DON'T HAVE TIME...?

by Phillip Starr

In 2016 I met sensei Hino Akira while I was visiting Japan. A world-renowned martial arts master, Hino sensei began his martial arts career in karate. Being extremely devoted and determined to learn the secrets of high skill, he practiced arduously every day, doing sanchin kata daily for up to eight hours! That in itself is a testament to his dedication! However, he realized that what he had learned and practiced wasn't going to let him improve his skill as much as he wanted, so he began going through the ancient martial arts writings with a fine-toothed comb...and he gradually re-discovered various principles that had been long forgotten. He set out to present his findings to the martial arts community and is now in demand worldwide (especially in Europe).

Although he travels quite extensively, he also conducts training in the spacious dojo that he installed in his home. In the photo below, you can see Hino sensei's beautiful home. Pretty nice inside and out, huh? It's even more impressive when you discover that HE BUILT THE WHOLE THING HIMSELF! He didn't design it and then hire people to do the actual construction. He pounded every single nail himself. And held down a full-time job to boot.

And he kept up with his training. Every. Day. Although he's certainly not a very physically imposing specimen, he has an iron will and perhaps even more importantly, an unquenchable desire to learn and improve himself. Now at the age of 75+, he continues with his daily regimen. So next time you're about to say, “I don't have time to practice at home”, consider Hino sensei...