JAPAN
 
Following the European delegation visit to Japan last summer, contact has been very regular.
Yoshimichi Sato has been elected as the leader for Taikiken and takes the rank of Soke.

Norimasa Iwama will be the next in rank, although his title is not known at present, these two sensei are the legends following the footsteps of Grandmaster Kenichi Sawai, and are the natural leaders to guide the progress of Taikiken in Japan, we wish them all the success. Sawai sensei´s son Akio although not active will be on the committee in an honorary position.
 
Sensei Sato has informed me that his first task will be to determine the ranks of the teachers and a summer gashuku will be held for these kenpoka, up to then training will be held twice a week at sensei´s dojo in Yuki, Ibaraki-ken, to carefully instruct the true way of Sawai sensei´s keiko.
 
Sensei Sato personally sent his very best wishes to all Yoshinken members and hopes for a good year in Taikiken keiko and personal development in the true budo spirit. He also kindly did the Shin-nen-keiko characters for the article written by Senpai Åke.

Sensei sent me two miniature torou ( lanterns ) with built in lighting !! for my personal Yoshinken shinden at the Rävlanda honbu dojo, this was most ppreciated as this adds to the special feeling from sensei who has given me the beautiful scrolls with Taiki Shisei Kenpo and Yoshinken characters in Kanji. If all goes well Sensei and his wife Kyoko hopes to visit my home country - New Zealand in October this year.
 

HOLLAND
 
Sensei Jan Kallenbach  - Kyoshi and leader for Taikiken in Europe, made a visit to China last year with a Dutch film team to make a documentary around Sensei Jan and why he has this devotion to Budo/Wushu, this 90 mins. film has now been completed and is being shown at the film festival in Rotterdam starting at the beginning of February. It is in english and I hope will be available to be bought as a DVD. 

Taikiken with its roots in Yiquan is becoming more
and more wellknown and therefore it is important that the most dedicated and original sensei are the ones to lead the way.  Sensei Jan to those who have met him and trained for him needs no presentation, he is a wonderful personality and a true legend in budo as the Japanese magazines wrote from our tour in 2004.

He has produced a great DVD recently and is in the
process of writing a very detailed book based on his experiences in Taikiken and Yiquan. Sensei Jan´s two long time students Wiert Postema and Hans Bakker are very popular and well liked here in Sweden, and we hope to get visits from them again during 2005.
 
SWEDEN
 
Yoshinken started the New Year in the traditional way with Shin-nen-keiko on January 16th a dedicated group from Stockholm made the trip to Göteborg after keiko on the Saturday !

It was a great feeling to have the Stockholm and Göteborgs kenpoka gathered together, toÅke, Lasse, Viktor, David, Sinan, Andre, Peter, Filip, Janne, Hans, and Tryggve from Malmö thank you for your support during 2004 and good health, spirit and effort for 2005
 
 
Marshall McDonagh
Yoshinken Sweden.