A wonderful tournament to nurture the healthy mind, body, and spirit of children! On Sunday, June 7th, the 3rd Kanagawa Prefecture Tournament of the Wado-ryu Karate-do Renmei was held at the Yokohama Budokan. A total of 345 participants took part in this tournament, with 18 members from my institute’s Wado-ryu Seibu team and 8 members from my sister dojo, Yurigaoka Karate-do Club team, competing. The results were: 2 gold medals, 4 silver medals, 7 bronze medals, and 4 Fighting Spirit Awards.
My son, now in his 2nd glade of junior high school, reached the finals in both the kata and kumite divisions, and although he lost, he secured 2nd place. More than the wins and losses, I was happy to see the improvement in his mind, technique, and physical condition, and my son happily told me about it. He said that the tournament champion, whom he had considered his rival for the past three years, had approached him after the competition and asked him to take a picture together. Like me, my son has continued to participate in tournaments with the goal of “connecting with others and becoming friends through the competes,” and I am happy that he was able to have the experience he wanted.
(挿入曲) ラストソング Last Song When the curtain falls, we’ll be apart 幕が下りれば 僕らお互いに離れ離れ Isn’t it ironic, only at times like this 皮肉なもんだな こんな時だけ How quickly it all passes by あっという間に過ぎ去るなんてさ If we have a ‘see you later’, any farewell becomes easier またね”があれば どんなお別れもマシになるね When will we no longer be able to say it? Can’t think about it いつ言えなくなるだろう？ 考えちゃだめだよなぁ Whenever it is, it’ll feel empty いつだとしても虚しくなるから The sparkle of a summer melts the ice ひと夏の煌めきがICEを溶かしていく In a feeling so similar, just a little bit それによく似たやるせなさにはほんの少しだけ The taste of the moment mixes sweetly 刹那の味が甘く混ざり合う It’s sad that today is ending 今日が終わるのが悲しいから Please, morning sun, don’t come out again 朝陽よ二度と出てこないでと I twisted the clock tightly, a comforting sound 時計をぎゅっと捻ったら慰めの音がしたよ I’m not done playing yet, I want to sing more まだ遊び足りないよ もっと歌いたいのにな Because there’s an end, everything is beautiful 限りがあるからこそ全ては美しいんだと To me, who’s cowardly with such logic そんなど正論臆病な僕には It’s too much to bear 振り過ぎて聞けたもんじゃないな With each passing day, little by little 月日を重ねるたび少しずつできていく The gaps in my heart, like a crossword puzzle, are filled クロスワードみたいな心の隙間埋められるのは With exchanged words, promised time 交わした言葉 約束の時間 What always lingers after it’s over いつも終わってから漂うのは Is the scent of the gunpowder from handheld fireworks 手持ち花火の火薬の香り Clings and doesn’t let go, the dazzling voice that remains on my fingers まとわりついて離れずに指に残る眩い声と The blue and hot ringing in my ears, I want to hear more 青くて熱い耳鳴り もっと聞きたいのにな The memories we created together 君と作り上げた思い出と To not let this happiness fade away このHAPPYを絶やさないように I’ll make a sound of laughter, deliver a ‘see you later’ 僕は笑い声を立てる “またね”を届ける嘆きの雨に In the rain of lament, getting a little wet 少し濡れながら Even if it’s the last day on Earth 地球最後の日だとしても It’s sad that today is ending 今日が終わるのが悲しいから Please, morning sun, don’t come out again 朝陽よ二度と出てこないでと I twisted the clock tightly, a comforting sound 時計をぎゅっと捻ったら慰めの音がしたよ I’m not done playing yet, I want to sing more まだ遊び足りないよ もっと歌いたいのにな I want to sing more もっと歌いたいのにな
We were able to successfully conclude our “Exchange Training Sessions” and “Exchange Competitions,” which were held every Sunday in May. In Japan, May is a busy month with elementary, middle, and high schools holding their sports days on Saturdays, and parents must have had no time to rest due to the daily events. I understand this well, as I also have children in elementary and middle school. Parents who can witness their children’s growth, and children who experience their parents’ kindness, must remember that these things are not taken for granted, but are made possible by the support, cooperation, and encouragement of people other than themselves and their families. Every time I hear news about the war, I remember my grandmother’s stories. In 1987, when I was 10 years old, my grandmother told me, “42 years ago, when your father was only two years old, I held him and ran through town trying to escape. Fire was raining down from the sky like rain. I held your father tightly and ran, determined not to let him die.” Looking into my grandmother’s eyes, I thought, “Grandma, you must have been so scared,” and at the same time, “I was born because Grandma protected my father.” The reason I started karate is because I wanted to grow into a strong and kind person who could protect my family. “Protect”, “Defense” and “Save” are the core principles of my life.
Someone told me long ago ずっと前、誰かが俺にこう言った There’s a calm before the storm 「嵐の前には静けさがある」 I know, it’s been comin’ for some time そうだな、そんな事がたまにある When it’s over, so they say その後に、彼らはこう言った It’ll rain a sunny day 「晴れた日に雨が降る」 I know, shinin’ down like water そうだな、水のように光りながら I wanna know, have you ever seen the rain? 教えてくれ、君は”その雨”を見たかい？ I wanna know, have you ever seen the rain? 教えてくれ、君は”その雨”を見たかい？ Comin’ down on a sunny day 晴れた日に降る雨を Yesterday, and days before 昨日も、その前も Sun is cold and rain is hard 太陽は冷たく、雨は激しい I know, been that way for all my time そうだな、ずっとそんな調子さ ‘Til forever, on it goes 永遠に終わらず Through the circle, fast and slow 繰り返すのさ、速くそしてゆっくりと I know, it can’t stop, I wonder そうだな、きっと、止められないんだろう I want to know, have you ever seen the rain? 教えてくれ、君は”その雨”を見たかい？ I want to know, have you ever seen the rain? 教えてくれ、君は”その雨”を見たかい？ Comin’ down on a sunny day 晴れた日に降る雨を
『warship boy』 The lake of memories, hidden deep, deep When my eyes meet those memories A sudden loneliness overwhelms me Gentle and lonely If it exists somewhere, if it exists somewhere Even if it’s the same thing, or something different that makes me forget it, that’s fine If there’s an answer, if there’s an answer I’ll keep searching tomorrow for the things I can’t find even when I search my mind The light didn’t shine through, but by freezing, I held onto my feelings Seeking, searching, wanting to repaint, wanting to forget Sad, joyful If it exists somewhere, if it exists somewhere Even if it’s the same thing, or something different that makes me forget it, that’s fine If there’s an answer, if there’s an answer I’ll keep searching tomorrow for the things I can’t find even when I search my mind Searching…
広い荒野にぽつんといるよで 涙が知らずに あふれてくるのさ あの時風が流れても かわらないといった 二人の心と心が 今はもうかよわない あの素晴しい愛をもう一度 あの素晴しい愛をもう一度 Come Back Our Wonderful Love Since we vowed “till death do us part” We have made sweet memories When we saw a flower We agreed it was beautiful But now we’re not in harmony With each other anymore Come back our wonderful love Come back our wonderful love
We once sang “Red Dragonfly” together The sky is the same as it was then We watched the sunset As we walked side by side But now we’re not in harmony With each other anymore Come back our wonderful love Come back our wonderful love
I feel like I’m alone in the wilderness Tears keep welling up in my eyes We said any way the wind blew Our love would never change But now we’re not in harmony With each other anymore Come back our wonderful love Come back our wonderful love
