ryu Kenshikai Karatedo, Kobudo Association, and looks forward to continuing the wonderful relationship well into the future.
After the presentation of grades, the tour group participated in the final official training session of the trip with Sensei Hokama’s senior students, taken by Shihan Arakawa. This included Sanchin with the jars and partner conditioning, kata, and a final Q&A with Sensei where a variety of topics were discussed.
After training, Sensei Hokama and his senior students shared a meal with the KIMAA team, in a long and happy celebratory dinner.
In a handful of periods of time off training, the group also split up and enjoyed some sightseeing: exploring the reconstruction of Shurijo, performing kata in gi at Nakagusuku, seeing various karate museums, the beach, Street Kart Okinawa, the aquarium and shopping. Sunday was a day-off after the momentous events (and two training sessions) on Saturday.
The group departed Okinawa on Monday November 27th for Kyoto, on the Japanese mainland. We spent a few restful days of sightseeing before leaving Japan on the evening of Thursday November 30th.
Special thanks go to Masumi and Ken for their support, Masumi again for translation and training photography.
The participants all agreed this was the best trip for the knowledge gained, the camaraderie and the memories forged. We look forward to our return – Hanshi Howard is already planning a follow-up group trip in late 2024.
Hanshi Howard also presented Sempai Trish Tan with her Kobudo belt (1st Dan). Sempai Trish was graded to Kobudo 1st Dan in 2020 and finally has the formal belt, after COVID-related delays.
Everyone is excited to return to Japan next month for training with Sensei Hokama.
Shihan Mark began Kyokushin Karate with Hanshi Howard in 1986 and has been a regular instructor at Turramurra Dojo since 2000. Shihan James began Kyokushin in 1993 and started training with Hanshi in 1994, and has been a regular instructor at Turramurra Dojo since the early 200s. Both have competed in tournaments, taught at KIMAA seminars and travelled many times to Japan to represent KIMAA.
Shihan Idir remains a valued senior instructor, as the longest-practising martial artist in the organisation. Shihan Idir began training in Shotokan Karate in the 1960s and was a 5th Dan in that style before commencing his Kyokushin journey with Hanshi in 2004.
Sensei Mark McFadden – Dojo Operator of KIMAA Lismore Dojo – has taught Kyokushin since the 1980s, and competed in local, state and national tournaments. He opened Lismore Dojo in 2006 and has travelled to Japan many times with Hanshi Howard.
Hanshi Howard extends his warm thanks to Shihan Mark, Shihan James, Shihan Idir and Sensei Mark for their expertise and ongoing support of KIMAA. When you have trained with the rest, train with the best – Kyokushin International Martial Arts Australia.
Hanshi Howard Lipman 9th Dan Kyokushin KIMAA Chairman
On the night of Wednesday June 7th, Kids and Junior Kyu Kyokushin gradings were held at Turramurra Dojo.
Hanshi Howard Lipman and Shihan James Sidwell assessed the Kids grading, while senior student Maia Brown ran them all through their techniques and kata. All students involved trained well and demonstrated good technique.
Later that evening, Hanshi Howard Lipman and Shihan Mark Shelmerdine ran the Junior Kyu grading at Turramurra Dojo. The students performed well and displayed great determination.
Kyokushin International Martial Arts Australia 