What a Way to Earn a Buck!

Sharing a joke with Kanazawa sensei

Sometimes I have to pinch myself when I'm working. This wasn't the kind of employment I thought I'd be engaged in when I was a kid. In fact, the thing I remember most from my schooldays is the view out the classroom window! Now, as I stare down the barrel of old age, I'm amazed by many of the things that have happened in my life. Among the most amazing of all, are the opportunities that have come my way since I first put pen to paper and scrawled a few poorly constructed prose on a sheet of borrowed A4 paper.

I recently spent some time with Hirokazu Kanazawa sensei, the famed master of Shotokan karate and headmaster of the SKIF (Shotokan Karate International Federation), the largest karate organization in the world under the leadership of a single teacher. I'm not a great fan of karate organizations nor of the deliberate commercialization of karate; nevertheless, like many others who have met him, I'm always impressed by Kanazawa sensei. Having met him several times before in locations as diverse as London, Perth, and San Diego, I was fortunate this time to have him arrive (practically) on my doorstep.

He's in his eighties now, still recovering from a skiing accident in 2009 that nearly killed him, and still travelling the world teaching his own unique brand of Shotokan karate. Next year he will make his last karate trip outside Japan when he attends the SKIF World championships in Sydney, Australia. After that, he plans to retire, but only from traveling. For regardless of age or injury, Kanazawa sensei is still ready to engage life to the full. If spending time in the company of people like him doesn't challenge you to do better in your own life, then check the obituaries....you may already be dead!