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| Carl Thompson |
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At what age did you become involved in karate and how did that occur?
I was 18 years old. When I entered Komazawa University I met an old friend from high school, who convinced me to join the karate club. That was the first time I confronted karate-do, at which point I started.
When you were young, how many hours per day did you train?
When I was a university student I practised karate all the time, except for the time I spent attending lectures.
What made you want to do the JKA instructor course and what age were you when you began?
The karate club at Komazawa University is very famous in Japan. The instructors then were Shihan Nishiyama (now an instructor in the USA), Shihan Shirai (Italy), Shihan Itaya (Argentina) and Shihan Ohishi and Shihan Mizuno (Japan). There were so many great instructors at my university and I decided to dedicate my life to karate-do when I was a third-year student at Komazawa University.
What was your occupation before the instructor course and did you become a full-time karate instructor immediately afterwards?
After I graduated from university I did not hesitate to enter the JKA Instructor School. I was also asked to teach karate at Komazawa University for PE. I accepted the offer with a condition that my commitment to the JKA Instructor School had first priority.
What was it about Australia that made you interested enough to come here in 1972 to teach karate, and why did you choose to open a dojo in Brisbane?
I had a desire to teach karate abroad, as other instructors did, but back then it was also the unwritten law that most graduates went abroad and spread karate. When head Shihan Nakayama told me that an instructor was needed in Australia, when I had just graduated from the school, I decided without a second thought to go to Australia. I chose Brisbane because Mr Mike Connolly, who established the Australian JKA, had been a great instructor and was in Brisbane — and he still is.
Please explain the relationship between the JKA and the JKAA and your role in that relationship.
Because the karate club at Komazawa University belongs to the JKA, I am teaching karate as a JKA instructor, but my primary purpose is to introduce Japanese martial arts, karate-do, as one of the Japanese cultures.
You have been the JKA representative in Australia for 35 years. What goals did you set when you took that role and are there any goals that are still to be achieved?
In JKA karate, the fundamental approach to master karate is established in the three essential components: basic movements [kihon], kata and kumite. There are 25 kata. Kumite has the ippon rule, therefore the JKA had it first karate tournament in the world based on these universal rules. I think that Australian practitioners of karate should be open to the world and compete against anyone in the world and may aim at the world championship. I do not see that goal yet.
Has karate changed in Australia during those 35 years?
Yes. People used to think that karate training was similar to the ones shown in the action movies. It has changed completely because Australian practitioners of karate understand now that the three fundamentals (basic movements, kata and kumite) as well as the spirit obtained through the hard training are really important.
What direction is karate taking? Do you believe that karate will change in the future?
I think that the young practitioners of karate are hoping that karate will be an Olympic Games sport one day and are quite sure it will happen. In karate there are four dominating styles; they will not be changed and will be passed on to the future.
Does the way that karate is practised in Australia differ to the way that it’s practised in Japan?
There is no difference between Australian karate-do, world karate-do and Japanese karate-do, as long as they train and practise karate sincerely.
Has the way that karate is taught had to be adapted to the way that Australians think, or have Australian students of karate adapted willingly and successfully to the Japanese way of doing things?
Australians consist of more than 99 different nationalities. The ways of thinking are, of course, different. However, many Australians truly love karate-do and train earnestly. We recognise that many of them have invited high-level karate instructors from Japan (whatever the style may be) and try to understand correct karate-do and Japanese culture.
What are your personal thoughts about karate?
Since I started the karate training and seek karate-do, I have come to know many people. Many of them have supported and helped me. I really appreciate that I have had so many good friends. All of my friends I met through karate have been my teachers. They are my assets.
What do you believe that karate has to offer people, especially on the level of their mental development?
In karate training, each opponent practises very hard. In such a case where both people are training very seriously, you may get hurt. I think that through the serious training you learn how to have compassion for others, even though you may get hurt.
How much time and effort should a student be prepared to put into learning karate and what will they get out of it?
The most common reason why people become involved in karate is for health and fitness. I think these people should train as frequently and hard as they want. The important thing is to continue training. Many people stop training. I think that if you continue training you will find other motivations for training karate. Recently, more people have started karate after watching a karate competition, since there are now more opportunities to watch tournaments. They begin the training because they want to win a competition. In that case they have to train very hard, depending on the size of the competition. You have to train more than others and you have to think about karate all the time — by that I mean how to improve your techniques, study the psychology of opponents and learn to control your own thoughts. It is polite manners to train hard before you fight an opponent.
What attitude should a student have when they begin to learn karate and how can they maintain the correct attitude?
Train hard and often. If you decide to train for karate, it is important to continue training. It is easy to slack off.
What would you say to someone who was considering becoming a student of martial arts, but who could not decide which martial art to choose?
Any martial art that you know or you hear about is fine. The aim of martial arts training is to seek perfection of character.
Do you have thoughts of retirement, or do you plan to remain in your current role indefinitely?
There is no such thing as retirement in martial arts. If you decide to pursue martial arts, you wear the gi until you die.
About the author: Carl Thompson is a photographic journalist and karateka, and a member of JKAA’s Queensland branch.
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