Genwakai

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Genwakai is a style of Karate-do.

Contents 1 Translation 2 Origins 3 Genwakai in North America 4 Genwakai in Netherlands

[edit] Translation

Genwakai can be translated in several ways.

Gen can be translated as mysteriousness, occult, or as "finding a subtle truth."

Wa can be translated as harmony, gentleness, peace, or total.

Kai can be translated as association, meeting, gathering, etc.

Ergo, Genwakai can be translated as "The Association that seeks the Highest Subtle Truth"

[edit] Origins

Nippon Karate-do Genwakai, or just Genwakai for short is as style of Karate-do that was developed from Gensei-ryu, which has roots in one of the original styles of Okinawa, Shuri-te.

Genwakai was a development out of Gensei-ryu, so naturally, the two are very similar. In or around 1962, one of Shukumine's senior students, Yoichi Takahashi (Takahashi renamed himself as Tsugumasa Nango), started calling the style of Karate-do he and his fellow like-minded karate-ka (Takaaki Aoki, Yoichi Takahashi, Yusako Nakamura, Tadaya Iwaya, and others) practiced Genwakai.

Genwakai has since spread to the United States of America and the Netherlands.

[edit] Genwakai in North America

In 1973, Hiroshi Tajima traveled to North America. He visited various cities, such as Toronto, Canada, Michigan, California, and Ohio. Tajima eventually settled in Dayton, Ohio and achieved the rank of Shihan. Subsequently, he became the director of Nippon Karate-do Genwakai of America.

At the peak of Genwakai training in North America, there were three dojo in Dayton, OH, one in West Milton, OH, and dojo in Michigan, California, Florida, and Toronto, Canada.

In 1995, Tajima traveled to the Genwakai headquarters to discuss some concerns he had. Due to disagreements over these changes, Tajima returned to the United States and stepped down from his position of Shihan and director of Genwakai of North America, and founded a newer style of Karate-do, Taiyo Washin Ryu

The title of Shihan and position of director of Genwakai of America subsequently passed to one of Tajima's senior students, Jim Rodriguez. He too, is no longer a representative of the Headquarters in Japan. Nippon Karate-do Genwakai however, is currently being practiced at Ohio Budokan, located in Dayton, Ohio. There are other dojo in Michigan and Florida.

[edit] Genwakai in Netherlands

Genwakai was first brought over to Holland by Masuko Tadayoshi. Other instuctors followed, including Akio Kobayashi in the 1970's. Kobayashi is currently the Shihan of Nippon Karate-do Genwakai Netherlands