We've been busy!

This morning...

We finished putting the second coat of paint on the walls.


Sempain Miriam washed windows.


This afternoon...

We began installing the mats.


By evening...

We were cutting the last of the mats to fit. (Sensei's husband got to use some of his favorite tools.)


The mat brigade quickly stored away our extra mats.

Moving day

Tonight's efforts

This afternoon's efforts

Here is what we have accomplished so far:

Here we go again!

On Friday morning, we signed the lease on our newest dojo location. Sensei Gilliland, here to teach our special training weekend, inspected the place and pronounced it good.

Here is how to get there:

The front door of Shinjin Karate

The inside, awaiting our renovation

What's this about "Shinjin Karate"?

As we were exploring different new locations for our dojo, it struck us that having "Five Cities" as part of our name was somewhat limiting. Also, the name sometimes led to confusion when potential students couldn't figure out what sort of art Keichu-Do is. So we felt that a new name was in order.

At the same time, we are not ready to give up the name "Five Cities Keichu-Do". After all, it is the name we have taught and trained under; it's the name on our dojo banner and patch; it's the name under which we compete.

So our new dojo will be known as Shinjin Karate, the home of Five Cities Keichu-Do. If that seems confusing, think of Shinjin Karate as the place, and Five Cities Keichu-Do as the people and the program that we teach.

The word "Shinjin", which refers to devotion, belief, and faith, captures so well the essence of Keichu-Do. We were glad to find such an appropriate new name for a dojo that teaches an art that can mean either "the way of total dedication" or "totally devoted to the Way".

UPDATE: A number of changes have made this post slightly out of date. We are no longer "Home of Five Cities Keichu-D0", but "Shinjin Karate School of Keichu Ryu". We believe the name change better reflects our dedication to the true meaning and style of Keichu.