I train as a member of a few dōjō. However, there are also dōjō that I have visited as a visitor, researcher, and guest. In these cases, my stays were relatively short, so one cannot speak of a teacher-student relationship. Naturally, I would never claim that such a relationship exists.
However, I can proudly say that, even after my visits, I make a considerable effort to maintain friendly contact with the masters of the respective dōjō.
My dōjō visits actually only began this year [2026]. I was fortunate enough to visit the Kōmeikan Dōjō of Miyagi Tōru sensei, where I was able to train for three hours. Before my visit, I naturally obtained permission from Beppu. My aim was to learn more about the Kōmeikan’s Sanseirū and to investigate the connection between Miyagi Takashi and Kyoda Jūhatsu in greater detail. But more on that later.
I was also fortunate enough to participate in a training session at the TOGKF Honbu Dōjō. I was in the fortunate position of having all three Shihan present, and they offered me advice. However, this dōjō visit also lasted only two hours—a time that I thoroughly enjoyed. I had already arranged my visit during the European Gasshuku in Halle/Germany, and I was very pleased to have the opportunity to train there.
In addition to my own brief training sessions, I was also fortunate enough to observe training sessions as a guest. On these occasions, I sat quietly at the edge of the training area and watched the training. I had this opportunity at the dōjō of Sakumoto Tsuguo Sensei (Ryū’ei-ryū) and at the Shitō-ryū dōjō of Mabuni Ken’yū, the grandson of Mabuni Kenwa, the founder of Shitō-ryū.
During my visit, I was particularly fortunate to witness a training session with Shimizu Kiyō, who was being coached by Japanese national kata coach Furukawa Tetsuya and Mabuni Ken’yū himself. After the main training sessions, Mabuni Ken’yū was also kind enough to answer a few of our questions about Shitō-ryū. This interview will be featured in a future article.
My actual training, however, takes place elsewhere.
