I am writing here to acknowledge the life of my teacher’s teacher…and mine, Sensei David Akutagawa.

My son and I began a journey in Karate in the Shotokan practice  when he was a little boy.  It was a very difficult time for us and we needed to become spiritually and physically empowered.  We found that by training three times a week with our Sensei Michael Prystupa at the time; we ended up blessed beyond our wildest imaginations. 

When I began  the practice of Karate-do, I learned of  a virtuous life…one of respect and diligence and humility.  I learned to go beyond what I believed to be my last effort.  I learned that I am important, interconnected with all else and that I am both a student and a teacher, for a lifetime.

When the dojo at the Talisman Center shut down, I went in search of another location to continue my training.  I sought out my Sensei’s teacher, Sensei Frank Prystupa.  I was captivated when Sensei Frank’s  son spoke of his upbringing in the study of karate.  It was a difficult thing to let go of our absolute loyalty to our teacher and so to lessen that difficulty, we decided it would be a good thing to be with our Sensei’s father.  And it was!

Now, these years later, it has been an absolute blessing to have taken the journey back to our Sensai’s teacher, David Akutagawa and to be learning the way of Renshikan, most specifically, Shito-Ryu. I was impacted to such a huge degree at a clinic that we hosted at the Mid-Sun Community Center.  The time spent listening to this man has made a lasting impression.  I think that it is a beautiful thing as well, that he professed his faith and spirituality throughout his lessons and that truly, I knew that I was involved with a very special experience.  I hope that you will take time to view the images from our April clinic.  They appear directly below the album Another Titch of Autumn.

Sensei Prystupa: Black Belt Presentation