Shotokan members and families,
Many of you may have already marked your calendars setting aside the first week of August 2018 to join SKA in celebrating Ohshima Sensei’s 88th birthday celebration and related events. In Japanese culture, the associated characters signifying one’s 88th birthday help to bring continued health and longevity, making this a very special event. As we move on, Mr. Ohshima’s time with all of us becomes more precious. We sincerely hope you and your families can join us.
Wishing all of you safe travels, we look forward to seeing you in August.
Greg Scott
SKA President
In order to attend, you must Book the Party by July 15, 2018
On-line booking has ended
Contact SKA Headquarters to ask whether space is available
This is the cursive form of the character “bei” (rice 米).
A person’s 88th birthday carries special significance in Japanese culture. The number 88 is written 八十八 (hachi-jū hachi). The character for rice is 米 (bei). You can see that it’s made up of two 八 (eight / hachi) characters, with upper portion being hachi flipped upside down. The cross in the middle, 十, is the number ten. Rice is vital for life and health. Thus, the 88th birthday is referred to as “beiju” 米寿, the first character is for “rice” and the second character means “longevity.”
– John Teramoto
This event is coming up soon, so I urge you to Book the Party and make your hotel reservations as soon as possible because many area hotels sell out early in the year.
