Yoi, Bassai Dai

Today was a good day.

I saw The Force Awakens today.

I have waited - no lie - thirty goddam years for this film. As a young lad, after Empire, I read that after 4,5,6 they planned to make 1,2,3 then 7,8,9. "Awesome", says I.

Years go by...

Finally 1,2,3 come out, but they say "yeah nah, what is this 7,8,9 of which you speak? Never a thing. Nup. Not gonna."

(Direct quote.)

I'd given up, then Disney saved the Universe by giving Georgie-boy loads of dinero.

Thirty. Goddam. Years.

So was it worth the wait?...

Oh. My. F'in. God. Was it ever.

And not gonna lie; I cried when the opening crawl started. xP

Anyway, in the afternoon I did some kata practice, including my favourite kata: Bassai Dai. This is the yoi (ready) position from which one starts this particular kata. More advanced kata often have a yoi position different from the standard/basic stance at the beginning of basic exercises, or more basic kata. This is the one for Bassai Dai. I have read that the significance of the hands is strength (the fist) either hidden, or bested by flexibility (the open hand); Kancho-sensei Sims however, told me that the five fingers of that covering hand represent the five provinces of China, united; the significance appears to have been overlooked by the Japanese when adapting this kata - or perhaps, as he said, they chose to put their own spin on it.

Bettr; Flickr.

And colour too.

DA35/2.4;K30.