André Bertel's Karate-Dō

This site is based on my daily practice of Shōtōkan Karate-Dō here in Ōita City, Japan. More than anything else, unlike the majority of other karate websites, this page is primarily dedicated to Budō Karate training itself; that is, Karate-Dō as a vehicle for holistic development.

Tuesday, 27 August 2024

和 (WA)

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和 (Wa) in Japanese is a concept which is integral in Japanese culture and is best translated as ‘HARMONY’. In particular, in the daily lives...

Friday, 23 August 2024

半月立ち (HANGETSU-DACHI)

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半月立ち (HANGETSU-DACHI) 立ち方 (Tachikata) Originally known as Seishan-dachi, the Hangetsu-dachi (the ‘half- moon stance’) is a mix of zenkutsu...

Wednesday, 21 August 2024

International Budo/Bujutsu Karate Seminar: NEW ZEALAND (February 2025)

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Besides my regular karate teaching here in Japan, I will be in FREITAL, GERMANY in two weeks from now (September 7th/8th). Also, next Febr...

Saturday, 17 August 2024

Visit from Brian Toomey Sensei

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My friend and senpai Brian Toomey Sensei (7th Dan) came to Oita. Brian Sensei is a direct student of Kato Sadashige Sensei and my teacher ...

Thursday, 15 August 2024

The 18th Asai Tetsuhiko Sensei Memorial Training

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Today was the 18th Memorial of Sensei's passing. Our deepest thoughts are with his family today. To mark this day, every year I (and a...

Thursday, 1 August 2024

Saturated Dogi

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I completed my first daily self-training for August today. It was an extremely hard two-hour session due to the sweltering heat and practi...

Tuesday, 30 July 2024

霞の剣 (Kasumi no ken)

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Deceive the opponent with a forward pressure, telegraphed arm movements and a 'must block' action. This is an example of the HAZE.....

Saturday, 27 July 2024

TRUE KARATE - CLASSICAL BUJUTSU: OLD SCHOOL SHOTOKAN RYU

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順路初段 (Junro Shodan) Kata at my self-training today. One of things that contemporary karate has widely lost is what I call ‘the generic persp...

Monday, 22 July 2024

Asai-Ha Shotokan-Ryu: The extension of 'JKA-style' Shotokan

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Asai Tetsuhiko Sensei personally told me that the additional kata were like ‘blank canvases’ when he taught people. He particularly stresse...

Saturday, 20 July 2024

48th Birthday Training, no comments, just images (unedited). OSU!!

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Andre Bertel: Japan; André Bertel is a Hachidan (8th Degree Black Belt) and A-Class International Instructor and Examiner in Shōtōkan Karate. He lives in the beautiful city of Ōita, Kyūshū, Japan. As a personal student of the legendary JKA Master, Asai Tetsuhiko Sensei, he is the Gijutsu-Chō (Technical Director) of the 国際空手道松濤館 (INTERNATIONAL KARATEDŌ SHŌTŌKAN—IKS). The IKS aims to pass on Traditional Budō/Bujutsu Karate in its purest form. He conducts a high-level instructor's program, and elite athletes training camp, in central Ōita City, which are both now world famous: due to the results achieved by participating renshusei/trainees. André Sensei has now trained for over 45 years and constantly in Japan since 1993. His daily self-training, firsthand learning from the very best instructors in the world, and overall experience is reflected on this blogsite. Welcome to André Bertel's Karate-Dō!

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