Between the 26th January and 1st February, JKA WF Malta Chief Instructor Paul Falzon, had the honour of participating in the annual winter Kangeiko at the Japan Karate Association Headquarters in Tokyo — an intense, humbling, and unforgettable experience.
Each day began with early morning runs through the streets of Tokyo from 7:00–8:00am, followed by rigorous kihon and kata sessions at Headquarters. Training alongside senior instructors and learning directly from some of the highest-ranking professionals within the JKA was truly inspiring.
Beyond the morning sessions, numerous additional training sessions were attended throughout the day at Headquarters, as well as evening sessions at local dojos — fully immersing in the discipline, standards, and spirit of traditional JKA Shotokan Karate.
A special highlight of Kangeiko is always the final day — beginning with the traditional early morning jog, followed by a visit to a shrine, embracing authentic Japanese culture. The experience continued with a session led by Oishi Shihan, 9th Dan Chief Instructor of JKA, and concluded with the perfect attendance certificate ceremony and a celebration featuring traditional Japanese cuisine prepared by the junior HQ instructors.
This experience has been invaluable in strengthening technique, deepening understanding, standardising instruction, and gaining insights that will be proudly shared with instructors and students back home in Malta.
We remain committed to training directly at the source to continue to raise the standard of traditional JKA Shotokan Karate in Malta.
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We are also pleased to share that this training is being partially funded by the Training Initiatives Scheme (TIS), managed by the Malta Council for the Voluntary Sector and supported by the Ministry for Inclusion and the Voluntary Sector.
