Dear WMKA members from around the world,
A Happy New Year! I congratulate you all in welcoming a bright and hopeful New Year 2015!
We are very grateful for your strong support and cooperation for the “The Memorial Karate-Do Seminar and Exchange Demonstration 2014 for Soke Takayoshi Nagamine in Okinawa”. The events were great and successful.
I am sure both Shoshin Osensei and Takayoshi Soke were very glad and convinced about the strong bond & solidarity among all WMKA members throughout the world.
Okinawa prefecture is planning to build “Karate Hall” for “Birth place of karate” and it was officially named as “Okinawa Karate Kaikan” in all languages. This year, all of the Okinawa karate societies will unite and work for the registration of “Okinawa traditional karate” to be listed on “UNESCO World Intangible Cultural Heritage List”.
Okinawa karate is the valuable product of wisdom, blood & sweat of many karate masters for many generations. We will honestly preserve the original kata of Okinawa karate and spread it throughout the world with an unyielding strong mind.
At the end of my greeting, let’s make this year a new kick off for furthering the future progress of theWMKA.
In Japanese culture, 2015 is called “The Year of Sheep” which originally came from “The twelve Zodiac signs in Chinese astrology”. Please enjoy finding your own symbolic animal in the attached table. We do have a Japanese proverb “Warau kado niwa fuku kitaru!” which means “Laughter brings happiness to your home”.
I pray for you and your family the best health and smiling happiness in “The Year of Sheep”!
Sincerely yours,
Yoshitaka Taira
President of WMKA
Attached below: “The twelve Zodiac signs from ancient Chinese astrology”
WMKA 全会員の皆様へ
世界松林流空手道連盟
会長 平良慶孝
年始あいさつ
ハイサイ ぐすーよう 心からしがた若くないみそち いい正月でーびる ！輝かしい希望に満ちた新年を迎え謹んでお慶び申し上げます。
昨年は高兆宗家の追善空手道セミナー・演武会＆交流会等に、温かいご理解ご協力を賜り誠にありがとうございました。長嶺将真大先生と高兆宗家は共に草葉の陰で、松林流の大同団結を確信したものと思います。
さて、沖縄県が進めている空手の殿堂である空手道会館（仮称）が、正式名称を「沖縄空手会館」と決定しました。今年は沖縄伝統空手の世界遺産登録に向け、沖縄空手界が一体となり推進活動に取り組んで行きたいと思います。
沖縄の先達の知恵と血と汗の結晶である空手の形を守り、不撓不屈の精神をもって世界に発信したいと思います。
結びに、世界松林流空手道連盟の更なる飛躍の年でありたい。 今年は、日本流で言うと羊年「笑う門には福来たる」です。羊（ひつじ）年が笑顔あふれる年になるよう、皆々様ご家族のご健康ご多幸を祈念し、年頭の挨拶と致します。
２０１５年 元旦
