Homma Kancho Teaches in La Paz, Bolivia

April 5th-12th, 2009

The elevation of the international airport outside the city of La Paz, Bolivia is 4000 meters above sea level. It is considered good manners to greet passengers visiting from lower elevations with a warm smile and an oxygen tank. Even as you leave the plane you can feel the lack of oxygen in the air. As AHAN Nippon Kan Bolivia coordinator, I, Arturo Kawai Alvarez brought a tank of oxygen with me to meet Homma Kancho’s plane, but Homma Kancho…

Nippon Kan General Headquarter uchideshi graduate Arturo Alvarez Kawai returned to his law practice in La Paz, Bolivia after graduating from Nippon Kan’s uchideshi program in Denver last year. Currently he practices Aikido with fellow lawyers in La Paz as he pursues his busy career.

ARTUROS REPORT:

A Short Recount of Homma Kancho’s Visit to Bolivia

One of the very first things one notices while being an uchideshi at Nippon Kan, is how often Homma Kancho travels around the globe and for how long. In the short three months I spent in the dojo, Sensei has been in Kazakhstan, Colombia, Bangladesh, Nepal, Laos, Japan, Egypt, Iran, and maybe even other countries I could be missing right now. Knowing that Homma Kancho had reached almost every single corner of the world, I set the goal to convince him to visit my homeland: Bolivia.

After a short exchange of e-mails, Homma Kancho arrived in La Paz on Monday April 6th. Most people do feel the effects of being at 3,700 meters above sea level (around 11,800 feet) as soon as they land, even when coming from other cities as high as Denver, which lies at less than half of La Paz’ actual altitude. Taking that into consideration, I took an oxygen tank to the airport, just as a precaution. To my surprise, Sensei found the idea amusing rather than necessary. Not only didn’t he need any assistance, but also felt pretty well during that first day. So much so, that he immediately asked what the schedule for the day was. Truth to be told, I had saved that day for rest and recovery, which most tourist need, but upon Sensei’s insistence had to push up the activities planned for the next day, leaving a big loop in the original schedule.

During the next few days, Sensei visited downtown La Paz, had a very short meeting with members of the Japanese community that remains in the city, and taught a couple of special Aikido classes to a very small group of Aikidokas that could be found short before his arrival.

On Wednesday, Homma Kancho visited the ruins of Tiwanaku, an ancient civilization that predated the Incas and of whom little is currently known. The ruins are nevertheless impressive and provide an interesting experience.

 Practice at Kokyu-ho dojo.

Thursday April 9th was a very special day in the Catholic Calendar: It was a day before Good Friday, marking the beginning of Easter. That’s why for that day we scheduled a visit to Copacabana, the most important center of pilgrimage in Bolivia, right by the shores of Lake Titikaka.

 The annual pilgrimage to the Basilica of Copacabana.

The Basilica of Copacabana is home to the Virgin of Copacabana, a figure that represents Saint Mary but that is also confused in the Bolivian mixed culture with the Pachamama, the Aymaran Goddess of Earth and Fertility. We though Sensei would appreciate the opportunity to witness the faith displayed by Bolivians on this particular date, especially since many show opposites faiths to the same symbol.
Of course, being by Lake Titikaka, the highest navigable lake in the world, we couldn’t limit the visit to the Basilica: We took Homma Kancho to the “Isla del Sol” (Island of the Sun), an island where centuries earlier an ancient Incan temple lodged priests of the highest order. Sensei surprised us once again on the island, when he climbed over 400 steps to the top of it without any assistance and almost no rest, a remarkable feat considering that the lake lies at around 3,800 above sea level (aprox. 12,460 feet).

Homma Kancho spent little less than a week in La Paz, which is unfortunately too short a time to know the many faces of the city, not to mention Bolivia as a country. Not only do I hope Sensei enjoyed his visit, but it is my sincere wish that he will be back some day to learn more about Bolivia and its people, especially those Aikidokas who will appreciate having a chance to learn from one of the few surviving masters of the art.

As AHAN Nippon Kan Bolivia Coordinator, I want to thank Homma Kancho for this visit. I will try my best to serve as AHAN representative for my country.

Arturo Alvarez Kawaii Esq.
AHAN Nippon Kan Bolivia Coordinator

This report was translated into Japanese for the Japan website by Hiro Yagi.