Hello Everyone,
You may be wondering why the Kogawa webpage has changed over the past several days.
In 1999, Williams, Sensei turned the Milledgeville Bushido Kai (circa 1980) over to Mr. Snider (me) and Mr. Mills. We then changed the name to Kogawa Bushido Kai and continued the Karate-do heritage started by Mr. Williams. On the Kogawa website we stated “teaching karate-do since 1980,” because we were perpetuating Mr. Williams’ Dojo. Mr. Williams has now started a school at a local health club. We are no longer affiliated with Mr. Williams. Therefore, we do not feel comfortable claiming the 1980 teaching date since Mr. Williams is once again teaching. Instead we feel the date we accepted the responsibility of continuing the Ryu-ha as our beginning date which is 1999.
The second change was the removal of the Motobu-ha Shito ryu reference from the home page. Based on conversations with Mr. Lenny Jordon, a direct student of Kuniba Shogo, Sensei the founder of Motobu-ha Shito-ryu, we do not feel comfortable claiming a direct connection with that Ryu-ha. We train the Motobu-ha Shito-ryu of the mid 1970s and early 1980s via the past organizational influences of the NKJU and IKKU. This begets influences from several other styles though deemed Motobu-ha Shito ryu via Kuniba Shogo, Sensei’s vast influence on both organizations. There are organizations that have far less connection to the Motobu-ha Shito ryu heritage making false claims of a connection. The Kogawa Bushido Kai does not desire any affiliation or association with this type of negative rhetoric. The Kuniba family holds sole proprietorship of the Motobu-ha Shito-ryu name and Ryu-ha. We will respect their heritage and change the name of the Motobu-ha Shito-ryu taught at Kogawa Bushido Kai to Kogawa Karate-do. This encompasses our heritage of Motobu-ha Shito-ryu and the influences of Richard Baillargeron, Sensei (NKJU) and Joseph Ruiz, Hanshi (IKKU).
I hope everyone understands these decisions. We look forward to training with anyone regardless of ryu-ha. All we ask of ourselves and all who enter the Dojo are to have respect and enjoy the art.
Sincerely,
Brooks A. Snider, Godan
