1st Tesshinkan Kobudô seminar in Latin America

2019, October 30 – November 1 Belém / Pará / Brazil

32 degree outside, 35 hours of travel, the 1st Tesshinkan Kobuô seminar in Latin America – this journey had to offer some superlatives. Frank Pelny, Shibu-Chô of the Ryûkyû Kobudô Tesshinkan Europe, was invited to Brazil for the very first time. The invitation was sent by Fernando Antônio Bastos Neto Sensei (5° Dan Shôtôkan, 3° Dan Gôjû-Ryû) from Belém, the most important city in the Amazonas region in the north of Brazil.

This seminar was made possible through funding by the administration of the Brazilian state of Pará within the scope of a project to promote sports with socially disadvantaged teens and youths. 30 participants from 6 cities (Belém, Limoeiro do Ajuru, Barcarena, Mosqueiro, Anindeua and Vigia) and all in all eight different Dôjô attended the seminar to learn the fundamentals of Ryûkyû Kobudô Tesshinkan, in particular the weapons Bô and Nunchaku. The participants, most of them already holding black belts in various styles of Karate, were highly motivated and made considerable progress.

Every day, two sessions of two hours were scheduled: in the morning a special session with the local multiplier Fernando Sensei was held at his Dôjô, the official sessions were held at his Dôjô in the evenings.

The open and cordial mentality of the Brazilians , their fondness for sweets and sweet drinks and their enthusiams for martial arts made the entire trip quite a pleasure. We wish the Brazilians success practicing and spreading Tesshinkan Kobudô in Brazil and Latin America.