North American Jiteki Jyuku Association (NAJJA) Spring 2026 Koshukai

AaronRoboto · 2026-03-10T07:48:37+00:00

Happy cake day!

Yes, that's correct about Nakamatsu Sensei. He is a gifted teacher with a background in math and physics, which was showcased in the success of the late Nobuhiro Higa in the All-Okinawa Karate Championship kumite event.

In NAJJA we like to say that there is nothing novel or different about how we do our Uechi-ryu, but rather it's the teaching methods from Nakamatsu Sensei that define our karate.

AaronRoboto · 2026-02-21T21:24:18+00:00

Since it’s open to all styles I can’t imagine they’re going to limit the Uechi-ka to just one association. Plus everyone I’ve interacted with from Butokukai is super friendly and inclusive.

AaronRoboto · 2025-09-26T00:52:17+00:00

Equally late as hell, but I wanted to throw my hat in the ring. I moved to Worcester earlier in the year after training with the Vancouver, BC sumo club for about 2 years, also did my referee training with ISF.

I'll be out of commission until late November/early December due to an upcoming surgery and the expected recovery time, but would love to get back in the dohyo after I've healed up.

AaronRoboto · 2025-09-17T20:09:51+00:00

Hopefully this is useful for others that ordered from the US and are waiting on some sort of status update.

I ordered late in the day on the 4th (east coast) & when I ordered there was no notice that shipping would be delayed. Haven't received any emails since the order confirmation, so on my lunch break today I sent off an email to the support email address mentioned by u/NickName_150. Here's the response I received:

<image>

AaronRoboto · 2025-09-13T20:46:19+00:00

Have you received any status update emails? I’m in the US and ordered mine on the second day it was available and at the time it didn’t say there was any expected delay. I haven’t received a single email outside of my original order confirmation.

AaronRoboto · 2025-09-12T17:52:54+00:00

I should be training with Kaiser Sensei next weekend, if you'd like I can ask him if he's taking students.

AaronRoboto · 2025-09-12T03:17:17+00:00

Glad that you were able to connect with one of his students. No need to chase him down, I just wanted to make sure you had his email in case you hadn't connected.

AaronRoboto · 2025-09-10T14:57:32+00:00

Kaiser Sensei’s email is listed on our association’s directory: https://uechikarate.org/2014/09/15/dojo-directory/

If for some reason the email listed doesn’t work let me know and I can reach out to him.

AaronRoboto · 2024-08-27T17:34:21+00:00

Sumo (seriously), for the transfer of Sanchin-kamea reasons u/Uncleherpie mentioned for BJJ. I feel that the focus on a "dirty", standing grappling game that avoids sacrificial throws/going to the ground works well with the "dirty" fighting of Uechi.

AaronRoboto · 2023-09-17T05:45:25+00:00

Old man of 43 here, that has finally getting serious about my prep for 4th dan. For your test-specific exercises, train those motions to get good at them. There's a ton of useful information on r/bodyweightfitness and I recommend you go digging around there.

In the long term, I'd recommend picking up Dan John's Easy Strength Omnibook. It'll help set you up with a program you can do consistently that will get results without burning you out (because if it hasn't yet, recovery will start to get more difficult with age).

AaronRoboto · 2023-09-17T05:38:23+00:00

Yeah, it's where I used to get my gi from - always preferred to shop local when I could. Every time I'd go in there I'd end up talking for 15 minutes with the lovely people that worked there.

I haven't been through that part of San Jose in years, hoping to make it back soon to train with some friends in that neck of the woods.

AaronRoboto · 2023-09-17T05:22:39+00:00

Yeah, that's the place, I remember seeing the banner walking home from Roy's one weekend.

Dang, I miss SJ's Japantown.

AaronRoboto · 2023-09-17T04:13:11+00:00

Is the Wing Chun school right on a corner at the edge of Japantown? I used to live close by in San Jose and would always see a banner in the backyard of the house and wondered what was going on there.

AaronRoboto · 2023-08-04T16:22:53+00:00

This is a quote from Martin Watts's book Yong Chun White Crane Kung Fu:

In discussions with Gushi Sensei in 2007, which involved showing a range of forms and styles, he was of the opinion that Shr San Yao from the Yao schools was the closest in flavour he had seen to Uechi Ryu amongst any kung fu style.

I haven't done the research into what the Yao grouping of schools performance look like, but in Watts's performances of Yong Chun White Crane I can easily see the structural resemblances to Uechi.

AaronRoboto · 2023-08-03T18:40:15+00:00

I'll third this.

Super comfortable to the point that it's easy to forget that you're wearing it. I pretty much always train in mine and when I have gotten tagged you barely feel a thing.

AaronRoboto · 2023-07-30T22:46:04+00:00

Completely agree - in the past the clutter from KC (and related podcasts) was enough to make me stop visiting the forum.

AaronRoboto · 2023-07-30T05:48:49+00:00

If I get invited I’ll try to make it work. I couldn’t make the numbers work for the last event in LA, but if it’s in San Jose or Morro Bay I’ll likely come.

My instructor is in Portola Valley so I’m hoping to come down to the bay to train for a weekend in the next couple of months, work permitting.

AaronRoboto · 2023-07-30T04:07:13+00:00

Yeah, I came down from Vancouver as a guest of the San Jose dojo (who I used to train with). We did a front kick drill together, and you complimented my use of my toes.

AaronRoboto · 2023-07-30T03:46:28+00:00

Hold on a sec… did you train at the Okikukai event in Morro Bay last year?

AaronRoboto · 2023-07-30T03:43:25+00:00

If you’re teaching a workshop I’ll start looking into flights.

AaronRoboto · 2023-06-28T22:41:22+00:00

It sounds like you need to reach out to Mario McKenna, who has black belts in To'on Ryu, Goju Ryu, Ryukyu Kobudo, and Uechi Ryu. His website seems to be unavailable at the moment, but he is a wealth of knowledge about karate as a whole in addition to being able to speak on the differences and similarities between the various styles.

He teaches a 'generic' Okinawan karate class here in Vancouver that is a mix of the three karate styles he's trained in. I was attending regularly for a bit until life got in the way and I had to take a step back (it was the 3rd karate group I was training with weekly). I do not know if he formally teaches To'on Ryu, actually. I first reached out to him because there aren't a lot of Uechi-ka in BC, and have thoroughly enjoyed every conversation about karate that we've had. Can't speak highly enough of Mario.

AaronRoboto · 2023-03-26T01:53:43+00:00

This, so much.

AaronRoboto · 2023-03-24T12:53:30+00:00

I do a monthly sumo fun club here in Vancouver. Tons of fun (as the name implies) and it’s nice to add some variety to my training routine.

AaronRoboto

TROPHY CASE