This CD featurs clips from the 1972 New Hampshire Karate Championships. This tournament was hosted by Al Ford and supported by all the Uechi-ryu seniors in New England. Additionally, this open tournament was supported by all the major karate groups in New England. Moto Yamakuro was the chief official at this event. (Moto was one of many Japanese karate black belts who participated in a student exchange program with the Mattson Academy during the 70’s.) The tournament was held in the honor of Grandmaster Kanei Uechi and Sensei Ryuko Tomoyose, who were guests of the Mattson Academy of Karate at the time. Because of the historic nature of this tournament, all the big names in New England karate tournaments competed. Van Canna, Walter Mattson, Art Rabesa, Nev Kimbrell, Al Wharton, Mike Deluty and dozens of other tournament pioneers whose names I can’t remember, made this the tournament of tournaments for the era. We often hear people talk about the fantastic matches of the 70’s. In this recently discovered video, we can take a historic look back at the golden age of Karate. Many thanks to Carmine DiRamio for providing the video tape of this tournament and is responsible for preserving this glimpse into Uechi-ryu history for future generations. The video clips on this CD are basic AVI format. They can be played on all popular viewers. If you do not have a viewer, one can easily be downloaded on the internet. Windows Media Player is one I can recommend for PC users. Mac users can use Quick Time Player. For those of you interested in records; Van Canna took the Grand Championship Title. Walter Mattson, 2nd place. Art Rabesa, 3rd place. If you enjoy this CD, watch for the next VidMag, featuring clips from the historic 1963 World Championships. George E. Mattson Peabody Publishing Co.
