The Empty Hand: Recent Episodes
Seiji Saeki
“The Empty Hand” is a podcast hosted by karate practitioner Seiji Saeki with members of the karate community or others to discover ideas, stories and approaches to daily life.
Minoru Saeki is a 7th dan from the Japan Karate Association (JKA). He is a karate pioneer in North America and has received the Prime Minister’s Award for his contributions to community development.
Jorge Torres is a Physical Therapist and has extensive karate experience as a member of the USA JKA Team. He is currently an Assistant Instructor at JKA Karate Shiroma in New York.
Jan Martin Huus is an up-and-coming JKA karateka and competitor on the Norwegian National Team. He qualified for the JKA All Japan Championships in his first year in Japan as a representative of Ibaraki Prefecture.
Martin Buchstaller and Nadja Körner are the founders and producers of Karate@Home. With over 110 countries and 25 thousand members, this online dojo has been a major contributor to keeping the karate flame alive for people around the world during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr. Simon Phaneuf is currently CSO of Dymedso, a Canadian medical technology company. He is specialized in Emergency Medicine and in Sports and Exercise Medicine. A long-time karateka and the first physician in the Province of Québec to be certified by the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine.
D.J. Lortie has trained 18 years at the Aikikai Hombu Dojo in Tokyo and is a 5th dan in Aikido under 8th dan Yokota Yoshiaki. During his time in Japan, he also obtained his 1st dan from the JKA as a regular member of the JKA HQ.
Richard Amos is a 7th dan and Chief Instructor of the World Traditional Karate Organization (WTKO). His book “Chasing Bushido: How I Learned to Just Say Osu” explores his karate journey and the life as a non-Japanese kenshusei and graduate of the JKA instructors training program.
Ippei Kamae is a 4th dan from the Japan Karate Association (JKA). He recently completed his PhD at Meiji University in Political Science and has worked for the former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. He is a full time member of the JKA HQ and can be followed at: https://www.instagram.com/karateluv77/
Minoru Saeki is a 7th dan from the Japan Karate Association (JKA). He is a karate pioneer in North America and has received the Prime Minister’s Award for his contributions to community development.
Brad Jones is a 6th dan from the Japan Karate Association (JKA) and author of “Detour on the Path”. In 2017, he received the Consumer Choice Award for Business Excellence. Check out his website at: http://www.bradjoneskarate.com/index.html
Wilfred Seerattan is a 5th dan from the Japan Karate Association (JKA) and the Head Instructor of the Toronto JKA. An accomplished competitor and very successful in adaptive teaching. Check out his website at: https://tsk2.com
Marc Jacobson moved to Japan from the United States and is one of the few non-Japanese regular members of the JKA HQ in Tokyo. For more than five years he can be seen every morning training at the HQ learning from the top instructors in the world.
Ryu Goto is an internationally renowned violinist and highly skilled karateka. As early as the age of seven, he played Paganini’s Violin Concerto No.1 at the Pacific Music Festival in Sapporo, Japan. Check out his website at:https://www.ryugoto.com/eng/
Don Sharp is the most decorated JKA Kumite Champion in the Americas having successfully competed in all levels of competition. He is the first North American to have won the JKA World Championships in 1996 in kumite.
Thomas Chin is a dedicated healthcare professional & multi time national kata champion. Having taken his talents to Japan, he has qualified for the JKA All Japan Championships in both Kata & Kumite representing Tokyo Prefecture.
Ray Tio is the most decorated JKA Kata Champion in the Americas. His team was the first to reach the podium representing Canada at the 8th Shoto World Cup held at the Nippon Budokan. He is currently the Owner and Head Instructor at World Class Karate in Canada.
Roisin Akimoto is the only woman outside of Japan to have completed instructors training at the JKA Headquarters. She is a highly decorated karateka and the only non-Japanese to reach the podium in Kata at the JKA All Japan Championships.
Minoru Saeki is a 7th dan from the Japan Karate Association (JKA). He is a karate pioneer in North America and has received the Prime Minister’s Award for his contributions to community development.