Sport master to unite Russia, France and Japan

Sport master to unite Russia, France and Japan
The Vladivostok News

The Japanese Center in Vladivostok presented a program of celebratory events dedicated to Vasily Oshchepkov, a Russian judo master who initiated the first international meeting between Russian and Japanese sportsmen in Vladivostok in 1917.

Oshchepkov, born in Sakhalin but raised and trained in judo in Japan, receiving a black belt in the sport under the guidance of Japanese judo founder Jigoro Kano, returned to Russia in 1917 and immediately started a judo club in Vladivostok.

According to archives of the newspaper Dalyokaya Okraina cited at http://glory.nsu.ru/projects/satbi/satbi-e/statyi/sambo.html , “...in the hall of the Vladivostok ‘Sport’ society a ‘ju-jitsu’ competition was held between students of the high commercial college of Otaru, Japan, brought by their teacher Hidetoshi Tomabetsi, and the Vladivostok sport club ‘Sport’ headed by Oshchepkov.”

On September 14 the Japanese Center in Vladivostok plans to organize a ceremonial meeting in honor of Oshchepkov in the sport center of the Pacific Fleet where the first competition took place 90 years ago.The meeting will be attended by a group of French drummers who were invited to participate in the event and whose visit was planned to symbolize the combination of European and Asian martial arts in the territory of Russia. The French drummers will perform their best compositions for the guests of the meeting. Vladivostok residents will also have an opportunity to get acquainted with French drum music at the opening of the 5th international film festival in Vladivostok on September 15.

The organizers also plan to hold a round table to discuss the history and development of judo in Russia. The round table discussion welcomes participants and guests to the Japanese Center on September 13.

The ‘Sacred images of God’s Mother’ photo exhibition, presented by Vladimir Asmirko, will be held in conjunction with the project from Sep. 12 to Sep.16 in Portmay Art Gallery. Oshchepkov, orphaned when he was 11, received spiritual formation at a seminary in Kyoto where he then started practicing martial arts and left the path to priesthood.

FONTE: Vladivostok News - Vladivostok, Russia

http://vn.vladnews.ru/