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| Saiko Shihan Goshi Yamaguchi |
Happy New Year!
I hope that all I.K.G.A. and J.K.G.A. members have had a good start to the new year of 2016.
Last year, many events took place in each Bloc to commemorate the 50th anniversary of I.K.G.A. The European Seminar and Tournament in England was conducted in July, the South American Block Seminar in Colombia was in September, the African Block Seminar and Tournament in South Africa was in October, and the Oceania and Asia-Pacific Region Championships in Jakarta was in November. Also, the All Japan J.K.G.A. Championships were held in Tokyo on July 25th. I was privileged to be able to attend all of these events and had a productive time with all the participants.
For 2016 events, IKGA members are planning to conduct Oceanian, European, Asian, and African Seminars. In addition, a Pan-American Championship in Chile is being planned as a collaborative effort between the North American and South American Blocs. This year, the All Japan J.K.G.A. Championships are scheduled to be held on Saturday, August 20th at Yoyogi Stadium in Tokyo.
Looking ahead, the 7th I.K.G.A. World Championships in Vancouver, Canada will be held in 2017. I trust that everyone will keep up your daily training in preparation for this big event and dedicate yourselves to continued self-improvement.
In 2020, Tokyo will host the Olympics and Paralympics. Karate is one step closer to being adopted as an Olympic event, and devotees of karate are waiting and hopeful for good news. I would like all of you as practitioners of karate to strive to display the highest ideals of martial arts that are learned through Karate practice, and to do your best to avoid activities and behavior that might damage the image and reputation of Karate as an Olympic event.
If karate is adopted as an Olympic event its increased global status would greatly help promote international friendship. But we are also expected to always be mindful that the martial spirit of Karate-do as well as proper decorum and respectfulness must be maintained.
In honor of the year of the Monkey
The "Analects of Confucius" teach us a lesson about three wise monkeys that "see, hear, and speak no evil". They teach that we should "look not at what is contrary to propriety, listen not to what is contrary to propriety, speak not what is contrary to propriety, make no movement which is contrary to propriety".
