Celebrating a half-century of existence is a dizzying milestone. Participating in the 50th-anniversary festivities of our Oshukai school is, for our Oshukai Reims Champagne dojo, much more than a mere protocol presence: it is a moment of deep introspection about who we are and what we want to become. Standing there, alongside practitioners from all walks of life, is to physically measure the path traveled since 1976. For those who recently joined our ranks, it was an opportunity to discover with wonder the reach of Oshukai and the immense work accomplished by Sensei Kenyu Chinen in just half a century. Through archival videos, shared anecdotes, and the moving presence of his family, history came alive. It is also, and above all, an opportunity to look forward and question the true meaning of transmission.
The Weight of Heritage and the Regret of Newcomers
On our tatamis in Reims, generations cross paths. There are those with decades of experience, and those who have just put on their first karategi. Among these newcomers, a singular feeling sometimes emerges: a form of deep respect, inevitably mixed with a silent regret. The regret of not having known our founder.
Listening to the seniors recall the rigor of his teaching, the precision of his corrections, or the strength of his charisma, it is easy to feel a hint of frustration. A little inner voice may then creep in, whispering a thought tinged with melancholy: have the most beautiful pages of our history already been written? Are the best moments of our practice definitely behind us?
Yet, by experiencing this fiftieth anniversary from the inside, a very different feeling—deep and bright—swept away these doubts: the absolute certainty that the future of Oshukai is in very good hands.
The Precious Role of the Seniors: A Living Art, Not a Museum
This feeling of confidence finds its most beautiful source in the attitude of our elders. Those who had the privilege of training under the guidance of the pioneers carry within them an invaluable heritage. Their great strength is having understood that a dojo is not a museum of which they are the guards, jealously watching over memories displayed in a showcase.
Seniority is not a frozen gaze toward the past, but a hand reaching out to the future. By sharing their memory as a living source of inspiration, the high-ranking practitioners allow the newcomers to naturally take their place in this great lineage. It is through this benevolence, this humility, and the availability of everyone that the new practitioner feels fully legitimate to appropriate, in turn, our Karate and Kobudo.
Resisting the Temptation of Ashes, Feeding the Flame
Faced with the vertigo of passing time and the void left by a master, nostalgia is human. It validates the importance of what has been built. But we must collectively resist the temptation of ashes.
To contemplate the ashes is to regret an idealized era; it is to transform a vibrant practice into a dogma recited by heart. To focus on the flame, on the contrary, is to keep the spirit of research intact. It is understanding that Sensei Chinen’s teaching was deeply alive and oriented towards evolution. Transmission is this fire that passes from hand to hand: the seniors offer the spark with generosity, and the newcomers, through their enthusiasm and thirst for learning, come to feed the hearth.
Building Our New “Best Moments”
At Oshukai Reims Champagne, our conviction is clear: the best moments are not behind us, they are ahead of us, because it is up to us to build them. Everyone has their place on the tatami, everyone is important, and it is up to all of us to sustain this shockwave initiated 50 years ago.
- In daily effort: Every class spent refining a stance, every step taken together on the wooden floor is precious and unique. On our tatamis in Reims, we realize how lucky we are to be able to evolve in this environment, carried in particular by the quality of the teaching and the presence of Théo.
- In cohesion: The friendships forged today in the sweat of training, between black belts and white belts, are the legends that tomorrow’s practitioners will tell each other.
- In renewal: The arrival of each new practitioner is the guarantee that the heart of our school continues to beat strong.
These 50 years do not mark an end, but a magnificent springboard. By honoring the memory of those who preceded us while cultivating this common flame, we take responsibility for what follows. The dojo is a space that we fill with our presence. The best is yet to come, and we are writing it today.
