Flight of the Sumo Wrestlers

How many sumo wrestlers can you fit into a small airplane? A lot apparently. And how many sumo wrestlers can you fit into a small airplane without the machine getting too crowded?

Well, that's another riddle all together. :-)

Any how, here's a story from Bleacher Report:

Rowdy Passenger Treated to Judo Throw

Japan -- Oh how sweet it is to see this rowdy male passenger being treated to a well deserved ippon seoi nage shoulder throw - by a female employee no less! Just frickin' sweet.

Apparently the employee was punched by the passenger when the 34-year-old man refused to pay full price for a train fare.

The woman tossed the man to the floor in self-defense and had police arrest the idiot. Serves him well, and kudos to the judoka!

Read more here: http://kotaku.com/female-train-station-employee-judo-flips-violent-male-p-1220258840

Improperly Collected Funds?

Japan -- The Olympic Committee in Japan is investigating whether the All Japan Taekwondo Association have improperly collected more than 20 million yen from national team officials over a four years period, according to mdn.mainichi.jp.

It is speculated that senior officials within the association have asked medical staff and coaches to hand over money because of financial problems the association are facing.

Judo Coach, Sexual Harassment

Update, December 27:

Prosecutors recently filed rape charges against the two-time Olympic judo gold medalist according to media reports.

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Japan -- A 33-year-old retired double Olympic judo gold medalist has been fired from his position as a university coach for sexually harassing a female student, according to sports.yahoo.com.

The man, who won the 66kg title at the Olympics in 2004 as well as 2008, announced his retirement from competition in October 2010 and became a visiting professor at Kyushu University.

The university stated that the man gave the student alcohol - she is allegedly under legal drinking age in Japan (20) - and harassed her sexually in September.

Judo Worries Parents

Japan -- From 2012, martial arts such as judo will be compulsory in schools across the country, according to english.aljazeera.net.

The program will help preserve the country's national sport of judo according to Japanese government officials, and for people who love all martial arts like we do, it comes as an apparently great decision.

However, many Japanese parents and also experts are voicing their concern - something which is understandable from the following numbers.

It is shown that 114 students have died (it is even said at least that number) and another 261 have been seriously injured while practicing the sport in school over the last 30 years, a number which is claimed to be five times higher than those shown in other large sports.

Is judo a dangerous sport? Of course not. Under safe guidance and qualified instruction it is way less dangerous than most other sports. If you take a country like France, where judo is a huge sport, there has been no reported deaths among children practicing the sport.

The point here is rather that you have no safety instructions in the Japanese school judo as well as non qualified, highly inexperienced teachers/instructors. Some of them apparently have been given just a basic three days of training before being set to teach children judo.

Combine that with a (Japanese judo) sports culture that is said to celebrate toughness, and you may have yourself an unfortunate road to more serious incidents.

Fukuda Sensei, 10th Dan

California -- Please forget the absurd nonsense of 9-, 15- or 20-year-old "experts" or "masters". Yes, the kids are great and cute and all that, but lets get real. Being a true master or expert takes a life of dedication to an art.

It definitely involves more than being able to perform intricate patterns, kick high, win medals or being handed belts like candy.

One such true master, expert and legend is Keiko Fukuda sensei from San Francisco, who recently received the highest honor of judo. At the age of 98, she has been awarded the ultimate rank of 10th dan. Bravo and congratulations Fukuda sensei!

She is the first woman ever to be promoted to this rank. Not only that, there are just three people before her, all Japanese men, who have reached that level.

Fukuda sensei still teaches at the women's dojo in Noe Valley, and she was reportedly in tears when she was brought the news.

"All my life," Fukuda sensei said, "this has been my dream."

A Great KarateKid

UK -- Reading about 7-year-old karate student David Agba here from St Mary's Island, really is the kind of stuff that helps me maintain a continued belief in the human race.

The big-hearted lad was reportedly so moved when he learned about the tsunami and earthquake in Japan and all the troubles the Japanese people were facing that he decided to sell some of his birthday presents in order to raise money and help out.

In order to further boost his fundraising efforts, the school-boy showed off some of his karate skills to friends and neighbors on the island ... for a small fee.

What a sweet gesture! Son, you are truly a shining example for the rest of us to follow :-)

"Calligra-Fu"

China -- Adding another dimension to martial arts, a Chinese man named Ba is here seen combining kung fu moves and calligraphy in front of onlookers at a park in Kaifeng, Henan province.

The 60-year-old man - dressed in traditional robes - is using a long and heavy (2 metes - 5kg) brush and water to create his intricate calligraphy. The signs can only last a few minutes before they vanish in the sun, according to metro.co.uk.

As in Japan and Korea, there's a deep cultural relationship in China between calligraphy and martial arts. Warriors and martial arts masters are expected to balance their lives by also being schooled in aesthetic practices like calligraphy.

13 Assassins

There's a new Japanese samurai-type action movie coming up, called 13 Assassins - looks like a must see for us martial arts buffs... Seems to be getting good reviews too.

Martial Arts Website Fraud

India -- Timesofindia.indiatimes.com reports about a 40-year-old man from Nainital - a science graduate - who has been arrested for fraud.

The man is suspected of hacking into the website of a Japanese martial arts association, and using it to trick martial arts' tutors across India, Sri Lanka and other Asian countries over the past few years.

Child School Judo Deaths

Japan -- A professor at Aichi University of Education, Ryo Uchida, has conducted research, showing that at least 110 children has been killed while practicing judo since 1983. Between 2009 and 2010, some 13 children have died, according to speroforum.com.

"Judo is an inspiring sport and very educative to one's mind," the professor said. "But schools must have a safety guideline."

Since Japan is scheduled to make the sport compulsory in schools as of 2012, it is reported that a number of parents are worried over these statistics.

One parent, Mr. Murakawa, who's 12-year-old son died following a judo class, said he had nothing against the martial art in itself, but a "military culture" imposed by some judo instructors, allowing punches and kicks as a way of teaching a rigid discipline to students. "The children - he said - for fear of being beaten must respect their coach, and never ask to rest".

Jujitsu Jim

Here's a great, inspirational article about 83-year old Australian gentleman and 9. dan ju-jitsu master Jim Oliver.

The elderly gentleman has been doing the art since 1961. Mr Oliver, who also dabbles in tai chi, said he began studying the Japanese art as a way to keep fit.

"I'm very healthy for my age with lots of movement in my limbs and I think that's because of ju-jitsu," Mr Oliver said.

Grandma Kwon Do

Not bad at all... In fact, very cool :-)

Here we have someone past her teens who actually have spent some time to achieve her black belt (and no, two to three years is not some time).

And not only that, the grandmother correctly explains some of the the difference between Japanese karate and Korean taekwondo - more than a lot of the MacDojo so-called "karate black belt" holders out there is capable of.

North Carolina -- At the age of 59, LaVerne Tysinger from Denton began tae kwon do lessons at the age of 59 and then set a goal for herself — to attain a black belt before she turned 65, according to the-dispatch.com.

Passing of a Legend

Holland -- After being ill for some time, the Dutch judo legend passed away at the age of 76 in his home town of Utrecht, according to rnw.nl.

Geesink shocked Japan as well as the judo world by being the first non-Japanese to beat their own title favorite - Akio Kaminga - at the Olympics in 1964. All though this was a huge blow to the Japanese, Geesink was revered there as a great judoka into his old age.

School Judo Deaths

Japan -- When a 15-year-old boy skipped judo practice, the boy's teacher was furious and stood waiting for him at the gates of his junior high school in Yokohama, according to the boy's parents.

The teacher, a former All Japan judo champion then reportedly forced the boy into the gym and made him grapple one on one. The judo teacher allegedly then choked the boy until he lost consciousness.

When the boy came to, the teacher once again choked the boy until he went limp. The teenager was thrown to the floor with such force that he suffered a severe brain injury - acute subdural hematoma.

The above is one of the cases referred to in this article from search.japantimes.co.jp, titled "108 school judo class deaths but no charges, only silence".

The Japan Judo Accident Victims Association has a special web site set up at at judojiko.net/eng/

Sumo iPad

Japan - It may seem the Apple iPad can become a hit among sumo wrestlers because of the the larger larger touchscreen keyboards found on this product, according to ft.com.

The governing body of sumo has said it would provide these tablet computers to each of the 51 training stables in Japan.

Magnificent Karate Example

I would like to encourage you all to take a few moments to read this moving and inspirational article from thenational.ae.

The article is about the magnificent work done by Mr Hosam Ayyad. Ayyad sensei is the head of the Japan Karate Association in Jordan and a much respected teacher of martial arts.

You can not be anything but deeply impressed with and inspired by the work Mr Ayyad puts forward for helping children with disabilities.

Mr Ayyad has dedicated 18 years of his working life to teaching children karate, those suffering physical and mental disabilities in particular.

Over a period of 18, years, Mr Ayyad has taught more than 1,000 physically and mentally challenged kids, many of whom come from underprivileged families.

I have said it before and I'll gladly say it again: This, to me, is what martial arts really is all about. I respectfully salute you Ayyad sensei.

Railway Staff Learn Martial Arts

Japan --Recent figures from 25 railway companies show that there were 869 attacks on  train crew or station staff in one year.

These numbers have led Japanese railway companies to train staff in martial arts as well as equipping them with pepper spray, according to telegraph.co.uk.

Dies of Judo Injury

Japan -- A 12-year-old boy died in hospital on July 6 from a brain contusion which apparently was sustained during judo practice, according to mdn.mainichi.jp.

On June 27, the junior high school student from Kannami reportedly collapsed while taking part in practice at his judo club. Official said the boy is believed to have been struck in the head.

Sumo and Gangsters

Japan -- It has been revealed that two stable masters in the Japanese national sport of sumo is accused of providing tickets to members of an organized crime group for prime ringside seats to a major tournament in July 2009, according to yomiuri.co.jp.

The accused stable masters allegedly helped arrange for more than 50 gangsters to get the tickets via a third party. The front-row seats are primarily reserved for sponsors and are not for sale.

Police are reportedly investigating whether the gangsters made any profit from the tickets. A police spokesperson said the gang members may have obtained the ringside tickets so imprisoned members watching sumo on TV could see them.

The revelations came just days after reports that one high ranking sumo wrestler has been blackmailed by former associates of a gang and is allegedly in heavy debt from gambling.