Message from Watanabe Shihan Of Goju – Ryu 27th January 2009

When I was asked to write about Sensei Deena Naidu for this book last year, I felt, yes. Although I am not a good writer by any means, however I am happy to write about him with obvious reasons. He is a very good friend of mine for a long time and a very rare Karate-do teacher in Australia. So, I write to you all, the reasons why I say he is a very rare and special Karate-do teacher. In the past 30 years, since I started my karate-do teaching in Sydney, I have met many hundreds of good and bad teachers and the majority of normal martial arts instructors in private, in my open karate or martial arts spirit seminars and in the state, national and international sports karate championships meetings in Australia and overseas. All the martial arts instructors I have met in Australia in the past got involved with competitive sport martial arts. More or less, they love to participate in them like they do in sport competitions such as World Cups or Olympics Games. This is normal thinking and training of any martial artists, but except him. Sensei Deena did not and does not like sporting martial arts and has never got involved with sporting martial arts in Australia in the past and the present. And accordingly, his karate –do students have never got involved in any sport competition in Australia and overseas. If you are ordinary people you may ask him why not sport Karate? The answer is, according to Sensei Deena, sporting karate promotes egoistic attitude to karate practitioners. Say, if you look at sporting champions or professional martial arts champions such as boxing, kick boxing and wrestling, you will see the reason why, they have too much pride, and seeking their fame and fortune like movie stars, particular in western countries.. Sensei Deena says, karate-do is not a sport, and karate-do is BUDO (Japanese Martial Path). Budo does not promote egoistic attitude in practitioners, on the contrary, Budo teaches you how to minimize your ego, teaches you to attain a state of no mind (Mushin) ...no attachments, no fame, no fortune, no ego and no fear. Therefore, karate-do cannot be a sport but Budo. Surely it does make very good sense and he is quite right in this matter, and I surely agree with him. Unlike any other martial artists in Australia, he has been doing this kind of right karate-do teachings to not only his students but to all Australian people. On 21st February 1995, I received a book called “Discovering Martial Arts” written by Sensei Deena Naidu, from my friend, Mie Fukakusa. She told me that this book is a gift from Sensei Deena to me. Four days later, I finished reading the book, and I really felt good. And this was my comment, which I wrote at the last page of the book… Sensei Deena is the most spiritual person I have ever met amongst Goju-kai karate-do instructors. He would exceed more than his teachers Gogen Yamaguchi Sensei and Goshi Yamaguchi Shihan, in spirituality in the future. He was born to be a karate Angel to this world and his mission is to revive the traditional Budo karate-do. I appreciated meeting him through this book. Gassho (To put hands together with thanks.) My actual friendship with him started on 4th March 1995, meeting with him for the first time at 3pm in Parramatta city, and I naturally discussed with him like an old friend about his book and our karate-do life for about two hours. After our friendly conversation, I felt that Sensei Deena and I would walk together on this path as Do-Yu (Path Friend on the way to enlightenment) in this life in Australia. Since the first meeting, Sensei Deena and I have been continuing our Do-Yu friendship constantly until today. After about 14 years of relationship, I still confirm that my first impression about him on the day I wrote on the last page of the book is right, and I am very happy about the result of my prediction indeed. There is not many karate-do masters like him in the world. I hope that some of his students will continue to follow his Budo karate-do legacy to the next generation. Finally, I would like to leave my karate-do message to you all...Listen, Karate Towa Ai (karate is Love), it is a beautiful flower, like your Sensei– Deena Naidu Gassho. Written in January, 2009 Kenshu Hideo Watanabe Japan Goju-ryu Karate-do Federation, 8th Dan Chief Teacher for Goju-ryu Karate-do Mission International.