March 8, 1972.
Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, California, USA.

Eight students began to study a little known means of self- defense called goshin-jitsu. They were crammed into a lecture room on the bottom floor of Gentry Gymnasium/Auditorium.

There was one woman, Nori Khoo. The rest were men; Peter Triolo, Fred Knight, Larry Allen, John Carothers and three others. Most of them were either medical students or dental students.

"I just came here out of curiosity. What does karate mean," asked Fred Knight.

I've been trying to answer that question ever since.

The beginning of Aoinagi Karate-Do was rather uneventful. By June 1972 the eight beginning students had earned their orange belts. Suddenly, they all quit. I didn't see them again for years. Some of them I have never seen since. I should have taken heed then; people leave karate quickly without warning.

But, I didn't take the hint. I continued to teach. New students came, then left. Hundreds of students passed through the doors, then thousands. Only a few stayed as long as a year. I just kept teaching those who wanted to learn.

And some learned; and some learned very well.

Aoinagi Karate was born, not at a place or at a time, but was born in the hearts of the few who stayed.

Aoinagi is an American pronounciation of the Japanese words


These words, as you can see, are two characters. The first character is AOI. It means green in Japanese. It may be pronounced as aoi, aoy, or, believe or not sei.

The second character is yagi. It means willow tree. It may be pronounced yagi, nagi, or ryu.

Taken together the two words make aoinagi, aoiyagi, aoyagi or seiryu. They all mean the same; the green willow tree.

And, that is the meaning of the word AOINAGI.

When other martial arts schools call themselves fanciful names like Flying Dragon Society, or Bill's Full Contact Kick-Boxing why would we have selected such a name as the green willow tree? The answer is not obvious, but there is an answer. Let's look.

There are 350 species of willows in the world. They grow in every conceivable biome. They live at the edges of lakes in the highest mountains of the world. They live in dry waterholes in the middle of the great Mojave desert. They grow beyond the last tree at tree line in the tundra of Alaska. These plants are widespread. And yet they really don't push other things around. They just live, taking in nutrients, giving off oxygen that other organisms might live. They just fit into the ecosystems of the world.

Willows are also exceedingly persistant. Their roots often survive a wildfire and grow back the next year with luxuriant foilage. Droughts may kill off the surrounding vegetation but the willow grows at the first drops of rain. If you cut out their roots a few remaining ones regrow to reproduce an entire stand of willows again. This is persistence, an admirable quality.

In view of the willow's non-aggression and yet persistence in the face of overwhelming odds, the name was selected for the organization which we call AOINAGI.

We don't claim to be the biggest organization, nor the best martial art in the world, or even the best in California. We claim only to be. And some of what we are we take from the image of a green willow tree growing wild and free.

Martial arts vary with differences in their origin and style. Aoinagi teaches traditional Japanese Okinawan Shito-ryu style karate. This is one of four major styles of Japanese karate. The Aoinagi school was founded in 1972 by Sensei Raymond Castilonia, and has several branches around the U.S.

Aoinagi literally means "the green willow tree". Willow's have a remarkable ability to survive where little else can. The name "Aoinagi" was chosen to reflect this persistence to life.

At the start of a typical class, the students line up in belt rank order. Then everyone warms up as a group, or sometimes on your own. There is normally a period of practice on basics or fundamentals, work on kata (predefined forms), and/or kumite (fighting techniques with an opponent). Class is dismissed from a final line up. Classes often vary quite a bit, no two trainings are exactly the same. Classes typically meet twice a week for one hour or more.

An organization named the Zen Bei Butokukai sanctions about a hundred martial arts schools in America including Aoinagi Karate. Its headquarters is located in Sacramento, California and its president is Dr. Richard Kim, PhD.

In addition the Zen Bei Butokukai is sanctioned as the American representative of the Dai Nippon Butokukai (Greater Japanese Martial Ways Organization), located in Kyoto Japan.

The Dai Nippon Butokukai is an eclectic martial arts organization. It has masters who specialize in karate (since 1935), judo (since 1895), aikido (since 1930), and the more ancient and traditional martial arts of kenjitsu (sword), bojitsu (long staff), naginata (halberg), kyujitsu (archery), and others.

The Sensei or "teacher" is issued a license by the Zen Bei Butokukai. This license reflects many years of experience and a very high degree of proficiency in the art.

In short, no, you'll not be indoctrinated into any mystical eastern religion.

Aoinagi karate training will encourage you to develop character and develop your entire being (body, mind, and spirit). This may sound "religious" because this development encompasses a spiritual component. You'll be encouraged to develop spiritually, but you'll not be told how to do it, that's up to you.

Injuries are rare. Injury is always a possibility but Aoinagi is a "non-contact" school and every precaution is taken to avoid injury. One might incorrectly conclude they could not learn fighting techniques well at a non- contact school. In reality, you will learn greater control in a non-contact environment.

"Always treat your training, instructors, and fellow students with respect." Keep this one thought in mind and you'll be fine. To show your respect, please bow at the doorway when entering and leaving the dojo (the place where class is held) and upon entering and leaving the training floor.

Practice outside of class makes a world of difference for the karate student. Many short sessions are preferable to marathon sessions. Frequent review helps you to really internalize the techniques. A student that reviews a few (5-15) minutes several times a week will progress nicely. Of course, more review and practice is better.

In general, your best way to learn is to come to the classes where you will receive instruction, watch others, and ask questions. However, there are several books that are available that give insight into karate training. Sensei Castilonia has an excellent book about Aoinagi entitled "Nuggets In The Ground". There are some homemade videos around which are most beneficial to the new student to help them review the mechanics of the basic techniques.

Naturally this depends on the student, their aptitude and more importantly, their diligence in training. An average time for first degree black belt is between 3 and 5 years.

No. None of the blackbelts at Aoinagi Karate have ever been required nor requested to register their hands or feet as deadly weapons by any government organization such as police, sheriff, state police, FBI, CIA or other law enforcement agency.

There are ten belt ranks before black belt. Every student starts out training as a white belt. The first belt the student earns is an orange belt which takes about three months of regular training. Then there are two levels of blue, two levels of purple, two levels of green, and three levels of brown belt before a student tests for black belt.

Kata are of paramount importance within Aoinagi Karate. Each Kata has a central theme that may be natural, moral, mathematical or supernatural. Some examples of the themes kata deal with are such things as the five levels of peace, wind in the pine trees, respect for elders... there are many. Through constant practice, the student learns to emulate the theme of the kata as he or she performs it. Most importantly, Kata training builds the spirit of the student. It is said that kata are a form of ``moving meditation'' which raises the student to higher levels of awareness. The kata experience transforms the student from a technician to a martial artist.

Yes, they are encouraged to do so. Aoinagi holds at least one tournament each year for it's own students. The Aoinagi tournament includes many different events such as kata, weapons kata, and various team events. Aoinagi students occasionally participate in other-than-Aoinagi karate tournaments and have been selected to compete at US National, PanAmerican and World Championships.

We have 54 distinctive forms in our system, but our school often teaches several others and some weapons forms too.

Yes, but it is quite different since we are a non-contact school. Sparring is not the emphasis of our training. When we do spar we are working on timing and looking for targets; however, we stop a few inches short of executing any contact in our major techniques.

During karate training we often will yell or kiai to concentrate our focus and increase our energy at the moment of impact for a strike. The yell will insure we have tightened our stomach muscles and are better able to take a punch, as well as adding force to the technique we are delivering.

A kata is a form of predetermined moves against imaginary opponents lasting 45 to 60 seconds. Kata vary in complexities but involve offensive and defensive martial techniques designed to teach a practitioner the fundamentals of martial arts. The arrangement and selection of the moves by the creator classically represents years of study into a theme. Through years of practice the kata can become greater than the sum of the techniques.

Only you and your physician can answer that question definitively. We encourage all new students to obtain a physical examination from your health care provider before beginning any exercise program or new physical activity including Aoinagi Karate, although we do not require it. Generally, however, the physical demands of training are less for new students since beginning techniques must be learned slowly at first.

Since children physically develop and intellectually mature at different rates there is no one "right" age for a child to begin training. There are some guideposts to look at however. First, can your child imitate your movements and the movements of others? Second, can your child differentiate right from left? Third, can your child focus his/her attention on a physical activity? Fourth, does your child show an interest in learning karate? Through answering these questions, parents can usually evaluate the readiness of their child for karate.

Yes. The classes often provide good opportunity for cardiovascular exercise. As you learn to move from your center more and are able to put more focus into your techniques it will become a great source of exercise.

As a beginner, wear loose fitting sweats or shorts, and a comfortable shirt. As you make karate part of your weekly activities, you will probably want to purchase a karate gi. Often these are available from the Aoinagi school you are training in, or you can buy these at any Martial Arts Supply Store.

The techniques we practice are very applicable to self-defense. We train by developing the strength, stamina, spirit and focus which are critical to any real conflict. Contact is a natural extension of any karate move. We practice non-contact to cut down on injuries, improve precision and emphasize the peaceful way of life that we practice and encourage.