testimonial

Yoshitsugu Takahashi

- Q1:What made your child start karate?
  
  There was a dojo near my house, and I was interested in seeing the children wearing their dojo uniform and looking cool. I myself also wanted my child to learn “justice and power.”
- Q2:How old (what grade) are your children and you now?
  
  The eldest son is 1st grade, the 2nd is 5th grade, and I am 38 years old now.
- Q3:What is the color of your and your children’s obi now?
  
  My eldest son is brown belt (2 kyuu), the second son is green belt (4 kyuu), and I am the black belt (1 dan).
  
  The black belt dad and the colored belt children are wonderful! !!
Q4:By the way, how many years have you been since you started?

My eldest son started in the second grade of elementary school, and now it’s almost six years now, my second son joined at the same time and is almost six year too. I myself started a little bit later and is 5 and a half years now.
Q5:What made you start karate?

My children heard about it from friends and wanted to actually see and experience it.
Q6:Are you addicted to it?

Yes, I am
Q7:Daddy was really into it, but how was your children when they first started?

The eldest son was happily at the start, but the second son was always crying and did not want to go
Q8:It is understandable that your child cried. It must be hard for parents, but how long did they get used to it?

The eldest son seemed to get used to it immediately, but the second son took about two months. The second son is still depressed, but I just ignored that!
Q9:Now, please tell us about the match. When did your children start competitions?

I participated for the first time 4-5 months after I started
Q10:Did the children feel nervous?

I don’t remember much about the beginning, but I’m still nervous before the match. Karate is not a sport but a martial art. I’m going to the battle of hit or being hit so I’m very nervous every time, including myself.
Q11:Is there any secret to avoiding tension?

I don’t think there is anything other than training. As Mr. Tsukamoto often talks about, if you do the “preparation” well, you will not lose. This is good for work, but if you’re well prepared, there’s nothing to fail.
Q12:Does it mean that the dojo is useful for work?

Yes. It is very useful. I thought it had nothing to do with it, but karate and work are the same. It takes effort to win. You can’t win without daily effort. Feelings are also important. I learned at the dojo that it is ultimately important to cultivate a more correct mind.
Q13:Have your children changed before and after going to the dojo?

Yes, I think they have changed a lot
For example, my eldest son is now able to deal with violence from others without having a great deal of stress. I feel that his confidence in winning at any time and his tolerance have increased. One day, when there was an old man who dropped coins when he went to the supermarket, my son was able to help him pick up coins at his own will without being shy. I think I raised him up to be a child who can do the right thing in a straightforward manner. And he started to take good care of younger children, including my second son too.
The second son still has some weak spots, but he is taking care of younger childen at the dojo and also looking at his brother as an example, so I think he will continue to change over time.
Q14: Has there been any change before and after you started playing the game?

Perhaps when I saw the children who won the game and received trophies and medals, I became strongly motivated to win, and the way I approached the lessons changed completely.
Q15: Has there been any change in the parent-children relationship?

Starting from the topic of karate, I think that it has become possible to have conversations without the boundaries between parents and children, from school and friends to sensitive things. We are all men, but I think we have a very good relationship.
Q16: Has anything changed in your school life?

When they wait for results of tournament, their friends will pay more attention to them and they are happy.
Q17: Is there any difference when you go to the dojo?

I could make friends, seniors, and juniors like I did when I was a kid when I became an adult.
Q18: Is Tsukamoto Dojo useful to your life?

I no longer feel lonely.
When I feel like I’m anxious and worried in my life, the faces of my teachers and friends in the dojo come to my mind, and I feel a sense of security that “everyone is there” and that calms my mind.
At work, I was able to truly understand exactness as a criterion for judging things, and I have come to think about decision-making not only on the basis of interests but also on the spiritual axis.
Recently, I often develop deeper relationships from personal conversations with business partners, and I am able to engage in work on a scale that I could not do before, which makes my work more rewarding than ever. When I came to Tokyo with my wife from Hokkaido, I sometimes felt lonely because I didn’t know anyone. My family was my only relatives, but I could make friends at the dojo, and the dojo became a part of my life and I felt less lonely. I felt that the children are also taught by the instructors and seniors, including Mr.Tsukamoto through lessons, which supported the parts that parents cannot do. I think Tsukamoto Dojo is very good, especially in the area of nurturing the mind.

道場生の声