Photo By Sgt. Ethan Rocke | Cpl. Cody Bourdeau pounds rice into mochi, a sweet, Japanese delicacy. The Combined...... read more read more
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By Sgt. Ethan E. Rocke
III Marine Expeditionary Force PAO
CAMP FUJI, Japan -- The first Camp Fuji Martial Arts Expo featured the largest variety of martial arts groups ever assembled, according to organizers of the expo, which gathered a myriad of Japanese cultural attractions at Combined Arms Training Center Camp Fuji Nov. 5.
Rick Sacca, expo organizer and community services specialist with Marine Corps Community Services, said the Shizuoka Sports Association offered that assessment of the expo, which featured demonstrations from 238 performers with 16 different groups as well as several static displays.
The expo featured 16 demonstrations: Taiko drumming, Samurai Warrior traditions, Jukendo, Judo, Kendo, Karate, Aikido, Nihon Buyou, Kyudo, Yabusame, Nihon Jujutsu, Naginata, Iaido, Sumo and Marine Corps Martial Arts.
Sacca organized the massive event at the request of Camp Fuji's commanding officer, Col. K. X. Lissner, who was looking to reach out to the local community in a unique way.
"We put this together to help build friendships and to allow the different, local martial arts groups to showcase their skills and talents," Lissner said. "This was a way for the local community to get to know us better and a way for us to get to know a major part of their culture better."
Sacca said he developed the expo idea based on the idea of "friendship through sports," recognizing martial arts as the most obvious commonality between the Marines and their Japanese hosts.
"It doesn't matter what language you speak, sports tend to bridge that gap," he said. "Marines are warriors, and the martial arts are a common thread."
Sacca and his staff also planned the expo to fall close to the Japanese national holiday Bunka No Hi, or Culture Day Nov. 3.
All demonstrations took place inside the Camp's basketball gym, with the exception of the Kyudo and Yabusame archery demonstrations, which took place on a nearby outdoor field.
Food vendors and static displays, including a Katana sword making display and Marine artillery guns, were camped nearby the outdoor demonstration area.
The expo was invitation only, which kept the crowd to a minimum and the atmosphere tranquil as 750 or so local Japanese hovered around the grounds under an overcast sky.
Many of the approximately 140 Marines stationed on the camp also took advantage of the huge production in their backyard, including four who jumped at the opportunity to represent the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program in the only American demonstration, which mirrored many of the techniques and styles from the other martial arts disciplines at the event.
As he watched the Marine demonstration, Junya Mukasa, an 18-year-old level II black belt with the Gotemba Judo Association, recognized some of the techniques.
"The Marines were doing a lot of the same moves we do," Mukasa said. "But they do what you're not supposed to do."
Mukasa was referring to the hybridization of the MCMAP style of fighting, which is essentially a hodgepodge of fighting styles.
"It's pretty cool to actually watch this stuff because a lot of our techniques came from the different disciplines we're watching today and the techniques they use," said Sgt. Jerry Collins, a MCMAP instructor and one of the Marine demonstrators."
Lissner said the event was so successful that he plans to make it an annual event and open it up to the public.
"This is a great way to maintain good relations and also encourage the Marines to get out and see the local culture," he said.
| Date Taken: | 11.05.2006 |
| Date Posted: | 11.17.2006 09:30 |
| Story ID: | 8290 |
| Location: | CAMP FUJI, JP |
| Web Views: | 131 |
| Downloads: | 32 |
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