71 in the sun

It's that time of year again!!!! Celebrate Sensei Mits' 71st birthday!!!!

Saturday, April 13, 2013
Approximately 1:30 PM, after our regular Saturday aikido class we will drive over to the park

Charles H. Wilson Park
2200 Crenshaw Blvd
Torrance, CA 90501
(We will meet somewhere in the picnic area near the lake)

This will be a BBQ potluck.
There will also be a group birthday gift for Sensei, feel free to contribute if you like :)

The Current Potluck List is:

Cindy and Jeremy - Birthday Cake, Plates, Cups, Utensils
Patty H. - Mexican Bread
Jessie Jennewin - Veggie Lasagna or Meat
Alyssa Congdon - Taquitos + Gac
Toru Hashinokuchi - Yakisoba
Mia and DC - .....
Jay O'Balles - Veggie Plate
Juan Martin Castillo - Potato Chips and Plates
Marcus Acosta - Soft Drinks
Ravy O. Li - Small Lasagna
Alixis Hoare - Something sweet, Ice & Juices


Please email cindy@sanbukan.com or add a comment here with any questions, or to add your contribution to the potluck list :)

Toru is now the 24th Black Belt

This last Saturday (February 9, 2013) Toru Hashinokuchi demonstrated beautifully what a Sanbukan Black Belt test should look like.  Toru has that old-style look with youthful energy and ability.

Many people may not know, but, Toru started training under Sensei Mits more than 20 years ago.  And after an 18 year break, came back with a vengeance.  This last year his energy and ambition has fed the students and instructors alike.  I truly hope he stays active and energized like this for many years to come.

24th Black Belt received by Toru Hashinokuchi

 

Toru joins the Black Belts proudly

 



Oshogatsu

New Year, known as shogatsu or oshogatsu, is the most important holiday in Japan. Since January 1st is viewed as harbinger of things to come for the entire year, the focus is to make it as joyful as possible to ensure the next 365 days are equally delightful.

Happii Horidee



We here at the Sanbukan Dojo wish everyone a safe and HAPPY Holiday Season.

 

In order to give our instructors and students time to spend with their other loved ones, our last class of the year is Saturday December 22nd and we remain closed until Thursday January 3rd

A very Merry XMas Party

Thank You Everyone!  We had a great party. Everyone brought such good food and other libations. I think we will all need to workout that much harder just to lose the weight. Here is a couple of pictures for those who couldn't make it.

'Tis the season

We have had a wonderful month do far. Brenda traded in her Fall Orange belt for a more Christmasy Green belt.  And did it with style and power. Jason Cordova, our friendly neighborhood boxing champ had been stopping by on a regular basis and of course the Annual Dojo Holiday Potluck Party is coming up fast.

This coming Saturday the 8th we are meeting at 8am to scrub and clean the Dojo before class. And the next Saturday, the 15th, is Party Time. So far not many people have posted what they are bringing so it'll be a surprise. The list thus far is:
Jeremy & Cindy: Coffee, Decorations & Utensils
Brenda: Carnitas and Pico de gallo
Jay O: H2O
Larry: Pizza
Gilbert: Sushi Platter

Happy & Safe Halloween Everyone!

 

Here are a couple of Jack-O'- Lanterns my son and his fiancé carved. But do you know why we do it? Or where a carved pumpkin got the name Jack?

 

THE NAME "jack-o'-lantern" is of British origin and dates from the 17th century, when it literally meant "man with a lantern" (e.g., a night watchman). It was also a nickname for the natural phenomenon known as ignis fatuus (fool's fire) or "will o' the wisp," the mysterious, flickering lights sometimes seen at night over wetlands and associated in folklore with fairies and ghosts playing pranks on travelers.

 

Over time "jack-o'-lantern" became the popular term for a homemade object also known as a "turnip lantern," defined by Thomas Darlington in his 1887 volume The Folk-Speech of South Cheshire as "a lantern made by scooping out the inside of a turnip, carving the shell into a rude representation of the human face, and placing a lighted candle inside it."

In some parts of Great Britain carrying turnip lanterns was considered a form of pranksterism. Darlington writes: "It is a common device of mischievous lads for frightening belated wayfarers on the road." For Catholic children it was customary to carry jack-o'-lanterns door-to-door to represent the souls of the dead while begging for soul cakes on Hallowmas (All Saints Day, Nov. 1) and All Souls Day (Nov. 2). They were also carried by parading celebrants on the night of Guy Fawkes Day (Nov. 5).

Stingy Jack

 

According to legend, the jack-o'-lantern took its name from a reprobate Irishman known as Stingy Jack who tricked the Devil into promising he wouldn't have to go to hell for his sins. When Jack died he found out he had been barred from heaven, so he journeyed to the gates of hell to demand his due. Wouldn't you know it, the Devil kept his promise and doomed Jack to wander the earth for all eternity with only an ember of hellfire of to light his way. Thenceforth he was known as Jack O'Lantern.

 

It wasn't until Irish immigrants brought the custom of carving jack-o'-lanterns to North America that the more commonly available pumpkin came to be used for that purpose, and not until the mid-to-late 19th century that pumpkin carving became a Halloween staple across the United States.