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July 6, 2024 • 11:28 » 11:51

The legacy of the famous Karate Master
arrives in Belgrade!

A great success of the Adligat Association

Okinawa is considered the cradle of the martial art of karate and many tourists from all over the world visit this island precisely because of karate.

During the visit of Adligat representatives to Okinawa, an agreement was confirmed to donate the legacy of the famous karate sensei Shigeru Takamiyagi (1935 - 2014) to the Association for Culture, Art and International Cooperation Adligat (Book and Travel Museum with the House of Legacies).

4,500 publications in the fields of karate, Japanese history and culture, American and English literature and linguistics will soon be sent to Belgrade. A karate-gi fountain pen and other items belonging to the famous teacher were also packed for Belgrade. The gift givers are his son Satoru Takamiyagi and a member of the Japanese Parliament, Mr. Kunio Arakaki, at the suggestion of Mihailo Hisashi Yamasaki Vukelić. The gift is sent with the aim of deepening the ties between Serbia and Okinawa and preserving the memory of the man who significantly contributed to the development of karate in Japan and Serbia.

"The legacy of one of Japan's most important karate players will soon arrive in Serbia! I headed to the other side of the planet, to distant Okinawa, to arrange the technical details of the transfer, but above all - to meet the exceptional people who have shown so much trust in the Adligat Association and me personally. The reception was impressive and the karate masters left a strong impression on me. Тихи и снажни, високих моралних начела, подсећају ме на српске хероје из тешких ратова. Quiet and strong, with high moral principles, they remind me to the Serbian heroes from difficult wars. The legacy of every great man is part of his soul, and the soul of Takmiyagi sensei is now becoming a bridge between Okinawa and Serbia," said Viktor Lazić, president of Adligat.

The representatives of Adligat were received by high-ranking Okinawan officials, and this visit was reported by a large number of Okinawan media.

Okinawa is considered the cradle of the martial art of karate and many tourists from all over the world visit this island precisely because of karate.

Shigeru Takamiyagi karate sensei
- the humble genius of the brave people

Master Shigeru Takamiyagi began his karate career in 1957 by becoming a member of two karate dojo that taught the Uechi-ryu style. He learned his first karate steps from the Great Master Kanei Uechi (1911-1991) and his assistants. Life will take him to America, where he obtains a master's degree in the field of English literature. He returns to Okinawa, becomes a university professor. Because of his excellent knowledge of English, he becomes one of the main karate experts dedicated to the popularization of this sport in the USA and Europe.

Although there were a large number of practitioners of this style of karate in Okinawa, Uechi-ryu was pushed to the sidelines due to the prejudice that it was a warlike and primitive karate, because the technique and the way of training were recognizable by their easy use in real combat, and many beginners came from the poorer strata of society with lower education. Under the supervision of the Great Master Kanei Uechi, Takamiyagi sensei published the book "Spiritual theories of Okinawa karate - history and technique" in 1977. This work, written in five hundred pages, breaks down prejudices and makes an immeasurable academic contribution to the study of the history and theory of karate, placing the Uechi-ryu style on an equal footing with others.

"Maintaining a high level of ambition while remaining among one's own", was the life motto of Takamiyagi sensei who taught his students at the school he opened in 1981. Ambition will make us constantly improve, but the roots and the connection with our own will remove the threat of loneliness and conceitedness.

It is well known that karate is much more than a sport - it is a philosophy of life. Professor Takamiyagi believed that acquiring a literary and philosophical education is extremely important for building the character of a karate fighter. One should be, as Takamiyagi sensei used to say: "skillful in both knowledge and combat at the same time".

Since the beginning of the 1990s, Takamiyagi has been a member of the board of directors of the Okinawa Karatedo Association, one of the largest karate organizations in Okinawa. He was, of course, a holder of the Hanshi 10 dan rank, but he also left dozens of scientific works in the field of linguistics and English language education, philosophy, the history of karate and other Japanese martial arts. His book "The Spirit of the Warrior - The Secret of the Soul" is still very popular in Okinawa today and is one of the must-have classics, and his encyclopedia of karate is considered the most important such work. Due to his immeasurable contribution to the development of karate, Takamiyagi sensei was declared a person of exceptional cultural importance of Okinawa Prefecture in 2011.

In Serbia, the Uechi-ryu karate school has been developing since 1973. Due to sanctions and war events, the Serbian karate schools lost contact with the parent organization in Okinawa. During the European tour in 2000, the teacher suddenly changed his travel plan and came to Serbia for the first time at the invitation of teacher Vladimir Popović sensei (Kyoshi 8 Dan) and Milan Dimitrieski sensei (Kyoshi 7 Dan), whose names are still prominently displayed in Okinawa today. This is how old ties were renewed and a new stage in the history of Serbian karate was created. More visits to Belgrade will follow: in 2003 and 2007, when, in addition to the karate seminar, cultural exchange evenings were held where Serbian and Okinawan folk dances and music were presented.

Takamiyagi emphasized that understanding karate requires a true understanding of the spiritual being. Therefore, in order for Serbs to be good karate fighters, they must know well - themselves, but also the mentality and soul of Okinawans. The professor insisted on a broad education and getting to know each other's cultures - he also wanted his Okinawans to know about Serbia. At the call of reason, the Serbian national team participated in the World Karate Championship in 2009, which was hosted in Okinawa by Master Takamiyagi exactly.

Thanks to the support of Takamiyagi sensei, Serbia has become an important center of Uechi-ryu karate in Europe. From Serbia, this style has spread to Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Greece, Russia and Ukraine in the last decades. Takamiyagi sensei has always emphasized that he appreciates the fact that, unlike Europeans and Americans, in addition to being very combative and diligent in training, Serbs are also interested in the spiritual side of karate. He felt at home in Serbia, and of the food he especially liked our the military beans. In the last years of his life, he remained eager to visit us one more time. He is now fulfilling that wish, as he will forever be present in his legacy in Belgrade.

Photos:
ASSOCIATION FOR CULTURE, ART AND INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION "ADLIGAT"