Seven Stars Tai Chi Club

Osman Phillips

I started my Tai Chi journey in 1981 at the British Tai Chi Ch’uan Association in London England.

I was fortunate to be taught by Grand Master John Kells for my first ten years and also his main student Alan Peck. For the last year (1990-91) as I lived five minutes away, John wanted to practice the dance of Equality, (also known as the 88 or Sanshou) so we met every Friday afternoon for that year. During this time John asked me to teach at the East-West centre and I ran a class there from 1984 to 1991.

In 1986 I made the first of three visits to Vancouver to study with John’s teacher Dr Chiang Tao Chi . He was an extremely gracious man with abilities that I had heard existed but had not experienced. In particular his softness and effortless ability to capture the root of an opponent and dispense with it, without force was extraordinary.

I immigrated to Canada in June 1991, first teaching in Victoria B.C. I moved to Salt Spring Island in 1993 and started the Seven Stars Tai Chi club , building a purpose built studio in 1997. The club continues to the present day.

Since my arrival in Canada I have travelled to Seattle to study with another of Cheng Man Ching’s students Tao Ping Siang and more recently travelled to Hawaii for a workshop with William Chen. From 2005 to 2011 I studied Chen style Tai Chi with grand master Zhang Zhi Bin.

Rumi Kanasaka

Rumiko Kanesaka moved to Salt Spring Island from Tokyo in 1994. Alongside her long Tai Chi practice, she has had a diverse professional life. Before moving to Canada, she worked in Tokyo as a graphic and editorial designer, later transitioning into roles as an editor and translator in both Japan and Canada.

After settling on Salt Spring Island, Rumi became deeply engaged in local Japanese Canadian history. She is a founding member of the Japanese Garden Society of Salt Spring Island, working to address historical injustices and to promote equity and reconciliation through education and community engagement. She was a shiatsu therapist but now retired.

Rumi’s Tai Chi journey began in Tokyo in the 1980s when she attended a class at a cultural centre. She first studied Yang Ming-Shi (楊名時) style Tai Chi, a form of Yang-style developed primarily in Japan. After moving to Canada, she began studying under Osman Phillips, learning the Cheng Man-Ch’ing Yang 37 form. Over the years, she has attended workshops and retreats with various Tai Chi teachers and has also spent time in China studying Chen-style Tai Chi. The insights gained from these experiences continue to inform and deepen her practice and teaching.