Nishi Kawaguchi 西川口

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Nishi-Kawaguchi is my story about an American living in Japan who gets mixed up with a crooked loan shark. Martial Arts with some humor but I also want some drama!

Nishi-Kawaguchi is the city my partner Becca and I lived in while we were teaching English in Japan, it’s in Saitama Prefecture. It really is a wonderful place that has anything and everything we ever dreamed of. It is unfortunate that I am exploiting one of the more popularized, although over-hyped perspectives of Nishi-Kawaguchi, the Yakuza presence because I always felt right at home. Everyone was kind to us, it was easy to make friends, and the food was delicious. 

Mawashi-geri
We’re acting
The Skyline
Kansetsu-geri
Mister Donut is the best
Nishikawaguchi Logo
Nishikawaguchi Station West
Splash Screen
Toru Matsumura is amazing

Toru Matsumura really was amazing on this project, he helped me with the Japanese speaking parts of the script and drove an hour to act in the shoot. His acting really is spot on, I couldn’t be happier with his performance.

Lok Hwa is the Lead Lighting Artist for DreamWorks Animation and is in high demand these days. We were lucky to have him work on this project. He was instrumental on set.

All-Star Cast:
Takeshi Yamamoto – Toru Matsumura
Bozu – Alan Godshaw
Patrick McPheron – Director of Photography
Lok Hwa – 1st AD
Chris Dowske – Sound
Becca Hunter – Script Supervisor
Toru Matsumura – Script Supervisor (Japanese)

Please enjoy,
西川口

Alan

Blood Portrait

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*Ring Ring (actual phone sounds)
Patrick: “Hey, bring your sword over here and some of that fake blood, I have an idea.”
Alan: “<3”

Patrick McPheron did his magic with the camera, he really is the best.  Just some character type things that may or may not be used in any future projects.  I really love these.  Fun with swords? Yes, please.  If I ever do finish writing these scripts, this character will most likely go to a Joseph Gordon-Levitt type, you know, a skinny not bald person.

It’s all in the eyes
Cake on my hands again
Swords, though
Respect the tie.
In the suit

Please Enjoy
Alan

Shifting Blue

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Our ominous dreamscape martial arts project. Watch it, like & share.

You startled me there
Love that car
Chris Steele Rules
Hook kick
Can’t we just talk about this?
Round Kick
That’s me
Patrick McPheron is amazing
This street is empty

Please Enjoy,
Alan

Karate · 空手道

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All of my karate research that I am currently working on is on this page. Just click on one of the links below, or use the drop-down menu above. Feel free to email any questions.

Kata Dictionary

Styles

Karateka

Bibliography

I have been doing Martial arts my whole life. I personally have no specific style, but I have a 5th Dan in Shotokan Karate. I equally enjoy all interpretations of Karate-do. I also love training Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, Boxing, wrestling, and Muay Thai. While living in Japan, I also trained in Judo.

Here are some pictures from different publications with friends.

© Alan Godshaw

In The Street

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It's Spooky

Patrick McPheron made this beautiful yet eerie gem featuring our wonderful friend Jacquelyn Grissom.  It’s really spooky, child. I helped create the music, so I wanted to make a post about it so it can get more exposure! Oooh, Child. Alternatively, this could be a really great commercial for ‘Swans Down.’ (It’s on the ground near the end) Make up by was done by the talented Obi Martinez.

Please Enjoy,
Alan

Cuban Punch Up

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My mom and I.

On this glorious day, I would like to share with you something of an intimate nature. My mother was born in Matanzas Cuba and successfully escaped to America. I feel as emotional as that may have been for her, the especially emotional part was being separated from her parents for a whole year before reuniting. I really can’t imagine how heart-wrenching that must have been for my mother and my grandparents. Despite everything they went through, there are no two people more full of life and love than my mother, and my grandmother. Undoubtedly, my mother is equally strong as she is compassionate. It must have taken incredible resolve to go through it that. My mother now teaches Karate for a living. Recently, I stumbled across a wonderful BBC documentary following the journey of the Havana City Boxing Club’s national team. It is really amazing to see how skilled these children are at their craft. These kids are aiming for Olympic medals, which could change their whole lives. I watched this documentary partly as a metaphor for my mom overcoming adversity and partly because I love Boxing.

Watch this documentary.

I don’t want to give away any of the film’s content, but it does showcase a Havana and Matanzas Boxing rivalry, the state of modern-day Cuba and how resilient these kids are to put up with so much bureaucracy. Even if you don’t have a mom that escaped from Cuba, you can still enjoy the documentary; It may change your perception of how fortunate we are, especially if you live in North America. I am inspired by all of the fighters, especially Cristian, whose father was a Boxing Olympic gold medalist. I’m sure there is no pressure on him to be an overachiever, right? In any event, watching Cristian shadow box is poetry in motion.

Such a boss!

Cristian Martinez
The Leonardo of the group

Please enjoy,
Alan