Yoshitoshi Sato says he will never give up karate.
The grand master celebrated his 80th birthday at the Seishin Karate Ryu Honbu in Sandringham on the weekend.
He is one of the most highly ranked karate masters in the world and he has been in New Zealand since November 18 to teach youngsters one of the oldest martial arts, seishin-ryu karate.
He says the benefits are for the mind as well as the body.
“You learn discipline, health of body, friendships and social communication. It’s completely mind and body. I will never give up, only when I die in the dojo.”
In Okinawa he taught prison officers karate as a form of combative self-defence, including kata movements, small staff demonstrations, ways to use ropes to restrain prisoners and gun firing.
Prison officers who first learned karate from Mr Sato still return to train with him in Okinawa.
He says the movements used with each weapon also help the development of the body.
Teaching is a learning process itself, he says. “I enjoy teaching and watching the students to become better people.”
Mr Sato is the president of Okinawa Shorinji Ryu Seishin Kan Renmei and only takes one day off from training each month.
He holds the title of tenth dan, or degree, which was gifted to him in the will of his late master Joen Nakazato and sanctioned by the Okinawa Government in 2008.
It is a huge honour to have the grand master in New Zealand, president of New Zealand Martial Arts Institute Chris Dessa says.
Mr Dessa organised Mr Sato’s visit to New Zealand this year.
The trip was funded by Mr Dessa’s family and his students.
But the benefits are greater than the cost.
It will probably be the last chance for New Zealand students to learn from the grand master, he says.
“You have to remember he’s 80. It’s hard to believe sometimes.”