Newsletter from Prefectural Headquarters of Gifu District
Nonprofit organization approved by Japanese government.
Official web site of Karate Syotorenmei - http://www.fsinet.or.jp/-jks-gifu/.
Publisher:Prefectural Headquarters of Gifu District of Japan Karate Shotorenmei, an NPO organization
Address:1-6 Hibari-cho, Gifu-shi, Gifu-ken, Japan, tel: 058 266 8024.
Editor :Public Relations Office of Prefectural Headquarters of Gifu District
Address:1214 Beppu, Mizuho-shi, Gifu-ken, Japan tel: 058 326 5512
Heroes of Tokai and North Shin-etsu Gather at Gifu
6th Grand Championship Tournament of Karate of Tokai and North Shin-etsu was held in Gifu Arena on July 3, 2005, Sunday. A number of players reached the site long before the opening of the site. The sight of elementary school high graders who were chatting in smiles with the rivals from various districts was very impressive. Players crowded the hall to start preparatory exercise soon after it was opened. Operating staffs were running around to minimize the time for preparation. Parents ran up the stairs to secure the spectators' seats. The referees were shaking hands mutually seeing each other after a long time. These were all the same sights as seen before prior to the match, but there were no scenarios being written for them either.
Players stood in a line at 9 o'clock. Opening drums sounded solemnly in
the hall. Approximately 1,000 participants including players, referees,
and staffs marched in grandly. Players who were about to fight were staring
fixedly at something.
Scenario-free drama began at this moment. Players to play the main role
in the drama, as they were looking at the national flag, were filled with
hopes, worries, tensions, determinations, and fears.
As they watch the games of preschool kids and elementary school low graders,
some people cite "Children are easy because they don't get stage fright"
, but is this true? The looks and actions of the children seen through
the finder are not at all different from that of grownups. The admirable
behavior by surveying the sub-referee at flag-up and the physical expression
by crying and laughing on judgment show they are still children even though
they are treated as players of martial arts. These children however are
nobody but ones who will shoulder our future. It is our big pleasure to
see them accept the joy and the chagrin of the fights and look matured
in the plays of the following year.
Winners' platform and trophies being placed in front of the main table;
players advancing and heading for the only one position of victory; wiping
out the sense of relief of victory hastily and switching it to control
the mind to prepare for the next match; eyes wide open with power; and
getting back to the court with straight back in dignity - all are touching
and convincing as "there is something that can never be obtained but
at the match."
Hot were not only the players but the cheerers from the spectators' seats
casting the encouragement to the players in overwhelming voices as "Concentration!"
"Calm down!" and "Fighting!" Looking up at the spectators'
seat as noticing all the cheers and encouragement, players were nodding
their heads in gratitude. A different match was taking place simultaneously
among the video photographers to secure the best seat for shooting. Parents
were busy watching the plays with naked eyes and taking a video while players
were fighting in such a quick mode. Colorful cheering banners from each
prefecture and district were adding excitement to the matches. There was
a momentary silence and the subsequent shout of joy after the whistle by
the chief referee at the final match. You can hardly experience the true
charm of this particular moment.
Cars parked with various number plates that reflected the size of the grand
match in Tokai and North Shin-etsu area were quietly waiting for the return
of the players. What kinds of conversation had been exchanged and what
dreams the players had had in the morning buses on their way to the playing
site? I am sure a lot of buses from Gifu will be visiting Fukui Prefecture,
the playing site for next year, delivering all the dreams again.
Only 20 minutes passed from the closing ceremony and all the dismantling
operations were finished. It is truly comfortable to watch the players,
referees, and staffs pursue the operation as if they enjoyed it. There
were teachers who collected trashes by walking around in the spectators'
seats of the second floor a number of times, members of karate and judo
club activity of Gifu Prefectural Vocational School who mopped the floor
without showing any sign of fatigue, and referees of all districts who
rolled up the sheets together; these scenes made us convinced of "The
Grand Success of the Event" and crowned the match to honor Tokai and
North Shin-etsu district.It was a week before the opening of the tournament when I received the program. The front page listed the picture that was taken by Mr. Tanaka, the chief of the headquarters, who does love Gifu. As I read it with an excitement, I saw the clear Nagara River, Mount Kinka, Gifu Castle, and a cormorant fisherman beautifully composed in it. It was so nicely done that every player of other prefectures would immediately understand the meeting venue from it. As I continued to read it, I noticed a picture. "3-Story Pagoda" of which I ashamedly was not aware and so looked into the Internet sites surprisingly turned out in multiple pages. Gifu Prefecture is often said to lack major sightseeing spots but the dwellers there are unaware of its goodness also. We should not end up with "What is that building?" but finesse us up by searching the answers for the question. As Mr. Tanaka urges, "the instructors or the trainees of karate must have a wide vision and knowledge through karate." I am sure the program will prompt us to go into action with a certainty.
This was constructed in May 1916 (5th year of Taisho era) to commemorate
the coronation of Taisho Emperor. The house located on the hillside of
east end of Gift Park is built of wood and roofed with ceramic tiles. Its
height is 12 meters and area size is 35.94 square meters. Inside the building
there are Zushi where Kobo Daishi, the great priest of Buddhism, is enshrined,
and Kannon statue carved by Gifu-born Tetsuya Kano. The building encircled
with green trees and painted in vermillion is noticeable from far end.
It is known that "Hitotsubatago" (called as Nanjamonja) which
is grown in no other place than Gifu, Aichi, and Tsushima blooms in snowy
white in the beginning of May. The flowers of the tree look as pure white
as if wearing snow off the winter season. This belongs to the fragrant
olive family and is a deciduous tree, and its vista is magnificent. It
is said the origin of the alias comes from "What is that..."
in Japanese, and its generic name means "snow flower" in Greek.
It is recommended that you will pay a visit at the time of blooming and
appreciate the whiteness of snow flowers, the vermillion of Pagoda, and
the contrast of the greens in the mountain.