2/27/13

Rosenberry the Immortal

The other day someone came to this blog by searching "what happens to sho rei shobu kan if shihan rosenberry dies". First of all, why do so many people think Shihan's last name is Rosenberry? Seriously, people are constantly calling him that! I even argued with someone about it once, but I know his last name is spelled Roseberry, because I spell good (although my grammar may need a little work ;).

Secondly, I have to commend the question asker's optimism with the use of the word "if" instead of "when", because it implies that they think Shihan might never die! He's about to turn 78, and he hasn't even retired yet, so we can only hope!
Rosenberry bush
I knew the dojo had fully infiltrated Skyler's brain when she
accidentally called our raspberry bush a roseberry bush!

Lastly, in the event that John Roseberry-Shihan is not, in fact, immortal, I want to answer the question that was posed. Shihan has already "officially" stepped down as head of the Sho-Rei-Shobu-Kan Budo Organization, and he named John Pitts-Sensei as his successor, so logistically not much will change. Shihan has taken the steps necessary to make sure that his knowledge, spirit, and legacy will live on long after he's gone.

When an animal dies, it leaves it's fur;
When a man dies, he leaves his name;
When a teacher dies, he teaches death.

-Master Seikichi Toguchi 1917-1998
Founder of Sho-Rei-Kan