Participants of the first ever 100 Kata Challenge on Okinawa
Some of you may remember that, last year, our dojo participated in a new tradition to celebrate Karate no Hi (Karate Day)–the 100 Kata Challenge. For those who are unfamiliar, Karate Day was designated by the Okinawan Prefectural Government in 2005, as a way to celebrate the importance of karate in Okinawan culture. The date of October 25th was chosen, as it is the anniversary of the 1936 “Meeting of the Masters,” during which the word “karate” (“open hand”) was chosen to represent their art. Last year, James Pankiewicz, the owner of the famous DOJO Bar, challenged karate practitioners around the world to perform 100 kata in a row on October 25th. This was a great success, and I’m looking forward to doing it, again, this year! To sign up, go to the Challenge Okinawa website!
This year, my friends over at Karate Culture have put forth a kata challenge of their own, inspired by Karate Day. Their challenge is simple, but fun–you record and upload a video of yourself performing a kata, and challenge someone else to do the same. For some, this is no big deal, but to others it might be a monumental task. Either way, it allows people to see the art you practice, and share in it. You can watch the Karate Culture challenge video, above, and my response, below. While I had three people in mind to challenge, specifically, I urge all of my readers to take part, as well!