July 6-9, 2011 After leaving Bangladesh, Homma Kancho flew to the Philippines to visit the AHAN Mindanao Learning Center in Illigan City, Mindanao. The AHAN Mindanao Learning Center, run by AHAN Coordinator Ava Yancha Sensei officially opened in March 2011 and was funded primarily by Homma Kancho and AHAN. Homma Kancho taught classes for the centers growing number of eager …
Homma Kancho’s First Visit to Ta Ko Lang Village, Thailand; A Dream is Born
July 1, 2011
July 1st-2nd, 2011 On July 1st, 2011, Homma Kancho was met at the Bangkok Airport by a young man named Lukai, a Technical University student in Bangkok. Homma Kancho had come to Thailand because he had heard stories from Myanmar Karen refugees living in Denver about a Karen refugee who lived in hills of western Thailand; a man that was …
Visit to Dhaka, Bangladesh-Madrasa Orphanage
June 4, 2011
July 4th-6th, 2011 Homma Kancho made a quick visit to Dhaka, Bangladesh to check in on the Madrasa Orphanage for girls, which was completed with AHAN’s help in May of 2010. Dhaka was bustling and traffic challenging as usual as Homma Kancho accompanied by AHAN Bangladesh Coordinator Maji Sarkar in the lead arrived at the five-story Madrasa Orphanage facility. Behind …
Editor’s Notes
December 31, 2010
After Homma Kancho returned from his trip to Asia in late October, he took a period of solitude. “Even sumo wrestlers and football player have an off-season. I am an athlete too, even as a 60 year-old senior citizen! Homma Kancho used the time in solitude to reflect on current Nippon Kan operations and in mid-December began to activate improvements …
Nippon Kan “Macho” Garden Party for Senior Members
December 16, 2010
December 16th, 2010 The horns are worn with honor by our most senior member. This year it is Heinz! It has become a tradition at Nippon Kan, that sometime well after the first snowfall, an evening party is held in the garden for senior students and staff. It is rather amusing, having a “macho” garden party in the middle of …
Nippon Kan General Headquarter Youth Program Promotions
December 10, 2010
Dec 18th 2010 Youth Program Instructor Noel Camp and Assistant Instructors Jeff Legwold and Roger Failor are in charge of our growing Nippon Kan Youth Program for our youngest members. In 2010 we saw a dramatic increase in the number of students enrolled in this program with the number of active members rising to over 80. This increase is due …
AHAN Bangladesh Activity Report
December 1, 2010
The monthly deliveries of 1 ½ tons of rice to the Madrasa Orphanage for girls in the capital city of Dhaka continued September through December 2010. This AHAN Learning Center facility was built with the support of AHAN and houses up to 350 girls. Currently the girls are housed, fed and go to school at the facility and AHAN …
Nepal Army Ranger Activity Report
December 1, 2010
4th Quarter 2010 The following points were reported by Rajesh Bista Sensei, Instructor for Nepal Army Ranger Aikido, headquartered in Kathmandu, Nepal. The training of Aikido is being considered for not only all Army Rangers but all Army Troops in Nepal. 40 new students from different Army divisions have joined the Nepal Army Ranger Intensive Aikido Program. Commanding officer reported …
AHAN Turkey Activity Report:; Izmir
December 1, 2010
Reporting from Turkey is Cihan Karaogluol who currently lives in Izmir with his wife Melda and family. Cihan is a Nippon Kan graduate, alumni uchideshi and has served as assistant and otomo to Homma Kancho on seminar trips all over the world. Below is a report written by Cihan about current AHAN activities he and his wife have inspired in …
New Nippon Kan Web Page for Beginning Students under Construction
November 19, 2010
A fresh new Nippon Kan team made up of our younger intermediate members have been working on building a new Aikido web page especially for beginning students. Nippon Kan has a long history and our current website reflects the activities of many generations. To insure that our website is attractive to the needs and trends of young people just beginning …
National Philanthropy Day: Outstanding Volunteer Award
November 12, 2010
November 12, 2010 Homma Kancho was honored on November 12th, 2010 as the winner of the Outstanding Volunteer Award for National Philanthropy Day. This year’s ceremony began with the following words by organizers. “If a community is to be a strong one, then its fabric must be woven together with the threads of generosity.” Each year, on National Philanthropy Day …
Mayors Design Award 2010
November 10, 2010
November 10th, 2010 On November 10th, 2010, Homma Kancho received the Mayor’s Design Award 2010 for outstanding creativity, winning the “Home is Where the Art Is” category for the design and construction of Domo Restaurant and Nippon Kan Culture Center. Both Nippon Kan and Domo were designed and built by hand by Homma Kancho, staff and an “army” of student volunteers. …
Nippon Kan Dojo Halloween Party
October 30, 2010
October 30th, 2010 At Homma Kancho’s suggestion, Nippon Kan’s Halloween party was organized this year by a team of our newer intermediate dojo members. Over 100 people attended the party that had games for the kids, costume contests, music and a wonderful potluck buffet. The dojo was decorated in grand spooky fashion, and the winners of the free raffle went …
Visit to the AHAN Mindanao Learning Center Construction Site
October 17, 2010
October 7th-12th, 2010 Homma Kancho, accompanied by Nippon Kan graduate uchideshi Cihan Karaogluol and Go Suenaga traveled to Illigan City, Mindanao, Philippines this past October to supervise the construction of the new AHAN Mindanao Learning Center. At the time of their arrival, the foundation of the building had been laid and construction of the walls had just begun. With only …
Returning to Japan
October 16, 2010
October 16th-18th, 2010 Homma Kancho visited Japan briefly on his return to the United States to meet with Japanese Nippon Kan graduate uchideshi alumni. A dinner meeting was arranged by all of the former Nippon Kan Japanese uchideshi, many who had been in Denver during the August summer practice marathon. As a great surprise for Homma Kancho, Yasuo Kobayashi Shihan …