![[Florida Judo Ki no Fuda Logo]](kinofuda.jpg)
In feudal Japan, long before the invention of radio and television, long before the printing press made regular newspapers possible, and long before personal computers allowed Judo clubs to publish newsletters easily, daimyo posted important information on wooden signboards, such as the one shown in the banner above. In Japanese, these signboards were called Ki no Fuda (literally, a "wooden tag"). The purpose of the Ki no Fuda was to distribute important information to the people around the countryside. Hence comes the name I have given to this website. From April 1989 till October 1991, my father, John R. Ellis was the editor of a newsletter called Florida Judo Ki no Fuda. He did this to distribute information to Florida Judoka. He provided this valuable information until it was no longer financially viable. My desire is to see that important information gets to the Judoka of Florida via the Ki no Fuda. This is the reason why I want to re-start what my father began. And all Judoka, regardless of affiliation, are equally important. My goal is to update these pages approximately every eight weeks. I created this website to cut costs associated with mailing out a newsletter. I feel now is the time to bring back the signboard, the Ki no Fuda, to provide more information to the Judo players, parents, and spectators of Florida. That's the reason why I started up the Florida_Judo Yahoo! group but I feel it is now necessary to provide more information than I can write in 1 or 2 emails. What will be printed? I have already discussed this with several Judoka within our state. Some of the suggestions were Referee Corner, Rules Quiz, Kata Corner, Judo History articles, Technical Official articles, list of Florida Judo Clubs (regardless of affiliation), list of Judo Events (also include some National/International Judo Events not within Florida), and a Coaches' Corner. I can provide information that I have gathered for most of these areas, but will be looking for input from everyone, especially in the Coaches' Corner. I will add the "Coaches Corner" link once I get some inputs for the some of the coaches. I would also like to add a section to recognize our students and instructors when they get promoted. Beyond these, I leave the contents up to you. One regular column that I am bringing back from my father's version is the O Genki Desu Ka? by Dr. Andre' Merrill, Chiropractic Physician. Dr. Andre' Merrill offers a unique perspective on health issues as they relate to Judo training. Not only is he a respected Chiropractic Physician, but an excellent Judoka, having trained under some of the finest Sensei in the Western Hemisphere, including Dr. Sachio Ashida. The name of that column comes from a very common Japanese expression, frequently when greeting people Genki translates as spirits or well-being. When used as a greeting in the question "O genki desu ka?", it means "Are you well and in good spirits?" This is a most appropriate name for Dr. Merrill's column. What do you think? Do you agree that the Ki no Fuda is needed? Contact me via email at editor@kinofuda.com telling me what you think. |