During the general meeting of SENBUKAI Germany on November 23rd, 2013 a new president
was elected. The former president, Chrstian John was not available for
candidacy any more. New president is now Michael Beck, who willingly accepted the
election looking forward to his new working. We wish him all the best for this job.
Many thanks to Christian John for his activities in the last 4 years.
A very special week
(with Chen Sensei in Nuremberg, Munich and Lucerne)
In the first week of may 2013, Hsin-Kuei Chen (Chen Sensei) followed the
inviation of SENBUKAI GERMANY and spend his first stay in Germany with
trainings in Nuremberg and Munich.
He arrived on may 3rd with the technical director of the honbu dojo, Frank M. Lin
and "Mr. Hunter" - well known to our Taiwan travellers - in Frankfort. After the
journey to Nuremberg and a little sightseeing we had a welcome party at a very
famouns japanese retaurant in Nuremberg.
On may 4th and 5th a very special karate course took place in Nuremberg,
where the participants were familiarized with Asai Sensei's Karate, a symbiosis
of Shotokan Karate and White Crane Kung Fu by Chen Sensei. It was teached and
deepend with a lot of basic techniques and partner training. The White Crane
techniques, with which Asai Sensei enriched his Karate
were completely new stuff for a lot of people. Also the katas Junro Shodan and
Joko Issei were teached which gained more insight to Asai Sensei's Karate.
Also the chief instructor of I.J.K.A Europe, Sensei Bruno Koller was there to
support Chen Sensei as Co-Instructor.
On monday we travelled to Munich, where another training took place in Pestalozzi
School after a small walkabount in the city. Chen Sensei showed his excellend ability
as a teacher by configuring his training exactly to the level of the participants
and the lack of space (due to a lot of participants). Relaxed techniques, especially
in the shoulder was his primary target in this training
There was no training on tuesday so we could show our guests the city of Munich.
Due to the weather, we began "inside" - in the "Deutsches Museum" and when later this
day we had blue sky, we could enjoy more places of interest in the city and had
a very pleasant stay in the famous Hofbraeu House. On Wednesday, we visited the
olympic area and after lunch we travelled to Switzerland for the annual
Asai Memorial Camp.
The Camp in Switzerland took place in the Honbu Dojo of the I.J.K.A Europe.
The main content of the trainings here were, like in Nuremberg und Munich
especially relaxed techniques. Due to more trainings, more Junro and Joko katas
could be trained and also White Crane techniques were on the schedule.
A very special feature was the Kumite Training by Bruno Koller Sensei where
it was very important to "feel the opponent".
On Sunday we had to say goodbye to our friends from Taiwan. The whole week
was very informative for us and we also had a lot of fun. Thanks to Chen Sensei,
Mr. Lin and Mr. Hunter for visiting us in Europe, and we hope to see them soon again.
Like every year at year-end we had our chief instructor for Europe
Sensei Bruno Koller, 8th DAN from Switzerland for a course in Neufahrn
on 1st of December.
The focus this year was kumite training and Bruno Sensei lead
the participants in an incomparable way from simple practices with partner
to jiyu kumite. We saw intensive fights and Bruno Senseis main request
was to "feel" the component and relaxed techniques. This will bei the
main items to be trained in future.
Many thanks to Bruno Sensei for those informative hours of training
and we're looking forward to his next visit to Germany.
Visit to Honbu Dojo in Taiwan
At the end of october, we, that's Christian John and Gerhard Schoenfelder
went to Taiwan for a one week practising karate in the I.J.K.A Honbu Dojo.
We already started training on the arrival day and did so the whole week:
up to 6 hours a day we have been in the gym and we especially were trained
by Chen Sensei. He found even the smallest mistakes in our karate and gave
us a lot of hints for improvement - enough stuff, that has to be done in the
next months and years. Our Asai Katas were updated, basics were trained as
well as kumite, so we were pretty busy that week. In addition all our
activities were watched by Shihan Chen Hung-Tsung, who also gave us a lot
of advices for our karate training. Shihan Chen (9. DAN Karate and over
70 year of experience in martial arts) impressed us with his enormous knowledge
in martial arts.
Besides karate we had a lot to do and to see in Taipei and Taiwan because
all our taiwanese friends took care about us a lot an we were able to
experience their unbelievable hospitality again. Excursions were organized
and we were always invited for lunch or dinner so we also had some culinary
experiences.
We never learned as much as in this week, had a lot of fun, new friendship
were bulit and we want to say thank you again to Chen Shihan, Chen sensei,
Mr. Lin and all our taiwanese friends for a really unforgettable week.
Xiexie!
2. DAN for Michael Beck
In occasion of the Asai Memorial Camp in Lucerne, Switzerland, a DAN examination took place on
friday, Mai 18th 2012. Michael Beck met this challenge after intensive training in the last months
and passed the test for NIDAN under the eyes of Koller Sensei, Chen Sensei and Riedinger Sensei.
Congratulations
Asai Memorial Camp 2012 in Lucerne
From May 17th to may 20th numerous karatekas from Switzerland, Italy and Germany met at the
annual Asai Memorial Karate Camp. Optimally organized by Budoschule Luzern a special thank goes to
Selina Koller who worked very hard for this event.
The instructors Chen Sensei and Koller Sensei managed to make us work physicaly and mentally. Chen
Sensei inspired us with well-thought excercises and basic combinations, where in particular relaxed
shoulders and big movements were the focus. In addition, Junro and Joko katas were practised as well as
exercises with partner. Everything - of course - with detailled explications and hints from Chen
Sensei and again we could see his immense knowledge of karate.
The meaning of karate spirit was impressivly shown by Bruno Koller Sensei in his Kumite training.
On saturday, Mr. Lin, the Chief Manager of I.J.K.A. Taiwan visited the camp and he also stayed and
watched the training on Sunday.
Altogether we hat four great days in Switzerland, learned a lot and got lots of training material for
the following months.
Former students of Asai
Sensei published material which was not authorized by I.J.K.A. This is not
according to budo custom and etiquette. Please find an according statement of Mrs
Asai here.
Sensei Bruno Koller in Neufahrn
On Saturday Oct 29th we could
welcome our chief instructor for Europe Sensei Bruno Koller to a course in
the Neufahrn dojo and it again was an exceptionnel karate day.
After a short warm up we began with kihon and quickly passed over
to kumite training. The issue here was not special techniques or
combinations, Bruno Sensei showed us in a very impressive manner the
importance of accurate breathing and relaxed movements. Also the right
mental approach is imporant for success.
Differenz blocks with
arms and legs were trained and also here everything was made without the
common force. We could discover, that success can be obtained with minimal
power.
We finished trainig with Heian and Junro katas and
afterwards had the chance to talk and discuss during an indian dinner.
8. DAN for Sensei Bruno Koller
On Tuesday, August 9th, 2011
our teacher Bruno Koller was awarded the 8th DAN by the chief instructor
Chen Hontsung Sensei, 9th DAN. The ceremony was attended by Mrs Keiko
Asai, president of I.J.K.A and other members of the instrcutor commitee
including Chen Hsien-Kuei (Chen Sensei) and Kidokoro Toshiyuki Sensei.
With the award the merits of Bruno Sensei about spreading the
karate of his teacher Asai Tetsuhiko, 10th DAN (1935 - 2006) worldwide and
in Europe were appreciated. As I.J.K.A chief instructor for Europe he is
still regularly teaching karate students on courses and in his dojo in
Lucerne.
International Karate Tournament and Seminar in Taipei
The I.J.K.A
invited to a karate event in Taipei/Taiwan with Trounament and Seminar at
August 6th and 7th 2011.
We - Otto Riedinger, Michael Beck and
Gerhard Schoenfelder - followed this inivitaion to represent SENBUKAI
GERNAMY in Taiwan and we did not regret have done so.
The first
surprise awaited us already at the airport in Taipei because we were not
picked up by only somebody, but Toshiyuki Kidokoro Sensei, 6th DAN and
member of the international instructor committee. After we were taken to
our hotel we were shown the closer environment of the hotel and the gym in
the center of Taipei and by an inivitation for dinner we got a first
impression of taiwanese food and the "taiwanese conventions concerning
beer drinking".
On friday evening the actual event started with a
greeting party where all participants from Switzerland, France, Italy,
China, Japan and other countries were presented personally by Mrs Keiko
Asai, the president of I.J.K.A.
The international tournament was held on
Saturday with all competitions in Kata and Kumite. We all were registered
for both, kata and kumite, Michael at the "normal aldults", Otto and
Gerhard at the "veterans aged over 40" therefore we had a lot to do. The
technical level was very high and high-class karate and interesting fights
could be seen. Gerhard reached the final in kumite but was beaten there by
the italian Formenton. A break in the tournament was used for interesting
presentations of Iaido, Aikido and a self defense demonstration by
Kidokoro Sensei.
On Sunday study was announced, the seminar started in the morning. Chen
Sensei started the training with Junro and Joko katas, the target was
particularly the uniformity of techniques within the katas, which
meanwhile hat a lot of different versions all over the world. After that,
Shuseki Shihan Chen Hontsung took over the training. We already could
experience his charisma at the greeting party and now we saw a part of his
martial arts experience that goes back up to 70 years. He pointed out that
to hit a target it is not necessary to use a crowbar, simple movements are
sufficient.
This exceptionnel karate weekend passed by much too
fast and after a sightseeing tour on Monday we had to say goodbye again.
Besides a lot of fotos we took along a lot of new impressions and of
course also plenty of new ideas for the karate training in future.
We were thrilled about the perfect organization of the event and
overwhelmed by the infinite hospitality that was shown to us by our
taiwanese friends. We like to say thank you again for everything and are
looking forward to the next I.J.K.A event.
The last months were full
of training for our president Christian John, basic techniques had to be
practiced, katas brought to perfection, a lot of kumite was trained and
besides that background knowledge about karate had to be learned for
preparation for the next grade.
On saturday, Juni 4th he met the
challenge of the DAN test for NIDAN under the examiners Chen Sensei,
Koller Sensei and Riedinger Sensei with success.
Congratulations.
Asai Karate Camp 2011 in Gams / Schweiz
June 2nd was the time for the
Highlight of the year in Switzerland, the Asai Karate Camp. Like last year
the instructors Chen Sensei, 7th DAN from Taiwan and Koller Sensei, 7th
DAN from Switzerland showed and teached Karate at it's best.
The
exercises and combinations of Chen Sensei trained our basic techniques
and contain a lot of stuff for training in the following months. Junro
katas and "normal" Shotokan Katas were also in the training program and we
could experience the wide knowledge of Chen Sensei in Kata and their
application.
An extra "goodie" were Bruno Sensei's kumite
trainings containing not certain techniques but the basic approach and
performance during kumite. A training like this is rarely found in courses and besides that, we could see that Bruno's legendary speed is still
unachievable.
On October 23th we invited Sensei
Bruno Koller from Switzerland for a course in Neufahrn. Topic of the
course was besides basics special Asai techniques, kumite and of course
Kata.
In the morning we started with shotokan basics followed by
special Asai techniques, particularly block techniques, which have to be
performed soft and fluently in contrast to hard shotokan blocks. After an
elementary training of these techniques we could test their effectiveness
in Kihon Ippon / Jiyu Ippon Kumite.
In the afternoon, Bruno Sensei
presented block techniques with the legs, also performed in a soft way.
After that, Junro Shodan and Junro Godan were teached, followed by
shotokan Katas like Bassai Dai and Empi. In this way Bruno Sensei left al
lot of material for us to train in the future. During a collective dinner
in a Greek restaurant in Neufahrn he told us a lot of stories happened
during his stays in Japan.
Thank you very much to Bruno Sensei for
a super training. We hope to say hello to Bruno Koller soon again for
another excellent Karate Day.
The Asai Memorial Camp took
place in Gams/Switzerland vom May 13 to May 16. Compared to the last
years, the weather was cool and rainy but in the gym we had a Qi Gong and
Karate course at its best. The everyday's training started with a one hour
instruction of Qi Gong by Mrs Keiko Asai, after that the karate course was
held by Chen Sensei from Honbu Dojo in Taiwan (7th DAN), Koller Sensei,
the chief instructor of Europe from Switzerland (7th DAN) and Dormenko
Sensei from Russia. Besides the normal Kihon and Kumite the main training
topic was snapped techniqes, especially from the shoulder, which were
teached be Chen Sensein in serveral exercises. Furthermore, Junro and
Joko Katas were practiced. After the second training on sunday everyone
had enough input for learning and excecising the next weeks and months. We had a lot of fun, learned a lot and have to thank the senseis for this big
karate event. We hope to meet again next year at the Asai Memorial Camp
2011.
Picturs of the camp 2010 can be seen in the gallery
On October 24, 2020 the Chief Instructor of I.J.K.A, Chen Hontsung passed
away in his 93th year of life. He was Nidaime ("second generation") Shuseki
Shihan and successor of his brother-in-law Asai Tetsuhiko in leading the
International Japan Bujutsu Karate Organization (I.J.K.A.).
Karateka from Switzerland and Germany arrived to spend a common training
weekend. Chen Sensei teachd principially simple technics, where he specially
attached great importance to an effective execution of defense technics.
First single technics where practiced, subsequently they were trained within
combinations with fast movements forward and backward.
The excellent teaching by Chen Shihan and the meeting of old friends made this seminar a full success. Bruno Koller Shihan 8-DAN from Switzerland, Chief Instructor for IJKA Europe, despite his illness also visited the seminar to meet with Chen Shihan.
The next day began with the I.J.K.A. technical seminar under supervision of Grandmaster Shihan Hontsung Chen and his son Shihan Hsin-Koei Chen. Here, we learned about the essential aspects of Asai-Karate and applied its principles in practical exercises. Our teachers put great value on body rotations, utilization of the chain of body joints and a smart use of the opponent's power.
After our great physical exertion of the past days, we could visit the night market of Taipeh and Tamsui as well as the Taiwanese National Palace Museum with its millennia-old jade sculptures, in a relaxed atmosphere. Our journey has concluded with an extraordinary visit at tea master Zhu and a trip to the northern mountains of Taiwan.
where the participants were familiarized with Asai Sensei's Karate, a symbiosis
of Shotokan Karate and White Crane Kung Fu by Chen Sensei. It was teached and
deepend with a lot of basic techniques and partner training. The White Crane
techniques, with which Asai Sensei enriched his Karate
were completely new stuff for a lot of people. Also the katas Junro Shodan and
Joko Issei were teached which gained more insight to Asai Sensei's Karate.
Also the chief instructor of I.J.K.A Europe, Sensei Bruno Koller was there to
support Chen Sensei as Co-Instructor.
On monday we travelled to Munich, where another training took place in Pestalozzi
School after a small walkabount in the city. Chen Sensei showed his excellend ability
as a teacher by configuring his training exactly to the level of the participants
and the lack of space (due to a lot of participants). Relaxed techniques, especially
in the shoulder was his primary target in this training
Like every year at year-end we had our chief instructor for Europe
Sensei Bruno Koller, 8th DAN from Switzerland for a course in Neufahrn
on 1st of December.
The focus this year was kumite training and Bruno Sensei lead
the participants in an incomparable way from simple practices with partner
to jiyu kumite. We saw intensive fights and Bruno Senseis main request
was to "feel" the component and relaxed techniques. This will bei the
main items to be trained in future.
From May 17th to may 20th numerous karatekas from Switzerland, Italy and Germany met at the
annual Asai Memorial Karate Camp. Optimally organized by Budoschule Luzern a special thank goes to
Selina Koller who worked very hard for this event.
On Saturday Oct 29th we could
welcome our chief instructor for Europe Sensei Bruno Koller to a course in
the Neufahrn dojo and it again was an exceptionnel karate day.
On Tuesday, August 9th, 2011
our teacher Bruno Koller was awarded the 8th DAN by the chief instructor
Chen Hontsung Sensei, 9th DAN. The ceremony was attended by Mrs Keiko
Asai, president of I.J.K.A and other members of the instrcutor commitee
including Chen Hsien-Kuei (Chen Sensei) and Kidokoro Toshiyuki Sensei.
We - Otto Riedinger, Michael Beck and
Gerhard Schoenfelder - followed this inivitaion to represent SENBUKAI
GERNAMY in Taiwan and we did not regret have done so. 
The international tournament was held on
Saturday with all competitions in Kata and Kumite. We all were registered
for both, kata and kumite, Michael at the "normal aldults", Otto and
Gerhard at the "veterans aged over 40" therefore we had a lot to do. The
technical level was very high and high-class karate and interesting fights
could be seen. Gerhard reached the final in kumite but was beaten there by
the italian Formenton. A break in the tournament was used for interesting
presentations of Iaido, Aikido and a self defense demonstration by
Kidokoro Sensei. 
On Sunday study was announced, the seminar started in the morning. Chen
Sensei started the training with Junro and Joko katas, the target was
particularly the uniformity of techniques within the katas, which
meanwhile hat a lot of different versions all over the world. After that,
Shuseki Shihan Chen Hontsung took over the training. We already could
experience his charisma at the greeting party and now we saw a part of his
martial arts experience that goes back up to 70 years. He pointed out that
to hit a target it is not necessary to use a crowbar, simple movements are
sufficient. 
June 2nd was the time for the
Highlight of the year in Switzerland, the Asai Karate Camp. Like last year
the instructors Chen Sensei, 7th DAN from Taiwan and Koller Sensei, 7th
DAN from Switzerland showed and teached Karate at it's best. 
On October 23th we invited Sensei
Bruno Koller from Switzerland for a course in Neufahrn. Topic of the
course was besides basics special Asai techniques, kumite and of course
Kata.