Ashihara karate from the 'land of the rising sun' By Jatila Karawita
Ashihara, a form of Karate (Japanese) which is practised as a self defence art by using lot of power, is an attacking, full-contact style of this time-honoured sport. Originated in the Land of the rising sun in 1980, it can more or less be best described as a way of street-fighting. This was disclosed to the 'Sunday Island' in an exclusive interview it had with Hoosain Narker, Director of Ashihara Karate Association of South Africa which is affiliated to the Ashihara Karate International Organisation. Narker was here on a three-day visit to lecture to around 100 students on Ashihara Karate at their head Sri Lankan branch situated in Polgahawela.
Narker, who is also a black belt fifth-dan champion, was most impressed with the amount of talent, and keeness displayed by the local for this particular brand of Karate and expressed the confidence Ashihara Karate would go from strength to strength in Sri Lanka in the years to come if the desired sponsorship and the commitment of the participants are there in abundance.
Excerpts of the interview.
Q. What Ashihara Karate actually mean?
A. It means that you indulge in this form of Karate to
defend yourself by using extreme power. That is in any case of adversity
to defend yourself. The entire strength of one's body is exerted to the
hilt and it could be easily termed as an attacking style of Karate.
Q. Where did it originate and how far has Ashihara Karate
spread worldwide?
A. Ashihara Karate was born just like all other forms
of Japanese Karate in the land of the Rising Sun in 1980 and its founder
was one Kancho Hideyuki Ashihara. Since its early beginnings in Japan,
it has expanded to almost all major countries in Asia, Europe, and Africa
and I am pleased to note that this version of Karate has now spread to
all the SAARC nations as well including your beautiful country Sri Lanka
in the South East Asian region.
Q. What was the main purpose of your visit here, and what
did you hope to achieve through this visit to Sri Lanka?
A. I came here on the invitation of Sensei Anil Sudasinghe,
a black belt third dan champion who is also the chief-instructor of the
Sri Lanka branch of the Ashihara International Organisation which is based
in Polgahawela. He, first of all, sent me a video-cassette of the Sri Lankans
who master Ashihara Karate under his tutelege and having fully witnessed
it I thought of coming over here to carry out some lectures to these Sri
Lankans of how they can further improve this wonderful form of Karate.
I must say indeed I was most taken-up with the Sri Lankans who number over
100 who practised Ashihara during my lectures.
When I saw that video I got the feeling of seeing some
Karate students who were like a 'diamond that was unpolished'. And after
that little trip here I think I have been able to polish-off those unpolished
diamonds, and the new methods and techniques that I taught them should
be further developed if they are to be reckoned with the world's best Ashihara
champions.
Q. During your training sessions or lectures, were there
any Sri Lankan students who caught your eye practising Ashihara?
A. Of all the students whom I have seen in action, three
in particular stood-out. Sarath Kodikara, who is the longest serving student
at the centre in Polgahawela who is due to receive his black belt
in January. So are Jagath Rathanayake who is about to get his brown belt
and among the females Rukshika Kumari will in all probability win her blue-belt
in time to come. All in all, what I would say in a nutshell is that if
more international exposure can be given to these people, Sri Lanka's future
in Ashihara would look all the more rosy.
Q. What are the other countries you have travelled to
train students in Ashihara?
A. Besides Sri Lanka, which I have set foot for the first
time, I have also been to countries such as U.A.E., India, Pakistan, and
some countries in the African continent itself. In each of these places,
Ashihara Karate has established fully and it looks like this Karate style
will gradually spread its wings to other nations as well. For the record
I would say that this is practised in well over forty countries with Japan
and South Africa being prominent among them.
Q. What plans do you have in the pipeline to further upgrade
the standard of Ashihara style among the Sri Lankans in the future?
A. According to Sensei Anil Sudasinghe who is the chief
instructor here, there are plans to bring down a Ashihara Karate master
from the World Association in around January next year. Apart from this
measures are underway to expose your students who excel, to compete in
the Ashihara Karate Championships to be staged in Cape Town, South Africa
in August '99.
Also I am, told Dadis Bulsara, a sixth dan black-belt
champion of India who is the Asian Chairman of the Ashihara International
Organisation, is also slated to come over to Sri Lanka in the new year
with a view to carrying out more training sessions for students here for
about a week's duration Overall, what I would prefer to emphasise is that
the outlook for this type of Karate in Lanka is bright.
Q. Could you also tell our readers something of the Ashihara
Karate organisation of South Africa of which the director happens to be
you?
A. This organisation was first begun way back in 1984
in the Republic. Since then our oganisation has gone from strength to strength
with currently a total of 250.000 students mastering the fine-art of karate
in South Africa. This number is made of around 30% white, between 30 to
40% black Africans, and another 30% coloured Africans. Apart from the main
centre that is based in Cape-town, we also have our branches scattered
across all major cities in the country. And even in such far-flung back-townships
like Soweto, Ashihara has become popular among the South African black
population.
I would say some of the stuff which we teach our students
there does not confine to Karate alone. In my view Karate can more or less
be used to bring nations together as a tool. Subjects like business management
skills, as well as a wide range of other inter-related things are taught,
to make these karate students better people and to make society a better
place for everyone to live in.
Q. What co-orperation has the government of South Africa
extended to your organisation to take Ashihara forward in the 'rainbow
nation' and and what of the immediate future?
A. To reply your first query, I would say the South African
government Sports Minister, Steve Schwete, himself a former karate champ,
has lauded Karate as one of the best sports in South Africa. He has been
very supportive of our efforts to take karate to the rest of the Continent
as well. Schwete has promised to give more government patronage to us in
the future though the amount of sponsorship given to the big three sports
in the country namely soccer, rugby and cricket is much larger than to
karate at present. But everything would point to Karate going places there
in the future with karate too now been fully professionalised, similarly
to the much reputed team sports.
Also, we have drawn several development programmes with
new techniques which I am fervently hopeful will enable our students to
further expand their horizon in this Japanese style.
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