Close friendship with Christian Wiederanders and Mark Sterke for over 20 years. On 14 September 2024, the time had finally come again and the trip was back to Tilburg in the Netherlands. Travelling from Germany were Christian Wiederanders (Tatsu-Ryu-Bushido) and Thomas Beyer (BAE/EDC). After a short ‘come-together’, traditional Jiu Jitsu techniques were practised in civilian clothing. It was another great experience to train and exchange ideas with Soke Mark Sterke. Afterwards, historical Makimono, the traditional Japanese martial arts, were shown and explained. Of course, the Japanese rice wine ‘Sake’ was not to be missed before the samurai party at Mark Sterke’s home. Home-cooked Japanese food was served in the Grand Master’s house. In addition to the books written by Mark Sterke himself, old and new Japanese weapons were studied and martial arts were discussed in the context of Dutch-German friendship. There was also a small glimpse into the future and a planned event for the samurai exhibition in Berlin in the first quarter of 2024. At the end, each participant received their own makimono. The contact with Mark Sterke and his master students is very important, as the knowledge of traditional samurai martial arts is practised and trained there in a unique way. The next day, Christian Wiederanders visited Mark Sterke again before travelling on to Rotterdam.

The book of the three circles

The Book of Three Circles includes 10 movements (kata), hundreds of techniques, two scrolls (Shin tai ryu and Bokuden ryu) and a dozen martial arts, 386 pages. It is the 50th anniversary edition and more than 500 drawings, dozens of color photos, poems, and most importantly the complete book to become a master of Jiu Jitsu and Bugu Jitsu, together the Menkyo Tai Jitsu: Master Teacher! For an insight, see www.sterke.net and www.umekyokai.eu.

# Das Buch der drei Kreise von Mark Sterke bei LULU

# ISBN: 9781446108642