Today we’d like to introduce you to Ten Hirakawa.
Hi Ten, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Growing up, I was an ordinary child and I always had a small frame. I wanted to be a strong man as a boy. I have two older brothers. My oldest brother is a Shaolin Kun Fu master, and he influenced me a lot. I was awakened by martial arts in middle school and started a serious practice from high school. I started with Judo in high school and then went on to karate in college. I was no longer the smallest kid in high school. I spent time practicing at a karate dojo in town when I was in college. I eventually dropped out and I had to move dojo from one location to another as a new job relocated me. I would also practice at an elementary school field after work about 4-5 hours a day. An especially memorable practice was an exercise that consisted of hitting a concrete electric pole until my fist gets bloody. I came back and did it again and again as soon as my fist healed. I had wanted to go abroad since I was 20 and a chance came when I was 27. I chose to come to the U.S. because the immigration process was the easiest at that time.
My dojo master told me to open the branch and so I did. I became the top of an organization and it was hard for me. My struggle came as I became the master all of a sudden. I started learning new martial arts, such as aikido, kobudo, and even boxing. Once being a student again, I learned how to teach. I opened my own dojo 35 years ago. This dojo is the 4th location. It’s been 44 years since I came to the U.S. After I came to the U.S. I met three excellent masters, all of whom use chi. Chi is flexible energy, where muscle has stiff power. Currently, I came to the point to teach the martial art technique I established. To summarize, that is to tackle a large force by a small energy. Since I came to the U.S., I’ve never fought, except a few occasions when I helped my students to get out of trouble. As a grandmaster, I was less confident at an early stage. I would come back to Japan and practice traditional training to cleanse body and soul under a waterfall, which helped me a lot.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
As a martial art practitioner, money is not a priority but about 20 years ago, I got really close to bankruptcy. Management posed a challenge too. My Japanese grandmaster asked me who is higher, the teacher or students. I replied and said the teacher. The master told me to mediate and I found the correct answer. The teacher is nobody without students. Since then, my approach to teaching has changed. That is my mantra.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Tenshin Kai?
Ten is my first name. Shin means genuineness. Kai means association. Tenshin-Kai means a group of fellows who pursue the genuine spirit of martial art. I pursue who I am and the meaning of genuineness. Martial art has two sides of spirit – to kill opponent and to revive opponent. In Tenshin-Kai, my focus is to teach integrity of both sides.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
Meditation Books, or books on building chi. Favorite story: There is a story about a monk and apprentice. The apprentice told the monk he will travel throughout Japan to find happiness. After traveling Japan for a few years, the apprentice came back and told the monk he was unable to find happiness. A monk then pointed out a small flower bloomed around his feet. This is the principal I always stick to. In the martial art, it is sadhana to find happiness inside of yourself. It is hard to teach this concept in different cultural settings in the U.S. but the bottom line is that I believe people are the same no matter where you go. I believe my American students can learn the spirit of it.
Pricing:
- Tai Chi – $90/month
- Children Karate (4-12) – $85/month
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.tenshin-kai.com
- Instagram: tenshinkaikarate
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tenshinkaiLA
Image Credits
Photos taken by Jeanne Tyson and Anna Herbert
