Newsletter of Thousand Waves Martial Arts & Self-Defense Center, NFP
Letter from Our Executive Director
09.01.2023 by Ryan Libel
Dear Thousand Waves Community,
Summer always flies by – helped along by vacations, camps and our great Chicago weather. My favorite season never seems long enough! Around Thousand Waves, we have definitely done our part to pass the time with lots of great activities.
In June we again marched in Chicago’s annual Pride Parade – light rain kept us cool as we shared our art with about a million cheering Chicagoans. July was all about Camp Kokoro - Sensei Lucia, Senpai Zak and our wonderful crew of counselors held three week-long sessions. Campers enjoyed plenty of outdoor activities, a day at the water park, and, of course, lots of Seido Karate! We also hosted a tremendous sparring workshop with Ukrainian Olympic Champion Anzhelika Terliuga.
With August came a wonderful multi-art training experience – the Mejishi Alliance Camp. You can read more about our long weekend here. And Beach Training, a beloved annual tradition for Seido Karate-ka the world over, always rounds out our summer nicely.
Our Empowerment Self-Defense team has been doing great work lately. We had a full house for our public workshop, and I’ve personally greatly enjoyed getting out into the field to teach in a wide variety of contexts. The demand for self-defense remains strong and I’m happy that we can provide these training opportunities for the community.
As kids head back to school and the heat fades, we’ll keep focused on our mission of fostering fitness, healing, empowerment, and peacemaking. Thank you for your ongoing support of our work.
Sensei Ryan
Executive Director/Branch Chief
09.01.2023 by Thousand Waves
Senpai Bill Kouis is a Sandan (3rd degree Black Belt) training member.
Briefly, how did you come to train in Seido Karate at Thousand Waves? Sports and martial arts did not interest me. I played tennis while attending high school, made the team and I tried to stay in shape by swimming and lifting weights. I took ballet and modern dance in college, but I was not encouraged and eventually came to the realization that I would never become a great dancer, or even a mediocre dancer. I remember saying to a friend, “If I can’t become an artist, there is no reason to live.” I believe she just rolled her eyes. I got the hint, and later realized that I may not have had the talent to become a dancer, but I certainly had the flare for drama. Forward to about two decades ago, a coworker told me his wife, who was a martial artist, was accosted and grabbed by a large man at a gas station and she proceeded to kick him and break his knee and ribs. This idea of martial arts as something practical and useful instantly became attractive to me. I asked around and someone pointed me towards Thousand Waves. I was hooked my first day.
What is one thing you’d like to change about the world? Growing up in the 60s, one of the prevailing fears was nuclear annihilation. Today, it’s annihilation as a result of destroying the ecosystem. I would like to eliminate stupidity, but I am not stupid enough to believe that such a goal can be achieved, frankly. Many seem to live in the comfort of their stupidity. I believe the world would be a better place if we were less greedy and wasteful. Our economic systems are based on growth and the exploitation of natural resources and an ever-growing thirst for consumerism. I believe wars are started for economic gains.
What is one thing you do well? I was born with an innate ability to take things apart and, if needed, fix them, and reassemble them. It is gratifying to explore the various parts and logic behind mechanical systems. I attempt to extend this ability to understanding people but unfortunately, I can’t fix them, but I still enjoy deconstructing them. I’m good at helping others.
What is one thing you do not do so well? I lack the ability to utilize the few organizational skills I possess. I can be methodical and organize the task at hand beautifully, but within a short period of time it all falls apart. My friends awe me when I open their cabinets and everything is in place, sized, grouped, in alphabetical order, labels facing outward. I am better at helping others than helping myself.
Who from history do you admire, and why? I admire Eleanor Roosevelt. She was privileged (as though one should hold that against her) but suffered a number of tragedies in her life. Eleanor overcame many adversities and prevailed. She was inquisitive, compassionate, smart, tough, and devoted her life to service and to her country, often at odds with those around her. She was an unconventional woman with strong opinions who was relentless and indefatigable in achieving much good for many, a woman of vision. Reading her biographies made me feel proud to be an American.
Other than Chicago, where have you most enjoyed spending time? There are only two cities in the United States, Chicago and New York. I love them both. I have spent a great deal of time elsewhere. I enjoy ‘elsewhere’ no matter where it is. I am afflicted with wanderlust, everything and everywhere interests me. I enjoy urban environments and feel equally at home in deserts and remote mountain regions. If I could travel to the moon, I would go.
What quotation have you found inspiring or interesting? “Contempt prior to investigation” is a quote that has inspired me to keep an open mind no matter how right I think I am. I can easily be contemptuous of everything and everybody around me. Maintaining an open mind has proven more difficult than I thought, having lived a good part of my life under the illusion that I am a humble and enlightened man.
What foods do you like best? There are times when I eat to live but there are times when I live to eat. I have tried a variety of foods from street vendors to top-rated Michelin restaurants. Is it too simplistic to say I enjoy tasty food? I gravitate towards butter. I love pastries. Sitting here thinking about foods that make me salivate I think of grilled cheese sandwiches, pasta with mushroom sauce, spanakotiropita.
What is a book that has been significant to you? Southern gothic novels are fun and offer a glimpse into Southern life. To Kill a Mockingbird stands out in that genre as one of the greatest novels ever written. It is an example of how a short, concise novel can have a powerful impact on the reader and the world. I began to understand the South in a different light. Harper Lee managed to simplify and bring to the forefront complex social issues such as racial inequality, justice, the justice system, bigotry, parenting, and even sexual identity. It portrayed the protagonist Atticus Finch as a heroic attorney, a man with ideals and integrity. I love a book which brings me into the story in real time. I was there living that horror with open eyes.
What are your musical favorites? I listen to a variety of music, baroque, operatic, classical, Middle Eastern, Greek, and occasionally American folk. If I was relegated to live on an island for the rest of my life, I would bring my Wagnerian overtures to elevate me closer to the heavens, Callas recordings to keep my passions alive, and Gloria Gaynor’s I Will Survive to keep me alive and dancing.
“Thousand Waves Member Spotlight: Ten Questions for…” is a regular feature of Kiai!
In the next issue, Steph Maieritsch will answer these ten same questions.
Congratulations to our July 2023 Promotees
06.01.2023 by Thousand Waves
Twenty-nine Thousand Waves students were promoted to new ranks in July!
On August 4th through 6th, martial artists from around the Midwest and beyond, including a large group from Thousand Waves, descended on the Detroit area for the 2023 Mejishi Alliance Camp hosted by Mejishi Martial Arts, Ferndale, MI. There we had the opportunity to take workshops from teachers with decades of experience in arts ranging from Aikido to Tai Chi. Here are some reflections from Thousand Waves attendees:
What was one of the coolest things you learned or did at camp?
Ian Zeitlin: I learned part of a Tiger-style kung fu form and learned about the different animal based styles of kung fu. The movements really did make me think of the way a tiger runs.
Steph Maieritsch: One of the coolest parts of the weekend was being able to partner with some of the amazing teachers during other instructors' classes. I learned so much in the two minutes I spent partnering with Shifu Koré Grate in the Push Hands class, I am still in awe. Her ability to so quickly assess where I was and impart relevant knowledge and feedback to me in such a short period of time was inspiring.
Practicing for our TW Seido demo!
What was your favorite workshop and why?
Ian Zeitlin: I’m bad at picking favorites, but I really enjoyed the Tai Chi Push Hands class. It made me realize that I had done similar work growing up in karate. It emphasized letting the opponent's movement flow and redirecting it, but not necessarily muscling against it. I’m interested in trying to incorporate this into my sparring.
What surprised you about camp?
Selene Stewart (this author 🙂): Even after going to many workshops like this in the past, and sampling multiple martial arts over the years, there is always some aspect of the practice I had never considered before. For me at this camp, it was the Stunt Fighting workshop. I will never personally be applying my martial arts training to acting, but I found it fascinating to learn about this type of career in the martial arts.
What should people know about the camp?
Mary Foley: From the lens of a new TW person and a first-time camper, there was no obvious antipathy towards my lack of martial skill. I felt welcome to be there and to listen deeply. And I guess one thing I learned? "Listen" is the first principle of Push Hands. (And when listening is not cutting it, a fellow TW training member will probably appear and rescue you!)
In conclusion, we all had a lot of fun learning about different martial, self-defense, and healing arts while sharing some aspects of Seido karate with others. Osu!
Some more photos from our Karate Peeps Facebook Group – thanks to Senpai Bill Kouis
Did You Know? – An Occasional Column on Etiquette
09.01.2023 by Shuseki Shihan Nancy Lanoue
Let’s Talk about Titles
When I started in Seido in 1979, we addressed now Kaicho Tadashi Nakamura as Shihan. He was the only one with that title and his highest-ranking students were called Sensei. In the 45 years since then, many more layers have been inserted into our ranking system and along with them have come many more titles, the proper use of which can definitely be challenging.
The title Senpai is used in Seido in two ways. Firstly, along with a related word Kohai (which is not a title), it is used to reference the hierarchical relationships among dojo members. If you are a blue belt, you are Senpai to all the white belts in the dojo, and in that role, you are expected to help and guide them as best you can. Although it is not required for more junior kyu level students to address more senior kyu level as Senpai, they can appropriately do that to acknowledge someone who relates to them in a particularly generous big brotherly or big sisterly way.
The second use of Senpai has two confusing and overlapping applications. Firstly, it is used to distinguish those who have earned a black belt from those who have not. In this context, any kyu level student who sees a 1st, 2nd or 3rd degree black belt in the dojo, should properly greet them with “Osu Senpai.” However, only those black belts who have achieved 3rddan have the official title of Senpai and invited to turn around and face towards the juniors when we bow in and out of class.
Sensei means literally “one who has gone before” and is usually translated as teacher. It is a widely used term of respect in many contexts in Japan beyond martial arts, applied to all kinds of teachers and masters of arts and crafts. Interestingly, most of my martial arts colleagues outside of Seido use the title after the person’s surname (Lanoue Sensei) but Kaicho has taught us to put it before the person’s given name (Sensei Nancy).
Kyoshi as a title entered Seido after I joined but before I attained that rank 24 years ago. Before that, 5thdans, like 4thdans, were addressed as Sensei.
By the time the first students in Seido were promoted to 6thdan and allowed to be addressed as Shihan, we had, of course, already begun calling our founder Kaicho. The original Seido Shihans had all been with Kaicho since shortly after he came to the U.S. They were with him in Kyokushin and chose to follow him when he left his teacher and created Seido. The few who remain and are still a part of Seido are a highly revered group, separate and apart from all of us who joined after 1976.
In the early 2000’s, when a newer generation of students were given the opportunity to test for 6th dan, Kaicho decided to break 6thdan into two levels. He created a first probational level that carried the title Jun Shihan, which I and my rank-mates trained at for seven years, after which in 2013 we were tested and then awarded the title Sei Shihan, while remaining 6thdan. After 9 years at this level, Kaicho tested and promoted those of us who were still active to 7thdan and gave us the title Shuseki Shihan. I wish I could tell you what those Shihan level designators – Jun, Sei and Shuseki – actually mean, but Kaicho has not explained that to me.
Above my level, these same processes continue of creating new ranks and titles to honor the Seido organization’s most senior members and support its changing needs. The original Shuseki Shihan were promoted to 8thdan and became Hanshi, and then when the next group were deemed ready to join them, Kaicho created for the original group a new title, Eiko Hanshi, explaining to us all that Eiko means “everlasting light.” The three gentlemen who hold this very special rank, which will never be awarded again, are Eiko Hanshi Charles Martin from New York, Eiko Hanshi Renzie Hanham from Christ Church, New Zealand, and Eiko Hanshi Andy Barber of Nelson, New Zealand, who passed away in July of 2022, leaving an unfillable hole in the worldwide Seido community.
The title we began using for Kaicho’s son Akira Nakamura in 2008, is Nidaime. This title, beginning with the word Ni references Nidaime’s unique role as Kaicho’s designated successor and inheritor of the Seido system. With every passing year, Nidaime takes on more responsibilities. In addition to being the Head Instructor at both Honbu and Johshin Honzan, he is working hard to create a vision for where the World Seido Karate Organization will go in the second quarter of the 21st century.
Stay tuned for a follow-up article on Using Titles in and outside the Dojo, In Person and in Written Communications.
Upcoming Events and useful links
09.01.2023 by Ryan Libel and Thousand Waves Council of Senior Leaders
Upcoming Events
Sep 04, Mon
Thousand Waves Closed for Labor Day
Sep 09, Sat
Five Fingers of Self-Defense for Kids 7-11 4:00-5:00 pm
thousandwaves.org
