When I am asked whether I have trained seriously and continuously since 2005, I can answer this unequivocally in the affirmative. There was, however, a brief period during which my focus temporarily shifted to other themes. I view this time less as an interruption and more as a conscious personal chapter, which I like to describe as a “Polynesian adventure.” Even during these years, I continued to train consistently and traveled to Okinawa on several occasions to further my training, while at the same time spending a considerable amount of time in Polynesia. In retrospect, this phase can be placed between the years 2013 and 2014.
During this period, I undertook several journeys to Polynesia. In November 2013, my travels took me to Tonga, Samoa, New Zealand, the Cook Islands, and once again to New Zealand. In January 2014, I returned to New Zealand to retrieve equipment I had left there in November, before continuing on to French Polynesia. In October of the same year, I traveled to Okinawa and then onward to Hawaii—it was my second visit to Oʻahu, but my first journey to Kauaʻi, Maui, the Big Island, and Molokaʻi.
I had already visited New Zealand for the first time in 2012. Originally, I had planned to travel to Aotearoa in 2011, but that trip had to be canceled at short notice. Instead, I traveled to South America for the first time that year, spending several days on Easter Island. But back to New Zealand.
My original intention there had been to take part in a guided tour. Prior to that, however, I spent three days in Wellington with a clear objective: visiting the National Library of New Zealand. My specific aim was to locate a four-part article series on “Ryūkyū Kobudō and Taira Shinken,” written by none other than Mario McKenna, with whom I have been in contact since 2009. At that time, I had already ordered two of his books, which he kindly signed and which I still carefully preserve today.
In addition to this article series, I reviewed and copied several other relevant texts. I also recorded a few impressions from my visit to the library. Looking back, it is almost surprising to realize that I have been spending countless hours in libraries and archives since as early as 2012—work that continues to form an integral part of my path to this day.
Karate Kenkyū Shitsu 