Andhra Pradesh - Vijayawada   

Grand Master wows children

P. Sujatha Varma

Karate is more than throwing punches, says Tomiyama

WAY TO GO: Karate Grand Master Keiji Tomiyama from Japan trains youngsters at a camp in Vijayawada on Tuesday. — PHOTO: RAJU V.

VIJAYAWADA: A gift of God, the first son and a mountain of treasure; combine all three and you get a Keiji Tomiyama.

Yes, that's what the Japanese karate Grand Master's name means.

At 56, he looks like a 40-plus. Speaking to The Hindu on the sidelines of a demonstration of power-packed punches and high kicks here on Tuesday, Mr. Tomiyama recalled how he was initiated into one of the world's oldest forms of martial arts when he was just 17.

Meeting the challenge

"I was into boxing. My cousin once challenged me and beat me in karate. I, somehow, could not digest it and began to learn karate to pay my cousin back in the same coin. I could finally beat him after a rigorous practice of three long years," said the native of Osaka in Japan.

He came down to Vijayawada to impart tips to local learners of the martial art, at the Zilla Parishad Girls High School, Patamata.

The special coaching session was organised by Students' Kofukan Karate Club, Patamata.

"This form of art requires lot of attention, persistence, discipline and organisation. Besides physical fitness, it makes the mind sharp. People who learn karate are at complete peace with themselves and with those around them," explained Mr. Tomiyama, who was of the view that the art form could be effectively used to promote world peace.

A rigorous practice session could place an individual on a higher pedestal, since karate was designed not just to benefit the body but to transform the mind and soul into a blissful state too.

Even as he kept talking, his eyes rolled from one corner of the hall to the other, making sure that the students were learning the techniques perfectly.

"Respect, discipline and humility are the traits associated with any martial art," he explained, least distracted by the powerful sound caused by the high muscle stresses.

Concentration skills could be developed by kata - a series of movements similar to dance choreography with the use of karate techniques, he said, trying to adjust the Black Belt around his waist.

Ranking system

Chief technical director of All India Karate Do Federation M. Kanakaraju for some time took over the mantle to provide a short break to Mr. Tomiyama.

Mr. Tomiyama said he was personally against ranking system, a norm that one usually gets into after acquiring a black belt. "It sometimes goes to the head paving the way for ego problems," he remarked, demonstrating his humility in the midst of shouts of ich... ni... huch... hich... go... ( counting of Japanese numbers) which rent the air.

Stepping into the shoes of a Sensei (teacher) with remarkable ease, he gently bowed his head, paying respects to his ancestors, to the learners and to his surroundings; he amply exhibited the power of discipline that karate instilled in an individual.

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