News from Okinawa May 18, 2022
Dear WMKA members around the World,
The Covid-19 pandemic is still hurting many people around the world. I hope you are not affected by it too much and doing OK in your daily life where you live.
I will post “Okinawa Karate World Tournament 2022” as news from Okinawa. Okinawa is holding the Karate Events from August 1st to 9th. The two main contents of the event are “Karate Tournament (Kata/form)” and “Karate Seminar”. The contents of the Karate event may be changed, or it may be cancelled or postponed based on the COVID-19 situation. The Okinawa Governor is the president of the Karate Events Executive Committee. President Yoshitaka Taira is one of six-Vice presidents from all Okinawa karate and Kobudo organizations. WMKA Okinawa Headquarters will send 12 personnel including president Taira and vice president Arakaki to the Expert Committees as Seminar instructors, Judges or staff. Accountant Ms. Mayumi Horikawa Renshi 6th Dan won the Okinawan Preliminary Rounds and will attend the Main Tournament as one of three participants from the Okinawa Adult Female Senior in August.
The Karate Tournament (Kata/form) consists of Preliminary Rounds and Main Tournament. You can choose any Category you like based on your Karate-kei (Ryuha) and your age.
Karate-kei (Ryuha) is classified into five groups:
① Shuri-te kei /Tomari-te kei
② Naha-te kei
③ Uechi-ryu kei
④ Kobudo (Bo)
⑤ Kobudo（Sai）.
Age is classified into four groups for male and female:
➀Juniors Male (15 to 17)
② Adults Male Ⅰ (18 to 39)
③ Adults Male Ⅱ(40 to 59)
④ Adults Male Senior (60 and above).
➀ Juniors Female (15 to 17)
② Adults Female Ⅰ (18 to 39)
③ Adults Female Ⅱ (40 to 59)
④ Adults Female Senior (60 and above).
The Karate Seminar will be run by 28 karate and Kobudo instructors from all Okinawa Karate & Kobudo organizations. You can choose any Karate seminar classes you wish. Please visit the “Okinawa Karate World Tournament 2022” in Website to know more detailed information if you are interested in the Okinawa Karate Events.
“THE 1st OKINAWA KARATE INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENT” was held from August 1st to 8th in 2018. About 1,200 karate enthusiasts from 50 countries and regions around the world participated in the Kata Competition (Kata / form), and more than 2,300 participated in Okinawa Karate Seminars. The Application Deadline for the Karate Events from mainland of Japan and Overseas will be May 31, 2022. We don’t know how many karate enthusiasts can participate this year because of the Covid-19 situation around the world. Okinawa wants to regularize the “OKINAWA KARATE WORLD TOURNAMENT” within the Winter Olympic year.
I hope you will be aware of it and will plan to visit Okinawa in your future karate life.
I will send your miscellaneous Karate certificates and the booklets for Memorial monument erection to USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and India after Small Packet Airmail service is resumed.
Best regards,
Riki Nomura, overseas manager in Okinawa.
Front line: Vice President Arakaki / President Taira / Director Shinzato
They will attend OKINAWA KARATE WORLD TOURNAMENT 2022
as seminar instructors / tournament judges / staff / participants
OKINAWA KARATE WORLD TOURNAMENT 2022 Catalogue will be published before August.