Hungary Seminar 2024
A two-day seminar led by Ushiro Sensei was held in Hungary on October 19th and 20th, 2024. This was the first seminar in five years, and over 50 participants gathered from Hungary, Poland, Italy, Germany, the United States, Slovakia, and Japan.
A notable feature was the participation of two Polish elementary school children who had been deeply impressed by Ushiro Sensei's world at the Poland seminar in June. The seminar began with a validation to see if they could break through an adult scrum. The girls, who had experienced it four months earlier, had no hesitation in breaking through the adult scrum, making a strong impression from the start with their ability to remember what they had once learned.
Ushiro Sensei's theme was "a world you've never seen, an experience beyond the current norm." After the scrum validation, participants were divided into groups based on their countries, and each group began practicing Sanchin. Since nearly 20 participants in Hungary were new to Ushiro Karate, the group was further divided, and the beginner group was led by the son of the Hungarian sub-branch chief.
Ushiro Sensei went around to each group, explaining neutralization through kata and zero-ing through bunkai, emphasizing that external movements are merely aftereffects and should not be fixated upon. He demonstrated the characteristics of Ushiro Karate, "defensive karate," in various ways, allowing even children to experience the "world of energy that does not rely on force." Although there were many child participants from Hungary, a 12-year-old boy from full-contact karate stood out from the others in his attentive listening to the Sensei's instructions. He actively stepped forward and, under Ushiro Sensei's guidance, demonstrated to all participants how a continuous series of adult punches could be stopped by taking the Sen.。
On the second day, the training began with a demonstration by Ushiro Sensei where he showed that a person could not be lifted when holding Ushiro Sensei’s book “Ushiro Karate / Practical Philosophy of Bujutsu” containing his energy. After further demonstrations using a table, he explained the world of energy and how kata is a way to cultivate it. Each group then moved on to practicing Naifanchi.
Ushiro Sensei repeatedly spoke about the current state of the world and our responsibility to the next generation, emphasizing the shift from conflict to harmony and the need for this shift to be accompanied by substance instead of just words. He explained that this is a shift from classical mechanics to quantum mechanics, and demonstrated quantum entanglement, a cutting-edge concept in quantum mechanics, through actual Ushiro Karate practice.
He emphasized that when encountering an unknown world, the ability to accept it with an open mind is what separates those who can change from those who cannot. Those who cannot change tend to be afraid and turn away, ultimately risking further isolation.
The final part of the two-day seminar was a demonstration by Ushiro Sensei of quantum entanglement and a subsequent demonstration of the generation of energy through caring about the other. The Polish girls went even further, moving a scrum with their Sanchin kata and even protecting a scrum against adults pushing against it.
The Hungarian karate seminar concluded with a clear indication that a fundamental shift is underway, moving from 'classical mechanics karate' to 'quantum mechanics karate' for the next generation.
In addition to the weekend karate seminar, Ushiro Sensei held a session for executives of Hungarian companies on Friday.
Throughout the three days, Ushiro Sensei consistently showed participants new worlds, paying close attention to ensuring that each individual could find something to realize and take home as a catalyst for change. The seminar allowed each participant to experience the depth of Ushiro Karate.
On the day following the karate seminar, there was a delightful gathering with the family of Ferenc Fris, the Hungarian branch chief, at a restaurant in the iconic Fisherman's Bastion in Buda. The successful completion of the entire seminar was celebrated with the breathtaking view of the Parliament building across the Danube River.
Impression
＜From Dojuku＞
●L.K, Female, Seminar Organizer
As a business coach, my company invites various experts on different themes. I am truly delighted to have invited Ushiro Sensei, who is not only a professional but also a genuine teacher in life. I believe all participants had a special experience. The key message for me was that a change in attitude is essential for the long-term, successful operation of a company. Ushiro Sensei reaffirmed the importance of a positive leadership approach and the continuous development of empathy, communication, and self-awareness. Thank you for this wonderful opportunity.
●K.S, Female, HR Leader
As an HR leader, I value taking a holistic view. Ushiro Sensei's teachings were very stimulating and provided new perspectives. They also confirmed some of my existing beliefs. I want many people to know what I learned today. If company leaders could have a mindset like Ushiro Sensei's, I believe they would be healthier both physically and mentally. I confirmed that listening to each other and building partnerships is the real way. It was a great experience to fully experience Ushiro Sensei's thoughts and the inner strength that comes from connecting. Thank you.
●N.A, Female, Manager
For me, this hour and a half served as a mirror, demonstrating the importance of being open, receptive, and understanding differences across cultures. As I have no personal experience with the physical demonstrations introduced here, I cannot speak about them in a meaningful way, perhaps I am an overly rational thinker. I was impressed by the universal ideas about the importance of leadership, succession, and adaptation.
●S.A, Male, Business Owner, Former National TV Reporter
Ushiro Sensei's workshop was the most formal business training I've ever experienced. The Western standard for business communication is a PowerPoint presentation. Here, karate was an exciting visual representation of ideas. It was surprising to experience the impasse of decision-making forced by aggressive attacks and the attractive flow of harmony born from unity. Ushiro Sensei visualized the energy flowing between people and showed the way to acquire excellent leadership.
＜From the Karate seminar＞
●K.T, 12-year-old Male, Hungary
It was so much fun! I learned a lot of new things. Moving using energy was difficult at first. I’m doing full-contact karate now, but the movements felt different. I started full-contact karate 7 years ago. I’m 12 years old now, in the 7th grade. This was my first time at Ushiro Sensei’s seminar. Today, I felt like I wanted to try it myself, so I stepped forward. Ushiro Sensei was very kind. He always came to me and gave me guidance. It was very easy to understand. He was patient in teaching me. I could feel the sense of “protecting.” My dream is to become the world champion of full-contact karate. I want to travel the world and train with everyone.
●A.B (11 years old, Female, Poland)
I learned a lot from this seminar. Although we practice similar things at my dojo in Poland, I was able to learn something completely different. I bought another book by Ushiro Sensei, just like last time. It’s about human potential, and I’m looking forward to reading it. Ushiro Sensei focused on guiding many of the children who were practicing sports karate, and I think this will lead them to learn Ushiro Karate instead of sports karate. My father, who had a wrist injury, improved significantly after the energy healing by Ushiro Sensei.
●A.B’s Mother
As a parent, I’m impressed by this seminar. I can see that meeting Ushiro Sensei will have a significant impact on my daughter’s future growth. I will continue to support her participation in future seminars.
●A.R (12 years old, Female, Poland)
I was very surprised to learn that I had such hidden power within me. I was truly amazed that I could hold down an adult in a scrum with just one hand.
●A.R’s Father
This is the second time my daughter has participated in Ushiro Sensei’s seminar, and I’m very happy as a parent. I think she will continue to participate in Ushiro Sensei’s seminars in the future. As a parent, I will continue to support her in learning Ushiro Karate.
●I.B (38 years old, Male, Company Employee, Hungary)
This is my second time participating. The first time was at the Berlin seminar. The atmosphere of the seminar was great. I used to do full-contact karate, but now I’ve been doing Ushiro Karate for 5 or 6 years. I think it’s a big deal. I practice kata and bokken kata every day. I also practice basics daily.
Since I started Ushiro Karate, I feel like I’m using less muscle and becoming more flexible. My job is internet-related. Since practicing Ushiro Karate, I feel more relaxed and less stressed.
●C.J (60 years old, Male, Lawyer, Hungary)
I participated in the Hungarian seminar once before. I always learn new things from Ushiro Sensei’s seminars. I started with full-contact karate, but even though the style’s name has changed, I’ve been doing karate for 44 years. Now, due to family and work as a lawyer, I’m not teaching much, but I’m a member of the committee of a black belt organization.
The difference between Ushiro Karate and full-contact karate is that full-contact karate is a power karate and a sport. After doing it for over 40 years, I felt I had reached my limit. At a time when I felt I couldn’t do more physically due to my age, I was able to meet Ushiro Sensei through Ferenc, the head of the Hungarian branch. I don’t know how to express it in words, but it’s like a different kind of air. When Ushiro Sensei demonstrated movements during practice, I felt a kind of energy surging, and it was a very interesting experience. Thank you.
●F.N (23 years old, Male, Self-Employed, Hungary)
This is my third time participating. The first time was at the Berlin seminar, and the second time was at the Hungarian seminar. I’ve had an eye-opening experience. When I first met Ushiro Sensei, I was a bit intimidated, not knowing what to say. But as I deepened my understanding of what Ushiro Sensei was saying, I realized that it was an excellent way for young people like us to train our minds and bodies.
I realized that learning from Ushiro Sensei helped me understand myself better. By knowing myself better, I can grow better. I felt that I could change everything, from partnerships to family and work, by knowing myself through Ushiro Karate.
Seeing the children practice today, I realized that children are much more open than adults, so they can harmonize more easily. If I were a karate teacher, I would tell my students to let their children do it. The younger they are, the more they can absorb.
Seeing the children today, they were able to hold down adults lying on the floor, which was truly amazing. It was a life-changing experience. I want to continue learning tomorrow and beyond. Thank you.
●T.T (45 years old, Male, Self-Employed, Poland)
I’ve been practicing Ushiro Karate since 2017. Meeting Ushiro Sensei is always a great learning opportunity. I’m convinced that there are many stages of growth in Ushiro Karate, and it’s a path that continues indefinitely.
Every time, I discover something new beyond what I learned or saw before in the seminar. I always get new perspectives. At first, I tried to learn Ushiro Karate through “movement,” but I realized that the important thing was to watch Ushiro Sensei and imitate him. I practice every day. Occasionally, I discover depth in my own practice, which motivates me to train even harder.
●M.M (26 years old, Male, Company Employee, Italy)
Every time I come, I learn something new, and I’m not just learning forms and movements, but also the deep teachings behind them. Ushiro Sensei’s karate is different from other sports. It’s a karate of life and death, so I’ve learned that I need to approach it with humility, not with the attitude I used to have.
●Ferenc Fris (Hugary Sub-branch Chief)
I have been preparing a lot for this event, both as an organizer and as a student, together
with my son Geri and my team. During the organization I was pleased to see that almost
everything went very well, thanks to my helpers working behind the scenes. Unfortunately, I
strained my knee a bit in the two weeks before the seminar, which hampered my training.
However, it made me realize that I need to approach the basics in a different way.
The two days were very meaningful. Sensei presented the unity of theory and practice in a
structure that gradually revealed deeper and deeper connections. I found the theoretical and
practical material of the DO seminar on Friday particularly interesting, and I also felt its
relevance during the Bunkai exercises at the weekend.
The examples of quantum physics and cellular motion gave me new understandings and
opened my eyes to many new discoveries. It was a great honor for me to have the
opportunity that Geri teached the Hungarian basic team. I could see that it had a very
positive impact on him - and I thank Sensei for that.
The part where Sensei introduced the BOKKEN techniques and shared some pictures from
his collection was very interesting. I received several important details during the Sanchin
and Naifanchin kata practice, and I experienced new breakthroughs in the practical part of
the Bunkai exercises that I will incorporate into my daily training.
The many demonstrations Ushiro Sensei did with both juniors and some adults as contrasts
were excellent illustrations of the workings of the unseen world - even for those who were seeing it for the first time.
Several new Hungarian participants indicated after the seminar that they would like to
practice Ushiro Karate regularly, and I will contact them. In feedback, several of them
commented that it would have been useful to have spent more time on the pair exercises and error corrections.
In conclusion, I am very grateful to Sensei for sharing so much information with me and us,
and for his comprehensive approach. I am really looking forward to our trip to Japan and to
practicing and learning there!
●Gergely Fris (Hungary Sub-Branch)
First of all, I/we would like to thank you for the opportunity to hold this seminar in Hungary. I really enjoyed organizing it.
The water bottle exercise at the end of the second day was a very interesting demonstration of Ki energy. It was an unusual and surprising experience to feel that when you try to resist this force with physical strength, it actually becomes harder to maintain stability and easier for Sensei with KI to control you.
Ushiro Sensei's teaching method really resonates with me. He teaches principles, facts, and perspective. I experienced this during the Dojuku lecture before the seminar, where he shared his insights about effective leadership with leaders and entrepreneurs. I had the opportunity to put what I learned there into practice the very next day when teaching at the seminar. The difference was striking: initially, the group was scattered, but when I applied the previous day's teachings based on Sensei's guidance, a dramatic change occurred. It was amazing to see how even beginners suddenly performed the Kata confidently, as if they had been practicing for a long time.
This experience made it tangible for me how big the difference can be between two leaders' effectiveness with the right mindset and with Ki.
I feel this step-by-step development that Ushiro Sensei always talks about. And I feel that the more steps I climb, the more curious I become about the next level, wondering what the next discovery will hold.
I am very grateful to Ushiro Sensei and the Japanese delegation for all their help and for everything I could learn.
●Josh Drachman (Seattle Branch Chief)
The seminar in Hungary was a wonderful experience for me which provided a number of important lessons and insights.
Perhaps most striking for me was at Ferenc’s dojo where I got a chance to feel Sensei’s touch for a throw. There was absolutely no power in Sensei’s “throwing” hand. Sensei explained and demonstrated that it is not about doing anything to the other person when throwing but all about oneself. The feeling of profound zero and no power that Sensei generated from Sanchin that allowed Sensei to throw me so easily impressed me deeply. I have heard the words “use no muscle power” and “do not throw someone with your arm” many times. But at that moment of being thrown, I think I got a sense in my body of the feeling of lightness and emptiness in Sensei’s touch. If a hundred words equals one look and a hundred looks one touch, then this was that kind of touch experience for me. I can honestly say that this moment of feeling Sensei’s touch and falling to the ground was worth the entire trip.
I felt that the seminar was conducted at a higher level than other European seminars to date. The focus on Sanchin and Naifanchin went deeper than in the past. It was helpful and humbling for me to become aware just how small and posturally out of alignment my kata are. Perhaps, most importantly I came to see more clearly how my habits of movement, thought, and approach are in the way of my progress. Becoming aware of and deleting these habits through kata will be a major theme for my practice going forward. I thank Sasabe-san, our group leader and Mishina-san for their help in this area.
I was pleased and relieved that Sensei recognized and validated that I have fixed some of my problems with oitsuki. He kindly demonstrated for me the next level which is to execute in a way that allows — for lack of better words — deeper entry and more freedom of speed and direction. I am very grateful for Sensei’s direct lessons and will work to make further progress based on them.
I was impressed and moved by the many instances where Sensei had children demonstrate how easily they could move a group of adults in a line or scrum. And I was especially happy to see the progress of some of the young boys who were not initially successful due to their sport habits but came to find their natural ability with Sensei’s guidance. It was inspiring to see how Sensei helped change the life direction and vision of these children in such a short period of time. Hopefully, it will lead these kids to maintain and further develop their potential through karate as they grow up.
It was wonderful that a truly international group was brought together, unified and inspired by Sensei’s profound abilities and teaching. I came away feeling that a better world would emerge if we all continued to apply ourselves and change. Sensei’s comments about conflict, fighting and war being greater environmental problems than free carbon were deeply meaningful. As Sensei showed by having three different groups send signals to affect each other, we are truly all connected in ways not understood by ordinary common sense. It is in the context of this larger message that I am inspired anew to continue my karate training.
●Gina Drackman (Seattle Branch)
At the fall, 2024 Budapest Seminar it seemed to me that Sensei taught on a much deeper level than at the previous European seminars. He began by explaining that we normally use only about 5% of our consciousness. We must tap into the other 95%, or the subconscious, in order to learn Ushiro Karate, which is based in Quantum rather than Newtonian physics. I don’t know much about physics, but I understand that in the former when there is a connection between two objects, no matter how far apart in space, a change made to one automatically produces a like change in the other. This is shown in Ushiro Karate when we practice bunkai. The idea is not to do something to the other person, but to make a change to oneself which results in a change in the other person so that we become one. Sensei has demonstrated this to us many times and in many ways. Sensei has indicated that to change we must get out of our own way and that learning Ushiro Karate requires removing blockages and correcting deformities. I believe that Sensei’s abilities are due to the fact that he has done this so completely that he has made himself zero so there is nothing between thought and action.
I think I have a clearer picture of how correcting my deformities and removing blockages will allow ki to flow unimpeded. The deeper the corrections, the stronger the ki flow. This is a lifelong process which for me involves correcting my posture and allowing my mind to expand in space.
We practiced bunkai, with Sasabe san leading our group. He stressed the importance of not trying to hit something with our punches, but just to make the shape neutrally. I had mixed results, but I feel as if I’m close to understanding how to stop using my physical body and just use ki to make contact with my partner.
Another point that Sensei made was that climate change is not caused by too much carbon in the air, but by war. The implication is that we must learn how to erase conflict in ourselves and our own lives so that we can help to erase conflict in the world. I believe that all things and people are connected, whether we realize it or not.
I thank Sensei from the bottom of my heart for his continued teaching and love.
●Michael Koethe, Branch Chief, Germany
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Sensei for coming all the way to Europe to teach us. I would also like to express my deep gratitude to the other Japanese people who supported Sensei's teaching. And I am grateful to Ferenc and all those who worked hard to ensure the smooth operation of the seminar.
During the seminar, Sensei beautifully demonstrated how children can accomplish things with such innocence and lightness, something that adults often struggle to do. Furthermore, Sensei opened the door for us to the world of energy, and it is now our responsibility to move forward. I clearly felt, on a sensory level, the importance of neutralizing an opponent through attention to details such as "eyes first, posture, and technique." I am strongly motivated to learn and master this. And I am determined to pass on this knowledge to the next generation of children. Once again, I have become even more convinced that this is the path I truly want to follow. Thank you very much, Sensei.
●Emanuele Argentino, Italy Sub-Branch Chief
With each seminar, I've deepened my understanding. If we've made any progress, it's because Sensei has taught us profound new things and helped us correct our habits, even slightly. The best part of the seminar is learning Sensei's philosophy. Ushiro Karate can be applied to everything. I believe that learning from Ushiro Sensei is an essential lesson for making the right choices in the future. I want to spread this knowledge. I'm always grateful for your guidance that helps us improve ourselves. Thank you.
●Marcin Żyliński, Poland Sub-Branch Chief
I learn new techniques every time I meet Sensei. The neutralization I learned in Saturday's training was especially extraordinary. Sensei focused on teaching us about "uke" (receiving), but he said that "uke" is not the goal, but rather the result before movement. It's a very high-level teaching, but it was very stimulating for me. I want to practice harder in this area. Another thing I learned was how to use my body. It's about not being stiff and not using too much muscle. Being stiff is a mistake, and it's important to believe in yourself and use your body. I am very much looking forward to his future guidance.
●Andrzej Wolski, Poland Branch
This seminar was special for me because I received my shodan. I am very grateful for being awarded this rank. It was not a promotion through an examination, but rather a promotion that Sensei had been watching over. Every time I participate, I learn something new. I want to take what I've learned back to the dojo and share it with everyone.
●Ela Wolak, Poland Branch
As Andrzej said, this seminar was also special for me. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Sensei for awarding me my shodan. Each seminar is very unique and I can learn new things. Every time, I want to take what I've learned back to the dojo.
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