Our heartfelt thanks to Paul GAZON, a long-time practitioner of Wado-Ryu Karate with Mister Kamigaito, for digitizing and embellishing the original versions of the following 6 books.
Thank you Paul
Wado – Yoshikazu Kamigaito Sensei, Volume 1
To be translated…, see on this site french or flemish version
Kihon – Yoshikazu Kamigaito Sensei, Volume 2
Foreword
A few years ago, when I was still living in Liège, I had a rather curious adventure. For a Japanese who was still unaccustomed to the Belgian way of life, it was very revealing of a trait of character specific for Europeans.
At the time, I was a Karate instructor at university and received a lot of visits from practitioners from other schools. One of them, a brown belt from the Shotokan school, seemed very friendly and very sincere in training. So I was quite happy to work with him.
One day, I hear that he says that he can no longer participate in our training, that he complains about that I hide from him all the techniques of Wadô-Ryû and what I do make him and others only repeat the KIHON (i.e. the basic techniques) when he shows up for training and that he finally finds it a pity to spoil the training.
These statements, quite unexpected, stunned me and deeply saddened me; it is true that I did practice KIHON a lot, especially when he was there, but my intention was the opposite of his impressions; I had revised my teaching method almost in his own favor only. I also thought that this was a good opportunity to have everyone repeat KIHON because it was an exercise that we tended to overlook…
Foreword
A few years ago, when I was still living in Liège, I had a rather curious adventure. For a Japanese who was still unaccustomed to the Belgian way of life, it was very revealing of a trait of character specific for Europeans…
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The 5 Pin-An Kata’s – Yoshikazu Kamigaito Sensei, Volume 3
I. Preface: About Katas (by Master HIRONORI OTSUKA)
The following pages are first devoted to the explanation of the Katas “PIN-AN”.
The origin of the Katas’ names and even their spelling are quite often confusing. The lack of general data on traditional Karate seems me to have as origin an exaggerated tendency for dissimulation among the ancient Okinawaians…
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Each Kata PINAN separately and illustrated with pictures of Yoshokazu Kamigaito Sensei and Minekazu Miwa Sensei
Download the complete PDF book free here under
Download the complete PDF book free here under
Download the complete PDF book free here under
Download the complete PDF book free here under
Download the complete PDF book free here under
Highers Kata’s – Yoshikazu Kamigaito Sensei, Volume 4
This is the second volume of the commentary on the Katas.
Together with the five PIN-AN, these nine katas officially represent all the katas of our Wado-Ryu school. But I would like, at the appropriate moment, to present some others belonging to different schools. Indeed, a widespread concept in Europe tends to make people believe that those who know the most techniques are “experts”; I will therefore not be able to stand up to it all of a sudden. On the other hand, Master OHTSUKA, the founder, himself went through a period when he tried about fifteen katas, including BASSAI, WANSHU …
We are going to follow a kind of evolution of species, so to speak, to accomplish individual evolution similar to an embryo.
But anyway, the world of the nine katas is … for the moment and as you could read in the preface of the previous volume … a world whose elements are closely linked; in other words, it is a closed world.
Kata such as BASSAI, WANSHU … which the disciples of Wadô-Ryû had studied in the past, cannot find a place for themselves within this world. However, I hope that one can study other katas by comparing them with those of Wadô-Ryû in order to understand the true meaning of Wadô-Ryû…
Fundamentals Yaku Soku Kumite – Yoshikazu Kamigaito Sensei, Volume 5
To be translated…, see on this site french or flemish version
Renzoku Kumite or Endless Kumite Yoshikazu Kamigaito Sensei, Volume 5 – Annex
Foreword
Renzoku Kumite was developed by Kamigaito Sensei during his stay in Belgium … in the 70s of the last century.
He was surprised by the rigid way in which Europeans practised Karate.
Hip movements, specific to ‘Budo’, were very weakly present. The concept of ‘soft’ was confused with ‘agile’.
He was therefore convinced that karatekas in Belgium, with such an approach, would not be able to grasp the subtle movements of Wado-Ryu such as those taught in Kihon Kumite…
Shiai – Yoshikazu Kamigaito Sensei, Volume 6
To be translated…, see on this site french or flemish version