(Photo caption: Attendees at the recent IKKI Ballinasloe Kobudu session. BACK ROW (L-R): Kieran Egan, Colin O’Connell, Henry Taggart, Ross Banks, Christopher Lynskey, Donal Monahan, Claire Harte, Leo Mulvany, Tony Dolphin, Jade Goldbey, Cathal Duane, Aoife O’Grady, Eoghan Duane and Roisin McCauley. FRONT ROW (L-R): Nik Aimal, Conor Coughlan, Kyle Burke, Conor Murray, Cian Coughlan, Roisín Ward, Conor Dolan and Denise McEvilly.)
Members of IKKI Karate marked a major milestone in the club’s history with a special Kobudo seminar held in the Emerald Ballroom, coinciding with the club’s 50th anniversary.
Kobudo, a traditional martial art closely linked to karate, originates from the ancient Ryukyu Islands of present-day Okinawa, Japan. The discipline focuses on the use of traditional hand weapons and has been practised by IKKI karate members for almost five decades.
The May seminar was delivered remotely online from the headquarters of the Itosu-ryu Karatedo International Federation (IKIF) in Tokyo, Japan, giving local students a rare opportunity to train directly with one of the organisation’s leading instructors.
The event was led by Shihan Ayumu Oda, Secretary General of the IKIF, who has visited Ballinasloe on several occasions. Participants described the seminar as a unique and valuable learning experience.
IKKI Ballinasloe currently practises five traditional Kobudo weapons, with the Bo staff remaining the most popular among students. Association club instructors emphasise the safe and controlled teaching of all weapons techniques as part of their long-standing training programme.
The seminar highlighted the strong connection between Ballinasloe and the international karate community, reflecting the club’s continued commitment to preserving and promoting traditional Itosu-Ryu karatedo and Kobudo.
As IKKI Ballinasloe celebrates 50 years since its foundation in 1976, the club continues to go from strength to strength, combining traditional values with modern training methods and international links. The success of the seminar demonstrated the dedication of its members and instructors and reinforces the club’s reputation as one of the region’s leading martial arts organisations, while inspiring the next generation of karate and Kobudo practitioners.
For more information, please visit their website: www.ikki.ie
