Firstly, to all internet users, welcome
to Dojo Taiyo website. We hope that the information
you are looking for shall be well sufficient and to
your satisfaction. Even when one's just browsing through
Dojo Taiyo internet pages, we hope it will generate
some sort of good interest to you. We wish you some
fun in enjoying the display of information and finally
thank you for taking up the good interest shown upon
us.
The aim of this page is to recall how Dojo Taiyo came
to existence. Well! I would like to introduce myself,
Jean-Claude Carmagnole, born on the Island of Mauritius.
At my early teens, I immigrated to England and finally
through a military career, I landed in Germany.
Through my activities in practicing marshal arts, I
started to experience Shotokan Karate through friendly
training in the late 70's with a friend and Sensei called
Roy Cadeau, born Seycelloir. After experiencing the
powerful elements that Shotokan Karate style has, beside
its natural philosophy, I joined a club in the early
80's under a Sensei called Wolfgang Henning and furthermore
trained with Sensei Domenico Palopoli and Sensei Michael
Schönbeck.
As Sensei Henning's club closed down in the mid-80's,
I was left solely to train where I possibly could. During
that spell I eventually left the Armed Forces and found
myself an occupation in the district of Soest, in the
Sauerland region of Germany. Determined not to give
up my karate, I was found training alongside the Belgium
Army, under Sensei Willy Walraedt and Sensei Danny Decloed
, where I obtained Sensei Walraedt's self-defense concept
for women.
During that particular period I came across Sensei
John Gilliland, who is the chief instructor of Gashushuin
Karate, and through him I met Sensei Robert Curtis from
Ryoshin Karate. Both Senseis were great contributors
to my karate knowledge and served as good international
ties for myself and my pupils. Also, I trained under
Sensei Geraldo Laginestra in Warendorf, district Muenster.
Many thanks goes along to Sensei Geraldo who contributed
to my Shodan (1st Dan black belt in April 1987).
Beside my membership with Shotokan Karate International
Deutschland Association since 1983, I was also involved
with S.K.I. Africa under Sensei Mohammed Dion, who gave
me a lot of inspiration in the aspect of Shotokan Karate-Do.
Even though I was working and living in Soest, I still
had a lot of ties with karate and my private life in
the district of Herford. During the year 1988, Dojo
Bushido, an S.K.I.D. karate dojo under Seinsei Roy Cadeau,
closed down and since I was an honored guest at that
Dojo, Bushido members approached me for help in giving
training at another location, but after a short while
their organization had a breakdown. Luckily, during
that period I was residing in Schweicheln, on the outskirts
of Herford. From then on I decided to approach the Sport
Club Schweicheln (SG Schweicheln) for their permission
to form a karate section within their football association,
as they were the only main sport association in the
nearest vicinity where I was eventually residing.
On the 7th of July 1990, Andreas Ebeling, a member
of SG Schweicheln, had arranged with me to make an appointment
to speak to Hermann Tölle, who at the time was
the manager of SGS football club. From the 6th to the
13th of September 1990 the discussing was finalized
and the set date for the first training session was
Friday, the 5th of October 1990.
In late 1991, as the karate members grew in numbers,
I decided to approach our national trainer, Big Master
Akio Nagai, now an 8th Dan, to ask and obtain a Dojo
name for our karate section, a name that would fit my
philosophy and way, that meant having the meaning of
a close bond to nature and the universe. In fact the
ideologic meaning of the Kata Kanku Dai in all its different
aspects of interpretation fitted my way in the sense
of Karate-Do. |
Karate-Biografie
Jean-Claude Carmagnole
