In April next year, I am booked to teach a Tō’on-ryū Karate-dō seminar in Hamburg, Germany’s second-largest city.
This seminar has been in preparation since May, shortly after I opened my first dōjō in Drochtersen. It all began when Birger Heime, a Gōjū-ryū karateka (Yuishinkan), asked me whether I would be interested in teaching a seminar in Hamburg next year.
I told him that I first needed to ask for permission, which I did shortly afterwards. Ikeda Sensei, the fourth Sōke of Tō’on-ryū, gave me the green light to teach the seminar, but under the condition that there would be a strict no-recording policy—which I fully agree with.
The main topics of the seminar will be the two kata Sanchin and Sanseirū, both of which are shared by Tō’on-ryū and Gōjū-ryū. The Seisan of Tō’on-ryū does not originate from Higaonna Kanryō Sensei, and for this reason there is less scope for a direct comparison between the versions of the two systems. Although there are similarities, Sanseirū was also specifically requested as one of the main topics of the seminar.
As soon as more information becomes available, Birger and I will share it immediately.
Until then, save the date: April 3, 2027 — Hamburg, Germany.
