Keiko Osame / Osoji

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

I have a torn labrum in my shoulder. Swimming, throwing, and push-ups really light me up.

I’ve got to think of something else I can do while everyone else is doing push-ups. I can only do so many sit-ups (I do them when they’re doing push-ups, then I do them again when everyone else is doing sit-ups).

planks and/or mountain climbers?

 

[drop bear]

I have a torn labrum in my shoulder. Swimming, throwing, and push-ups really light me up.

I’ve got to think of something else I can do while everyone else is doing push-ups. I can only do so many sit-ups (I do them when they’re doing push-ups, then I do them again when everyone else is doing sit-ups).

 

[MI_martialist]

Great question...if we look at it, keiko - training, Osame (Osameru) - to conclude, to wrap up. It is the last great training of the year. It is the training session where we pay all of our martial debts, for the days we missed, the debt of gratitude towards our seniors, our Sensei, and all those who trained before to allow us to train now. We symbolically die so that we may start the new year fresh, clean, pure, and ready for Osoji. For us, as classical martialists, it is THE ONE session not to miss.

What is the purpose of keiko osame? I've never heard the phrase before, although I can kind of guess what it is.

 

[JR 137]

Great question...if we look at it, keiko - training, Osame (Osameru) - to conclude, to wrap up. It is the last great training of the year. It is the training session where we pay all of our martial debts, for the days we missed, the debt of gratitude towards our seniors, our Sensei, and all those who trained before to allow us to train now. We symbolically die so that we may start the new year fresh, clean, pure, and ready for Osoji. For us, as classical martialists, it is THE ONE session not to miss.

Do you do a beginning of the year workout too, along the lines of Kagami Biraki?

We’ve done an unofficial end of the year workout in previous years. It all depends on the calendar and everyone’s schedule. In December 2016, my CI combined the kids and adults classes (there’s only one of each) on the last night the dojo was open and had a special workout. We had about 3/4 of the student body attend. There’s a few adults who’s kids also train; we had their kids like me up next to them. It was a great workout and class - lots of kihon, individual ranks taking turns performing their kata in front of the rest of the class, stuff like that.

I’ve only been there going on 3 years in February, so I don’t know how common that is in the dojo. My CI says it all depends on the calendar and students’ schedules.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

planks and/or mountain climbers?

Or perhaps abbreviated burpees (no push-up element), since he'll be doing sit-ups with them.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

I like that squat walk. I don't know if there'd be room for it in a group of people doing push-ups, but I think I'm adding that to some of my exercise - might be good for my knees.

 

[MI_martialist]

Keiko Osame is followed by Osoji, which is followed by Hatsugeiko, the first training of the year.

Do you do a beginning of the year workout too, along the lines of Kagami Biraki?

We’ve done an unofficial end of the year workout in previous years. It all depends on the calendar and everyone’s schedule. In December 2016, my CI combined the kids and adults classes (there’s only one of each) on the last night the dojo was open and had a special workout. We had about 3/4 of the student body attend. There’s a few adults who’s kids also train; we had their kids like me up next to them. It was a great workout and class - lots of kihon, individual ranks taking turns performing their kata in front of the rest of the class, stuff like that.

I’ve only been there going on 3 years in February, so I don’t know how common that is in the dojo. My CI says it all depends on the calendar and students’ schedules.

Do you do a beginning of the year workout too, along the lines of Kagami Biraki?

 

[pgsmith]

Our dojo does not observe keiko osame with anything special as many of the karate dojo do. We have kagami biraki on our first class after the new year where we clean the dojo thoroughly and all drink a sake toast to making the coming year a clean beginning to our training. Our hatsugeiko is the second class of the year, but our first actual training.

 

[drop bear]

I like that squat walk. I don't know if there'd be room for it in a group of people doing push-ups, but I think I'm adding that to some of my exercise - might be good for my knees.

You could just walk up and back in the space you would have taken up doing push ups.

 

[Chris Parker]

Great question...if we look at it, keiko - training, Osame (Osameru) - to conclude, to wrap up. It is the last great training of the year. It is the training session where we pay all of our martial debts, for the days we missed, the debt of gratitude towards our seniors, our Sensei, and all those who trained before to allow us to train now. We symbolically die so that we may start the new year fresh, clean, pure, and ready for Osoji. For us, as classical martialists, it is THE ONE session not to miss.

I've asked this before, but please stop passing yourself off as an example of Classical Japanese training. You are speaking from the experience of someone training in a school that is notably different in it's approach to the vast majority of classical schools, and this is (unsurprisingly) no exception.

Most classical schools don't really care too much about Keiko Osame. We just don't. To quote Dave Lowry's book "In The Dojo" (a great book that covers this and many other aspects of actual Japanese art training):

Keiko Osame is the last training session of the year. It happens in December, of course, often right in the middle of preparations for the New Year festivities in the dojo, around the twenty-eighth of the month. It is not a formal aspect of the dojo year in most places. In some dojo it will not even be remarked upon at all. Japanese culture and the observance of various moments in the course fo the season are full of examples of the celebration of the first of things... the last of things, however, are rarely given much attention.

While your dojo might make a big thing of it, most classical dojo don't. At all. It's actually more a Westernised aspect, based on the Western education system implemented, and therefore typically found more in modern arts, especially those (such as Judo, Kendo etc) that found a place in Japanese schools.

 

[JR 137]

@gpseymour @drop bear @kempodisciple
Thanks for the suggestions of alternative exercises. I should’ve said I was looking for an alternative exercise where I blend in and don’t become a distraction or a “look at what I’m doing over here while you’re doing push-ups.” Walking around, jumping around etc. might be a distraction to everyone else.

It’s all for nothing at this point anyway; I just found out I won’t be able to attend due to a work commitment I can’t get out of. The school I teach at decided to have our open-house on the same day. It’s basically the day we sell our school to prospective students so we can keep our jobs. The one Sunday morning I have to work every year just happens to be the best dojo day of the year this year.

Why do I depend on a job to pay my bills? Isn’t there an easier way?

 

[Gerry Seymour]

You could just walk up and back in the space you would have taken up doing push ups.

Yeah, I tried it last night, and it works pretty well in a small space.

 

[JR 137]

Yeah, I tried it last night, and it works pretty well in a small space.

I was thinking about hopping over everyone who’s in the push-up position. Feet together and just hop over everyone, up and down the line. I’m pretty sure that wouldn’t go over well though.

We used to do that in wrestling practice... we’d have everyone make a big circle in the middle of the mat holding a push-up. When you got jumped over, you’d do a push-up then get up and hop over everyone until you got back to your spot. Do another push-up and hold it. Then we’d repeat it, only with bear crawls, sideways jumping, etc.

Wrestling conditioning was fun

 

[pgsmith]

Why do I depend on a job to pay my bills? Isn’t there an easier way?

And that is exactly why I am so looking forward to retirement!

 

[JR 137]

And that is exactly why I am so looking forward to retirement!

When I grow up, I want to be retired. At the rate I’m going, it’ll never happen though.

 

[MI_martialist]

In teresting...I guess that since our classical training does not match up with what you believe to be classical training, we are wrong, and you are right...OK...sure.

So, what makes it that our experience in training that is "different' is wrong and yours is right?

Most...hmm...so since it says most, and you come across one that does, it cannot be classical...I do believe there is a flaw in that logic. I like Dave Lowry's stuff, it is a good reference. Did you read it? Where does he say that it does not exist?

I've asked this before, but please stop passing yourself off as an example of Classical Japanese training. You are speaking from the experience of someone training in a school that is notably different in it's approach to the vast majority of classical schools, and this is (unsurprisingly) no exception.

Most classical schools don't really care too much about Keiko Osame. We just don't. To quote Dave Lowry's book "In The Dojo" (a great book that covers this and many other aspects of actual Japanese art training):



While your dojo might make a big thing of it, most classical dojo don't. At all. It's actually more a Westernised aspect, based on the Western education system implemented, and therefore typically found more in modern arts, especially those (such as Judo, Kendo etc) that found a place in Japanese schools.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

I was thinking about hopping over everyone who’s in the push-up position. Feet together and just hop over everyone, up and down the line. I’m pretty sure that wouldn’t go over well though.

We used to do that in wrestling practice... we’d have everyone make a big circle in the middle of the mat holding a push-up. When you got jumped over, you’d do a push-up then get up and hop over everyone until you got back to your spot. Do another push-up and hold it. Then we’d repeat it, only with bear crawls, sideways jumping, etc.

Wrestling conditioning was fun

If you tried that with some of my training partners, they'd probably throw in some different push-ups, to increase your difficulty. Hard to hop over a superstar push-up when you're not expecting it.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

When I grow up, I want to be retired. At the rate I’m going, it’ll never happen though.

I feel ya' on that one.

 

[JR 137]

If you tried that with some of my training partners, they'd probably throw in some different push-ups, to increase your difficulty. Hard to hop over a superstar push-up when you're not expecting it.

Now I have to look up superstar push-ups. Thanks. Just when I thought I heard it all.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Now I have to look up superstar push-ups. Thanks. Just when I thought I heard it all.