Chidokan

This is kind of what I had intended for today. Didn't work out as well as I'd have liked: handheld and flash, instead of tripod; I reckon that's why. Anyway, Chidokan is the name of the style of karate I practise and study. It's much like Shotokan, but there are significant differences. I asked Kancho Sims the other day what has happened to Chidokan in Japan, as I'd not been able to find any current reference to it. He told me Chidokan has been in decline in Japan for thirty years, and he went into the details of why. Rather interesting, but saddening politics as well. Partly, it seems, related to Kancho Takeshi Sasaki, the founder of Chidokan, making Kancho Sims kancho of Chidokan NZ: after Kancho Sasaki died, it seems some in Japan considered that Kancho Sims had "stolen their heritage", as there shouldn't, strictly speaking, be more than one "Chidokan" - which refers really to the dojo. 

Oops.

But as Kancho Sims says: it was Kancho Sasaki, the founder, who bestowed that rank; how could Kancho Sims "steal" what was freely given?

Anyway. Here is the embroidery of the other end of my obi (the other end from that I showed a little while back):

Beltr; Flickr.

DA35/2.4;K30.