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The ancient martial art form of karate is expanding in the kingdom as advocates get down to serious training for a competition between the region’s most dedicated masters and the growing number of youngsters hoping to follow in their footsteps.
There are now two dojos operating under the wing of the Japan Karate Association (JKA) – Bahrain and a third is set to open as the kingdom prepares to host a major sporting event later this year.
JKA Tokyo Head Office is sponsoring a Gulf-wide event on November 20-22, which will be hosted by JKA Bahrain and attended by martial artists from all over the region.
“The event will involve a Karate Camp over two days and, on the final day, a tournament will be staged for adults and children,” said Ehab Eshehawi, JKA Bahrain’s chairman and chief instructor.
Japanese instructors from Tokyo will be providing the training during the camp and it will be the third time that JKA Bahrain and JKA Tokyo have presented such an event here.
JKA Bahrain classes started on the island back in 2006 and there are now more than 80 students registered. Its dogo is in Habitat Garden, near Jannusan roundabout. In late 2013 it also opened at a new location in Muharraq and is now working on setting up a further base in central Manama.
Eshehawi, 49, a deputy CEO and chief operating officer with a major Gulf-based banking group, lives in Budaiya. He has two children, Nadeen, 19, and Sammy, 14, also a black belt in karate.
He said: “The expansion is necessary in Bahrain to provide easy access to students living in different areas. We are pleased to see that there is high interest in karate, especially from the younger crowd.”
JKA Bahrain, a registered company, owned by Nadia Bugaighis, is a non-profit organisation that has two full-time instructors and four volunteers helping students of all ages.
At the weekend, 76 members competed in an inter-club tournament. The following students received trophies by achieving gold in kumite (fighting) and kata (form), namely Govind Nair, 12, Yousif Ashraf, seven, Rikuto Matsui, 14, Sheikha Jassim, 11, and Mohamed Ismael, 16. Other participants took 28 Gold, 28 Silver and 56 Bronze medals.
Karate is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. Called literally ‘empty hand’ in Okinawan it came under the influence of Chinese martial arts, particularly to that of the Fujian White Crane.
Late karate master Shoshin Nagamine said: “Karate may be considered as the conflict within oneself or as a life-long marathon which can be won only through self-discipline, hard training and one’s own creative efforts.”
