National expert Sensei John Ramirez will introduce some of T&T's top black belts to the age-old martial art of Hakko Ryu Ju-Jitsu. Ramirez will be teaching the fundamentals of this Japanese traditional martial art at a seminar on October 9 at the T&T Karate Federation (T&TKF) National Training Centre on Fourth Street, Mt Lambert. The seminar, which is also open to non-members, is part of T&TKF's plans to provide technical information for their instructors. The name Hakkoryu is based on a philosophical Japanese view of the colour spectrum as being divided into nine bands of light. The eighth shade is infrared, which is invisible to the naked eye but extremely powerful, as are Hakkoryu techniques.
Little is known about Hakkoryu and it is often misunderstood outside of Japan. Hakkoryu is a Ju-Jitsu system which uses the body's Keiraku (meridian system) to create varying amounts of pain to control an attacker without necessarily causing serious injury. Certain Tsubo (special points) along the Keiraku are sensitive to touching or striking and cause sharp distracting pain, but do not necessarily damage bones, joints, or other body tissue. These are the focal points of Hakkoryu techniques that a trained person uses to distract, dispatch, or arrest an attacker. Because of the non-injurious potential of these techniques, Hakkoryu is said to be humanitarian in nature. The essence of Hakkoryu techniques will remain elusive to those who have not undergone prolonged study of the basics under a certified instructor.