8th All Japan Karatedo Shotokan Kanto Tournament

On the last day of Golden Week I competed in a karate tournament for the first time in a long while: the senior kata division of the All Japan Karatedo Shotokan Kanto Tournament. There were 17 entrants.

The result: I was knocked out in the semi-final.

I started from the second round, where I performed Jion and won 5-0. In the third round I did Empi and won 5-0. In the fourth round, the semi-final, I performed Gojushiho Sho but lost 0-5. My opponent was clearly on a much higher level, with a fine performance and his hips sunk down properly. In the end, the man who beat me went on to win the tournament.
There was no third-place play-off, so I finished as a joint third-place runner-up.

Competing again for the first time since COVID, and going up against people from other dojos, brought just the right amount of tension and excitement even in a senior division, and it was a thoroughly enjoyable day. Fighting really is fun.
Kata was in the morning and kumite in the afternoon, but I had been asked to referee in the afternoon so I did not enter the kumite. Next time I will get properly in shape and enter the kumite as well.

That said, competing again after such a long gap, I was a little surprised that red and blue belts were now compulsory. In the past red and blue cords were provided and you simply tied one on…
Not wearing a black belt in competition has become the norm even at domestic tournaments; internationalisation in the world of karate waits for no one.