EnsonInoue:TheForce is With Him

 

Enson Inoue’s New Fight: Helping the Displaced of Northern Japan

By Tommy Hackett on July 17, 2013

Enson Inoue is known for a fighting spirit which carried him in epic battles against the likes of Frank Shamrock, Randy Couture, and Igor Vovchanchyn during the heyday of Japanese MMA.

Born and raised in Hawaii, Inoue first came to Japan in his early 20’s, where he began an unlikely MMA career — initially, to challenge his own sense of fear. The Japanese accepted him as one of their own, dubbing him “Yamato Damashii,” or the spirit of traditional Japan. His ferocity and never-say-die attitude was said to be bringing back the samurai spirit that the Japanese themselves were losing.

But today, Enson Inoue is planning a new challenge: a pilgrimage across his adopted home, to raise money and awareness for those still suffering and displaced by the 2011 tsunami and nuclear disaster.

Beginning in September, Inoue will trek close to 1500 miles in honor of the displaced, including through the ravaged areas of Iwate Prefecture — staying wherever he may find shelter and only carrying his own food and water.

He’s asking fans to pledge support, accepting donations through his website which will be used for supplies to help the displaced.

“What we’ll be doing is not only raising money for the people up there, but also I want to make it so it inspires them too,” Inoue explains of the walk he will take with two longtime friends, Roman De La Cruz of Fokai Industries and K-1 veteran Pat Ayuyu.

“As far as food and water goes, we’re going to run out of supplies, yeah?” he adds, his Hawaii accent still rock-solid after almost two decades in Japan. “But these people don’t have work and don’t have a way to purchase what they want. That’s why I’m making that rule, that we only eat what we carry, to put us in the situation where we have to depend on people’s help too.”

“They’re in a situation (in Northern Japan) where they need to rely on other people,” he continues. “It’s not possible to make it all the way across Japan only carrying food and water, without help. We’re going to have to sleep outside every day. So it’s kind of like their situation, unstable. They’re in temporary housing and they don’t know how long they’re going to be there. They’re not confident they’ll always have a place to sleep. We might find a good place to sleep one night, and not find anywhere to sleep the next.”

“You’ve got to keep the hope. If you look at the resources, there’s really no way to make it. If you look at the people in temporary housing, it’s the same: some of them end up having to wait until hope comes. I hope it inspires them to continue on.”

In 2010 Inoue completed the Shikoku Pilgrimage, a walking tour of 88 Buddhist temples. After the 2011 disaster, he began setting aside time from his successful network of martial arts academies to help the disaffected. With the help of his friends and fans, Inoue has made more than 20 trips to bring supplies to the ravaged north from his home in Saitama.

He describes the lessons learned from his MMA career as serving him well in these experiences. He was a huge underdog when he handed Couture his first MMA loss, and refused to quit in a frightful beating at the hands of Igor Vovchanchyn – in a bout where he sustained a swollen brain and numerous other injuries.

“Discipline and perseverance,” he says. “The duration of the fight is different; even thinking of the hard training before the fights; this (trek) will be a bit longer. It’s a whole different thing, but it’s the same thing. To have to get up again every day, no matter how much pain you have. Pushing yourself to get through the mental anguish.”

But this time, the battle isn’t about testing his fighting spirit.

“It’s to inspire them to continue on,” Inoue says. “Second, the fans, I can inspire them to help. They don’t understand how dire the situation is. If people didn’t do these volunteer missions to help, a lot of people would be dead. The people up north still need help.”

“If you skip a couple of beers and pledge a penny per mile,” Inoue explains, “at the end of the journey, that $13 will buy water for a family for a month, or rice for a couple weeks. You can help people in ways that are life changing.”

Donations can be made through Enson Inoue’s website, DestinyForever.com.

TheForce is With Them:P.O.W.

A brief clip as Todd Vance break down his therapeutic program for war veterans dealing with PTSD  for HBO Sports as Soledad O’Brien travels to San Diego and meets the men of the POW MMA Fight Club, who have found their own solution to PTSD, one of the military’s biggest problems. Real Sports premieres Tues, June 25 at 10pm ET/PT on HB

What Is Yamato Damashii?:

ENSON INOUE speaks about the evolution of “Yamato Damashii”" and how he has been applying it into his life to help others.

XVFKI1008:15YearsOfFokaiDistribution

Time flies when you’re having fun–or so they say. But not necessarily.

April 25th,2013…It’s been 15years to the date since fokai first opened for business…or so to speak. April 25th, 1998 marks the fokai’s first day in commerce and fokai logo’s  introduction en masse to professional and competitive no holds barred fighting; in many ways the baptism of the fokai oval. It was Superbrawl 7, with Fokai Industries co-founder John Calvo headlining the main event against the UFC Champion@the time Dan Severn. shirts were being sold out of a backpack during the event and the island of Guam was introduced to what they perceived to be “TeamFokai”, the fighting group. Although this mislabeling created some serious differeing of opinions in the community–the small controversy of the adaptation of “Fokai” , which was often digested as vulgarity, and attaching it to any type of fight oriented setting left .it was very easy to be perceived as a fighting group. The truth was, in fact, that Fokai was started originally to be a surf-brand, it was ultimately the lack of surf that led its original founders to Jiujitsu. And it was through Jiujitsu that it’s originators,  Patrick Fleming and Roman Dela Cruz, would reconnect with an old friend, John Calvo—and where conversations on the porch led to stickers and stickers led to heat transfers and then months later it was April 25th, 1998.

Fokai had  already been years in conversation of starting a surf clothing company and even more years of “fokai” sounding cool and being drawn on bodyboards,surfboards, and skateboard  decks. For surfers in their early , its often harder to imagine anything else even remotely close to giving the enjoyment and stoke of surfing . But retrospectively speaking,  It was the lack of surf, the pursuit of adventure and self-improvement, and the camaraderie of brothers that gave catalyst to the first stock  of tshirts made available for commerce.

The shirts, distributed mostly from backpacks and cardboard boxes inched forward and made it into the trunks of cars . For the limited edition shirts they were stored authentically in “the black box”. It was the growing requests for product cooperating with the goodwill of friends and growing faith for the fokai label, movement, and purpose—that the satellilte distribution program was activated.

First stemming out through as VJ Santos distributed to family members down south and Ted Vida distributed to -workers, friends and family in the north, the program also circulated product through others who were there to help. We will always have gratitude for   Kie Susuico,  Shawn Camacho, Joe Nauta, Godwyn Quitugua,Tina Calvo, Pete Ungacta, Joe Mansapit, and Melchor Manibusan, and Justin Guzman  who have all worked earnestly to circulate product distribution. The growing stems of the Satellite distributors made it possible for the product to get to their friends and families and actually made up the majority of product distribution.

TEAM FOKAI: Despite the humble efforts of  the company to campaign fokai as a clothing company with the intention to promotoe perseverance and initation–Controversy continued to loom as the misinterpretation of  “Team Fokai’ continued to resonate throughout the community.  It was in the course of this time that

Saina Ma’ase from fromtheheart.  Everything has been possible from your love and support. 15years and counting. ForLife.Sinceeversince.Fokai

Attention Poets!: Cultivate the Spirit

In the effort to be a convergence zone for Mariana Poets.ARKiology EDUtainment is hosting an online poetry contest. It’s Open to all residents of the Mariana Islands.No agre restrictions but entries must be from the MarianaIslands

http://www.arkiology.tv/dig-deep/

Miss Korea Visits Guam

Thank you for stopping by the beautiful island of Guam Miss Korea, Sara Kim!

Chamorro Time: fokai.tv Revamp

Hafa Adai,

It’s been few months since we posted…the truth is we set out with a big master plan to come back with THE FORCE to provide a more reliable media service for a better window into what’s been rocking and rolling in the landscape of FokaiInternational…

but got so busy in trying to make things happen that weve neglected our responsibilities in escorting that sufficiently through the fokai online experience.

No excuses, just apologies and goodwill..

Believe it or not, however–things have been pretty busy. Todd Vance from has been rocking with the POW program in California, Tone Susuico’s been staying busy with the Grasshoper Lounge and ASkate in Ireland, Crazy Mike Fowler is rocking with revamping his NOrth Shore Jiujitsu Club Program in Hawaii, and TBoogie has been on the revamp Cross One and Freestyle Sessions along  with a developing new fokai merchandise outlet in California. Hideaki Shiina has been holding it down with FokaiJapan as Destiny IS Forever as Enson is saving dolphins and making s positive difference with all kinds of volunteer service with the victims of March 11,20111′s tragic earthquake and tsunami in Northern Japan.

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Meanwhile on the homefront 13N144E we’re locked in for product development with some revamped product like the DevastatorShorts Series (or revamped and custom version of a perfomance longshort),Shop renovation, a video project or two, and a few new collections for Summer 2013 that will be sure to keep your fruits growing.

Guam Jiujitsu has been kicking but with a national title here and there,  our islands have been doing some things in MMA with feature athletes in the UFC and most recently Bellator…not too shabby for a tiny dot in The Pacific.

So until the massive revamp, or i guess more like “while in the process of…” Guam folks…check out TBoogie Anderson making his mark in SouthernCalifornia on the link below…

A picture tells a thousand words, so try to visit us on Instagram, Add us as a friend or Like us on facebook and we’ll work on revamping that online registry so we can eventually get you our newsletter thats been in the mix for way too long.

Stoked to be back. Here to help. Glad to be of Service.

Thanks for dropping by.

Way of Life w/ Martial Skills

Fokai.tv Blog Visit Site

Martial arts existed before as a means of survival and self defense, then somewhere further down the line it became along for competiton, fitness, and glory.

Lloyd Irvin,Friends, and BudoVideos break it down to basics int his interview when the Secret to Lloyd Irvin’ss success is partially unveiled in this solid evidence that the many paths of martial arts can truly be life enhancing.

Homebase: Guam Waterman’s Club

Paradise living and water/Spiritfitness training at 13N 144E. Thank you my Lord!
Music Video Edit by Andy Lee of the Guam Waterman’s Club

FokaiRoad:viaRDC&66Degrees

A Video Edit by JohnnyH of 66degrees in discussion of the FokaiProductDevelopment

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