Sensei Suzuki demonstrates the art of Ashihara.
© Marc Wickert
(previously published in Fight Times)
Previously in Fight Times (Volume 8 Issue 6) Sensei Suzuki had stated that he would be returning to Australia with the intention of cementing his friendship with Australian martial artists, and to develop a network between Australia and Japan as part of an international promotion of Ashihara Karate. True to his word, in May 2002 Yoshitsugu Suzuki was back in Australia, accompanied by two of his elite students, Sempai Kondo Tetsuo and Dai Sempai Darin Henry. Suzuki also brought news with him that Kondo Tetsuo would return in October for a 12-month period to promote Ashihara in Australia and New Zealand.
"In the spring of 1995, we first met Bill Wakefield and other members of the Australian Karate team in Japan, and they invited us to visit them in Australia. Since then we have travelled to Australia often, and they have returned to Japan many times. After these journeys, and seeing what Shihan Bill has accomplished, we have established a great friendship and network. And I decided that I wanted to see if I could pursue my dreams here as well. "So four years ago, I came back to determine if I really could achieve my goal. At that point I decided I really wanted to establish an exchange network between Australia and Japan. Many people here know about Ashihara, but they don't know the true, undiluted style from Japan," says Suzuki.
Ashihara Karate was initially developed by Kyokushin Karate exponent Hideyuki Ashihara, who saw what he believed to be an Achilles Heel in the regimental movements of Kyokushin. Hideyuki produced a hybrid style of self-defence that was street oriented and worked for all students, regardless of their size.
When Hideyuki passed away in 1995, he relegated the position of Kancho to his son, Hidenori, under the guidance of his top Black Belts, of whom Sensei Suzuki and Shihan Yuasa are included. "Kancho Hidenori Ashihara had the system bestowed upon him by his father, whereas Sensei Suzuki, Kondo Tetsuo and Darin Henry all chose the Ashihara way. At such a young age, Hidenori had the option of walking away, but chose to make Ashihara a way of life. The decision took a lot of courage," says 5th Dan Bill Wakefield.
The aim of Ashihara is not to break a student's spirit but to build the student's spirit. Its instructors believe there is no point in a person going to their dojo to avoid a beating on the street, and then being beaten up in the dojo. "There is no intimidation in our gyms," says Kondo Tetsuo. "A novice starts lessons at white belt level and is introduced to a less demanding standard
of training. As the student progresses through the ranks the training becomes more intense and challenging. The person becomes stronger mentally and physically."
Ashihara was designed to be a complete martial art that would be street applicable. Its practitioners are adept at grappling, should the necessity arise, but the style is formulated so that a conflict would be terminated long before a horizontal situation could develop. Kancho Hidenori is open-minded and has earned the respect of all his students. Because Ashihara was intended to be an art that evolved through necessity, he often calls his senior students together to discuss improvements or changes to the style.
Hidenori's father toured extensively, taking part in a lot of tournaments to see what was effective in various martial arts. He did boxing, and incorporated whatever worked effectively into his style. He added many of the take-downs from Aikido, and the shin-kicks and leg-checks from Muay Thai. In a street fight situation you have to utilize whatever you can," says Darin Henry of Des Moines, Iowa who now lives in Japan and is a disciple of the Ashihara system.
"There weren't any UFC or Pride tournaments in the mid-60s, so Kancho Hideyuki would challenge experts in any discipline to see what was practical. From his experiences he developed a system called Sabaki, where defence and offence are combined whilst fighting an adversary from an angle, rather than locking horns head on. He learnt much from observing sumo
wrestlers – not the pushing aspect, but moving to the side of an opponent and controlling him. These same principles are applied in Ashihara," says Sensei Suzuki.
Sensei Suzuki intends returning to Australia later this year and hopes to be accompanied by Kanch Hiednori Ashihara.
