Hajime

About the Book

For several years, I have wanted to write the history of karate in Southeastern Massachusetts. However, there always seemed to be other priorities that distracted my focus. In 2009 I retired from my position as a police detective, and having been retired from the armed forces, I now had no legitimate reason not to devote as much time as possible to such a good karate idea—well, except for a brief period of hospitalization due to a serious surgery that kept me hospitalized for twenty-seven days and then at home for three weeks under nurses’ care with months of recovery. Karate history, in general, is, in some cases, somewhat obscured, including in the United States. I am willing to bet that not many people have thought of or proceeded to put in writing any historical account of karate in specific communities of the United States other than the Armed Services Judo and Jujitsu Academy in Pensacola, Florida, and the paper Helium by Can Tran. There are a number of historical writings as to how karate was introduced to the United States; however, I have not come across any historical account that takes us from Japan to the United States and to a particular community. There are also a number of historical accounts, but only pertaining to individual organizations or instructors. For this reason, I decided that this may spark the interest of other practitioners of martial arts to write factual accounts to the best of their abilities so that other young martial artists may draw some knowledge from these written facts or events. Even if this does not occur, at least the Shotokan practitioners can have some guidance as to the historical facts, at least in a certain US community. The reason I emphasize the Shotokan practitioners is because I have a greater involvement with the Shotokan system of karate. Perhaps this can be used as the basis of historical research or studies, especially among the college clubs and even dojos. I hope to keep your interest from beginning to end as I will cover a short history of karate in general and Shotokan karate to the history of karate in Southeastern Massachusetts. This will also be useful in recognizing specific individuals, masters, and instructors that deserve the credit and acknowledgment since karate remains a sport with less recognition compared to other sports. As Gichin Funakoshi often reminded his students, “The spirit of karate-do is lost without courtesy.” Therefore, this written account expresses the acknowledgment of those who brought karate to us, beginning at the grass roots of the communities, for this is how it manifested to national participation. This is one courtesy we often forget; it is like not knowing, or forgetting, where we come from. So often I have come across karate practitioners that are black belts and instructing karate classes and they do not know much, if anything, about how and where karate began and how it spread to all parts of the world. Sure, if you should ask any person with some karate interest as to where karate originated and how it spread, they almost always give the basic knowledge that it started from Dharma in India to China to Okinawa but not a whole lot more than that. In Japan, karate is a culture, not just instructions on how to kick and punch. As to this, I quote Funakoshi’s writing: “The ultimate aim of Karate lies not in victory or defeat, but in the perfection of the character of the participant.” Through this, there are a number of dojo kun to be followed, and the five most important are the following: seek perfection of character, be faithful, endeavor to excel, respect others, and refrain from violent behavior. These are usually found posted on a wall in the dojo. Additional dojo kun will be listed at the end of the book in both Japanese and English.

About the Author

Born in Brava, Cape Verde Islands (Portugal), Shihan Tone Resende immigrated to Boston in 1963 via Lisbon, Portugal. He attended New Bedford, Massachusetts, public schools. He was a school athlete in the sports of soccer, basketball, and track. He joined the US Marines during the Vietnam War, served overseas with the marines, and graduated high school from the Department of Defense Dependents Schools at Kubasaki High School, Okinawa, Japan. He returned to the States with the marines and separated from active duty to attend college and reenlisted with the Marine Reserve till retirement. He founded the Bridgewater State University Shotokan Karate Club in 1979 and graduated with a bachelor’s degree of science in physical education and health. He worked for the Massachusetts Department of Health as an investigator and code enforcer. After thirteen years, he joined the New Bedford Police Department. He later graduated with a master of science degree in criminal justice administration from Western New England University. He was a certified Massachusetts defensive tactics and firearms instructor for police officers; after thirteen years, he retired from the New Bedford Police Department. He conducted a number of self-defense courses around the New England area and competed in many tournaments in New England—regional, national, and international. He was also awarded as the All-American Competitor and Senior Men’s National Champion by the USA Karate Federation in 1990. Born in Brava, Cape Verde Islands (Portugal), Shihan Tone Resende immigrated to Boston in 1963 via Lisbon, Portugal. He attended New Bedford, Massachusetts, public schools. He was a school athlete in the sports of soccer, basketball, and track. He joined the US Marines during the Vietnam War, served overseas with the marines, and graduated high school from the Department of Defense Dependents Schools at Kubasaki High School, Okinawa, Japan. He returned to the States with the marines and separated from active duty to attend college and reenlisted with the Marine Reserve till retirement. He founded the Bridgewater State University Shotokan Karate Club in 1979 and graduated with a bachelor’s degree of science in physical education and health. He worked for the Massachusetts Department of Health as an investigator and code enforcer. After thirteen years, he joined the New Bedford Police Department. He later graduated with a master of science degree in criminal justice administration from Western New England University. He was a certified Massachusetts defensive tactics and firearms instructor for police officers; after thirteen years, he retired from the New Bedford Police Department. He conducted a number of self-defense courses around the New England area and competed in many tournaments in New England—regional, national, and international. He was also awarded as the All-American Competitor and Senior Men’s National Champion by the USA Karate Federation in 1990.