Keiko Fukuda Article Link (w/ pictures)
 

Greetings All,

I found a nice Judo article on Keiko Fukuda I thought some of you would enjoy. Includes color photos. Please follow the link:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...BGH429C0T1.DTL


Apologies if it's already been posted...I've been so busy lately, words fail...

Best To All,

M.C. Busman

Hi, Marion,

It is a nice article, isn't it? You guessed correctly, it has been posted a couple of times, but I don't recall the photos posted here with the original article, but "recalling" isn't suited to me nowadays.

Ms. Fukuda's Ju no Kata book should be available now, or will be this month. Good timing for a reminder to get the book.


Thanks.

Mark

According to Amazon it will be released on June 9.

It is also I believe Sensei Fukudas 91st birthday today.
I was recently in San francisco and was able to attend some classes at her dojo. It was quite an experience, I had no idea Ju no kata would be soooo painful.

I haven't seen Fukuda Sensei for 6-7 years I think.
Is she still throwing people about if they don't get it? How much is
she capable of doing on the mat?

Also I'd like to take the opportunity to brag about owning a copy of Born for the Mat, signed by the author :D

Mads

I saw her throw at least 2 students who were having trouble with a throw.
She walks with a cane but is not altoghether dependant on it. I was doing ju no kata and she came over several times to correct things.

She did some of the warm ups, sitting down.

Her students run around after her a lot with her chair. She moves surprisingly fast from one side of the dojo to the other when someone is doing something wrong. I am afraid I was the cause of some of that. As I was going to do ju no kata (Had never even seen it before) I expected to be corrected a lot but I was a little taken aback when after 15 years of Judo (And lots of pride in my extra attention to detail) my ukemi, my bowing, and finally, how I tied my belt were firmly corrected.

Most of the time one of her students-instructors taught the class when necessary but they seemed to have a basic routine of what they did to start with. They were kind enough to change the routine a bit so I could spend more time on ju no kata.

The Ukemi was especially fun, (it wasn't that I haven't been paying attention, it was that I had never been taught that way) one instructor corrected my feet one way, then another moved them a little another way, then the first moved them back the other way. Sensei Fukuda found the episode quite humorous.

She taught last year and will teach again as far as I know part of the Joshi Judo Camp for women in San Jose in July-August.

Her hand shakes a lot but for 90 years old I would say she is in really good shape.

And I also can brag about having a signed copy.

Why not attend the Itsutsu No Kata Clinic that will be conducted by: Ms. Keiko Fukuda 9-Dan? The clinic will be held Thursday April 29, 2004, from: 5:30pm-9:30 PM at Red Lion Hanalei Hotel, San Diego, California

Clinic fee (non-refundable): $25.00

For more information go to http://sdisc.com/judo/registration.html and click on Kata Clinic & National Judges Certification Registration Packet.

Jerry Hays
Santee, CA

Tournament Director
USA Judo Senior National Championships

Well, the itsu tsu no kata isn't something you see everyday, much less learning it, so it gets a big thumbs up from me, if I had a d'ruther.

Kodokan Judo books claim it isn't even related to jujutsu at all (Almost), so it would seem to be nice to be one up on them.


Mark

Well, the itsu tsu no kata isn't something you see everyday, much less learning it, so it gets a big thumbs up from me, if I had a d'ruther, Mr. Director.

Kodokan Judo books claim it isn't even related to jujutsu at all (Almost), so it would seem to be nice to be one up on them (Yes, they do that kata, so it is rather perplexing to read the little they have to say on this kata).


Mark

Yes that sounds like her alright. I am afraid I once made her laugh so hard she almost fell off her chair. I am not sure my kata has improved much since :(

Mads

Darn, I came back to spain a little too soon!