Spring in the South was born in 1980 as an East Coast exchange practice, germinating from an idea conceived by Carl Jacobson (Delaware) and developed by LH Lazarus, now godan. In its earliest years, the practices were often led by Ohshima Sensei. Now, the event is designed to give SKA members exposure to his top students. The weekend of April 26–27, SKA members from across the United States and Curacao—48 in all—came together in Chapel Hill and Durham, North Carolina, to learn from Mark Kohagura and enjoy a beautiful spring weekend, southern hospitality, SKA camaraderie, and an excellent series of practices. Below, brown belt Patrick Moeller from the Washington, D.C. dojo offers an account.
Spring in the South, hosted annually by the Chapel Hill dojo in North Carolina, was an excellent and incredibly valuable training for all participants this year. Godan Mark Kohagura led three practices with two taking place on Saturday and one on Sunday. This was my second Spring in the South. My first was in 2024. It was a great opportunity to develop my karate and connect with numerous fascinating individuals. I truly appreciated practicing with so many talented people under Mark’s leadership. Everyone there carried a wealth of experience, knowledge, and wisdom.
Our first practice on Saturday morning was focused on kihon. We began with the four-beat drill and followed Mark’s planned programming, with each segment building on the previous one as we progressed. It was a very seamless and well-designed practice that prepared us for the following kumite practice. Mark imparted rich history of our practice and organization from Anko Azato and Anko Itosu to Master Funakoshi, who synergized the two principal training philosophies in Shotokan Karate. Our founder, Tsutomu Ohshima, was one of the last direct pupils of Master Funakoshi who further refined and evolved our practice methodology.
Following an outdoor lunch spent with our fellow karateka, we ventured back inside the gym for a strong second practice that was focused on kumite. This practice was centered on specific goals including controlling the ma, imposing your will, and using movement to create strategic advantages against your opponent. Mark shared with us two quotes from Karate-do Kyohan where Master Funakoshi details transition:
…there are times, depending upon the moment, or adjusting to a changing situation, when the defensive hand becomes an offensive hand. This is called “hente” (changing hands), and frequently in actual cases it is more effective than the orthodox use. The effective use of this technique will indicate one’s technical level. (211)
It has been said by our elders that “the essence of combat lies in between sei and ki [or the regular and the irregular], and without attaining the ability of changing sei into ki and ki into sei how can one attain victory?” (211-212)
Mark noted Master Funakoshi’s emphasis on being able to shift between offense and defense, both mentally and physically. As a group, we carried this knowledge into our kumite practice.
Following the second practice, we all attended a wonderful banquet celebrating our training and the long tradition of Spring in the South. Godan Rob Clark delivered a sincere and inspiring speech thanking all the attendees, as well as the folks who have been instrumental in the consistent success of Spring in the South, particularly godan Larry Lazarus and nidan Nora Favorov. I had the privilege to sit at the “International Table” (an informal designation by members of the table). I was the only person born in the United States. The others were from China, Australia, Germany, Italy, and Curaçao. I tried my best to learn as much as I could about each person’s country of origin in our short time together. We had a tremendous meal and enjoyed each other’s company. There was also time to socialize with the other attendees. I found it quite rewarding to share such rich experiences with so many talented individuals.
Sunday morning’s practice centered on kata. Mark chiefly focused on Heian Yodan. He began by detailing what kata truly is:
Kata are prearranged movements which represent combat against a set of opponents. Kata needs to be performed with a realistic mentality, but kata isn’t a real fight. Kata needs to be performed with the discipline to be exact. Mr. Ohshima introduced the concept of introducing the number of kata repetitions practiced as a barometer of what is significant activity towards improving and making the kata “your own.” All of our practice is based upon the elements of kata that we broke down into basics and also to practice kumite.
Mark helped us improve the precision of our kata and made corrections when warranted. He broke the kata down into its foundational components to help refine each technique. I know I certainly benefitted from the practice, and I am sure countless others who attended would say the same.
The 2025 Spring in the South was a fantastic adventure and I would encourage all members to come to the future events. The occasion acts as a nexus for SKA members who attend. With people coming from all over the world, there is abundant wisdom and experience to be gained amongst all who participate.
— Patrick Moeller, sankyu, Washington, DC dojo