Back in 1987 I was training in the Head quarters down town and we got a bulletin that our chief instructor had passed away. I still remember feeling gutted, he was the chief instructor for the JKA world federation and by all accounts one of the few true icons and innovators in Karate. I remember this mainly because of my own stupidity. But hey I was 15-16 when he came to Winnipeg and at the time I thought that he was just another instructor and I missed his class at the head quarters club.
To this day I kick myself and think of all the times I could have gone and trained with masters and did not for various silly reasons. Hey at the time they seemed like valid reasons, but as I got older I started to realize that a lot of that knowledge they had was going to be gone, and I would never have a chance to learn some things from them. Now I am lucky, I have one of the best instructors in north America as my Sensei, but the classes I messed with these men I will never get back.
About the time I was 20 I started getting really interested in the history and past instructors, those men that I would never meet and those men that had contributed one way or the other to the style that I train in today. I researched them for over 20 years and want to touch on some of the greats that we have lost. If not to give you a spark of interest to read up on these men, then to ensure that you learn from my mistakes and take every chance to train with any instructor that you can. The benefits for your Karate will shock you.
Funakoshi Gichin
By all accounts Funakoshi was an relatively adequate student of Karate. He was not dynamic or very large, but he was dedicated. He was also very well educated and organized mentally. Both of these qualities made him innovative and a good instructor because he could communicate his ideas clearly.
He came from a fairly wealthy family, but most of their money was spent by his father. He was a school teacher and had trained in presentation of information. Most of his students said he was very quiet and very passionate about Karate, but also extremely proper even for a Japanese/Okinawa gentleman.
His Karate was a mix of his two instructors, so he was the first innovator of Shotokan Karate. His style was both quick and explosive as well as strong and powerful, his own ability was very good and he proposed a shift in Karate training to a more cerebral act. This allowed him to spread Karate to people of all back grounds.
Because of his innovative approach and his great instruction, Funakoshi Gichin, the school master from Okinawa with a Samurai family became known as the father of modern Karate and his style of Karate survived world war two and became one of the most practiced style of Karate in the world.
Funakoshi passed away at the age of 88 in Tokyo after starting a Karate revolution.
Itosu Anko
Before Funakoshi Sensei could pass on Karate he had to learn Karate. The instructor that influenced him the most was Itosu Anko. Itosu Sensei served as the secretary to the last king of Okinawa and was a military liaison for him as well. Itosu was born into a Keimochi, or family of position and was raised with a good education and brought up knowing he would be a member of the government.
After the government was dispended and he retired from government, Itosu began innovating the Karate that his instructor had taught to him. He created the Heian Katas (Known as the Pinan Katas in the Okinawan dialect) and also created the Sho versions of Kushanku (Kanku) and Passai (bassai) as well as creating a system for teaching Karate in schools (which the Heian katas were part of).
Itosus influence over Karates spreading cannot be over looked. Not only was he Funakoshi Gichin’s instructor, but he taught him how to spread the style of Karate and was one of the first real innovators of Karate from the island of Okinawa. While Funakoshi Sensei is known as the father of Modern Karate, perhaps he is more appropriately titled the father of Japanese Karate while Itosu takes the title of father of modern Karate.
Itosu was known as a shy and quiet man with lots of Karate power, he once used a sandal tied to a brick wall as a makiwara, and within a day the brick wall was destroyed. He passed away at the age of 84 in the town he was born in Shuri, Okinwa, with perhaps one of the most famous student bases ever.
Funakoshi Gigo
Gigo or Yoshitaka Funakoshi was Funakoshi Gichins third son. Gigo lived in Okinawa with his mother until he was 17. While in Okinawa, Gigo trained with his father’s two most influential instructors Azato and Itosu Anko. He also trained with other visiting instructors that both men had coming in from time to time.
When Gigo moved to Japan to train with his father he began to shape and rework the style that his father had created. He first trained with his father to understand how he merged the two styles that he had learned from his instructors and then be began to make adjustments.
Many of the newer ideas that he brought in were from his experience with other instructors his father’s age who had different instructors. Shotokan began to take on a different appearance and his influence can be seen in our longer stances and our half front facing and higher kicking. He also made changes to the way we did some techniques, like the higher knee chamber in Kicking and the longer distance striking, before Gigo made the changes most of the karate techniques were close range and had joint locks involved.
Gigo also brought in free fighting. Prior to this the only partner work was done in drills. He introduced the concepts of moving in fast, hitting and moving out of the target area, thus creating an need to train in understanding distance. His classes became famous for people passing out and he said that he expected his students to train harder than they would have to in a real fight, his thoughts were that if they over train now, they will be able to fighter better in real confrontations.
Gigo unfortunately contracted TB at the age of seven and while many doctors told his mother he would not live to be an adult, he lived to 39 and passed away after the hardships of world war two weakened him, however he was training up to the week he passed away.
Obata Isao
Obata sensei was one of Funakoshis most prominent students. He also helped finance and form the JKA after world war two. Obatas father owned several silk mills and his family was very well off. He was one of Funakoshis first students and also helped spread Karate to the US when he went on a world tour with Aikido and Judo instructors teaching at military bases.
Obata Sensei was also one of the main influences in University Karate. His interest in spreading Karate and the money and time he put into training and spreading the art helped the JKA spread outside of Japan and gave rise to the JKA and its world influence.
Nakayama Masatoshi
When one thinks of JKA style Karate they are thinking of the creation of Masatoshi Nakayama! Nakayama was a descendent of the Sanada Clan of Samurai, a clan well known for their Kenjutsu skills. His family was a medical family with his grandfather being a famous surgeon in Tokyo and his father being a physician as well. His grandfather had also been a very saught after Kenjutsu instructor and his father a famous Judoka.
Nakyama Sensei entered into Takushoku University with the intent of studying Chinese and becoming a diplomat prior to settling down and earning his medical degree. However a chance meeting with the Karate program at the university set him on a slightly different path.
By the time that world war two broke out, Nakayama was already a Nidan and after the war Nakayama along with Obata and several other students reformed the old Karate club and started the JKA. Ironically none of this was done with Funakoshi sensei, as they thought he had died in the war. Several months later the JKA secretary found Funakoshi and brought him back from northern Japan after Funakoshis wife and son had died.
Nakayama was forward thinking and a lot of the changes that we see in the JKA Karate came from him. He had studied other styles in China and had also trained with other instructors and let their styles influence him. He pushed for tournament style Karate knowing it would draw in new students. He also implemented some technical changes and was part of the great exchange that Funakoshi had arraigned with one of his peers in Karate, Kenwa Mabuni.
Nakyama was a genious when it came to Karate and while he did not enter into medicine he did study sports and athletic training considerably. All of the training he received from his seniors, Funakoshi Gichin and Gigo helped him to develop the Style of Karate we know as JKA style Shotokan Karate. He was also influential and had the forethought to realize that each instructors should be allowed to put their own twist on his style and still call it JKA style Karate. Unlike other strict and ridged styles, we have many flavors to Shotokan and yet we still have enough style flexibility to call it Shotokan and we can all still be JKA. This is thanks to the founder of JKA style Karate and the JKA itself, Masatoshi Nakayama.
Nakayama had a major accident when he was teaching skiing while in his 60’s and was caught in an avalanche. His doctors told his wife he would not live. When he did, they said he would not walk. When he did they said don’t dream about him doing Karate at all or living more than a few years, when he did…he outlived two of his surgeons and continued to spread Karate until he passed away at the age of 74.
Nishiyama Hidetaka
Nishiyama Sensei was born to a well off family. His father was a lawyer and kendo master and as was tradition, Nishiyama Sensei entered into Judo and Kendo himself at a young age. He infact received his black belt in Judo at the age of 14 and also received his Sandan in Kendo. Nishiyama began training at the JKA and earned his second dan before the war broke out. He stated that training was about 80% Kata and 20 % kihon, no kumite. Funakoshi Gichin and his son Gigo had split the training load evenly between the two of them.
Nishiyama enrolled at the Takushoku university and became the Karate Team captain shortly their after. He received a masters in economics and graduated, joining the SAC with his senior Obata Sensei to spread Karate via the US military exchange program. Along with top instructors from Judo and Aikido he traveled to military bases in the states.
Nishyama traveled back to the states and began teaching in Los Angeles and helped spread Karate in the US and north America at the request of one of his juniors, Tustomu Oshima.
Nishyama passed away in 2008 after a long battle with lung Cancer. After he passed his organization gave him the rank of 10th Dan. He would never have agreed to the rank while he lived. He said that the 10th dan was perfection and receiving that rank meant that your life of learning was over.
While I have never trained with Nishiyama and much of his influence over modern JKA is limited as he was more of an associate after moving to the US. Nishiyama had many interesting ideas and if you ever get the chance to watch some of the taped classes or read any of his writings you should take the chance. He was steeped in great Karate knowledge and his ideas are very advanced and may help your own Karate.
Kase Taiji
Next to Tanaka Sensei, the instructor I had admired the most was Kase Sensei. Kase Sensei’s father was Nobuaki Kase, a famous Judo instructor who held the rank of 5th Dan in Judo. Kase had followed in his fathers foot steps and by the age of 15 he was a second dan in judo and very well know. He read a book by Funakoshi sensei that changed his life. Kase continued to train in Judo, but focused his training on Karate. He trained with four influencial instructors, the first two being Gichin and Gigo Funakoshi, and after Gigo passed away he trainined for six years under Genshin Hironoshi and Tadao Okuyama.
Kase was known as the protector of Shotokan Karate because many “challenge matches” were brought to the JKA by young Karate students of other clubs and styles and it was always Kase who was selected to deal with these challenges. Known for his power and ability to quickly end fights, Kase earned a reputation in Japan as a man not to mess with.
He soon moved to Europe and spread his own style of JKA Karate while maintaining his own HQ in France. His influence has been felt in many great masters, and one of the reasons for this is his non-political view of things. He maintained ties with both side when the JKA split, he helped with ITKF members in Europe and in the end he refused to bow to his juniors in Karate who wanted to run things. He kept an open mind and a happy demeanor.
In 1989 Kase sensei had a heart attack, but appeared to recover and even went back to teaching. He fell ill in 2004 and again seemed to get better, but he passed away Nov.6th of that year. His style became known as Shotokan Ryu Kase Ha or “Shotokan with Kase’s personal touch”. His style was very well suited for actual combat and his movements in the videos, even at his age and physical condition, show great power and speed. Most who trained with him even near his death at 75 said that his blocks were like being struck by lightning.
Enoeda Keinosuke
Enoeda Sensei studied Judo and Kendo like most children but transferred over to Karate when he endered the Takushoku university. After his university years he entered the JKA and trained under Nakayama and Kase Sensei. He is well remembered for his fighting skills and they also earned him the nick name “Toro” or Tiger because of his attitude during sparring.
Enoeda settled in England and opened a dojo on Marshal street. That club produced some of the most noted instructors and competitors in English Karate. In fact his team was so strong that it often challenged the Japanese team and won on several occasions.
Enoeda sensei had battled cancer for a few years and thought that the issue was under hand when he traveled to Japan and had a surgical procedure. However he passed away in 2003 at the age of 67.
Two of my favorite books in my library are the Shotokan Advanced Kata books one and two, I swear that If I ever find a copy of three I will cry with Joy! The books are well laid out and his ability to show the techniques in Kata is bar none the best I have seen in a book. The thing I really like about Enoeda was his spirit, I can imagine what it must have been like to have been in a room with him, his books give off enough energy to impress me, training with him would have been awesome.
Asai Tetsuhiko
Asai sensei began training with his father in Sumo and Judo. His father was a policeman and felt that martial training was very important. Asai entered the Takoshoku university and began training with Funakoshi and Nakayama Senseis. Upon graduation his instructor suggested he join the JKA and become an instructor. He graduated from the JKA instructor program in three years and became the first instructor to introduce Karate to Taiwan. He also traveled to Hawaii and taught their for five years.
When Nakayama Sensei passed away he did not leave an successor. Instead he left many that felt as though they should be the successor. However the way he had the JKA set up that was impossible. After a long legal battle, Asai sensei split from the JKA and formed the JKS, a group dedicated to spreading his Karate.
Asai Sensei had said that much of the ill will and hostility left the older instructors after Kase and Enoeda passed away, with the passing of Shoji he said many of the older instructors were shocked back into reality. He said he actually got on very well with some of the other instructors who were not in his organization and were from the old group.
My thoughts on Asai and his Karate are very open, I think that for me 200+ Kata is just a bit to much, but I also think that I get it. His Karate was not about the Kata. It was about redefining human movement and teaching his students how to move the way he wanted them to. His relaxation and speed were beyond the norm and his ability as natural and I think cannot be taught to everyone. I would say that his Karate was “Naturally elitist” and not for every person. It got further away from Karate for the average person and became Karate for the full time athlete. His ability is with out reproach and his natural movements were very unnatural for most of us.
Asai Sensei spread his brand of Karate the old way, he taught parts to one person and other parts to other students. Many people feel they know his Karate but they know the part that he taught them. I have now conversed with three people that studied with Asai and were lucky enough to learn from him directly, and all three give very different views of what his Karate was. I think Andre Bertel has the closest to what we see on Asai videos as far as styles, but again, he is another very gifted person that seems to train more than most can.
Asai Sensei had liver disease and cancer and diet suddenly at the age of 71. Right up to the last class he taught he demonstrated great flexibility and speed. His natural ability is something that most of us only dream of.
Asai Sensei left behind a big mess in his organizations. Much like Nakayama sensei, When Asai Sensei passed on he left no clear successor, he left several. Kagawa Sensei is generally the most recognized student of Asais, but many other instructors were left feeling that they were left to run his style of Karate. Much like Kase, Asai sensei had put his personal stamp on Shotokan and while grounded and based in JKA Shotokan, it is easy to say his style took on a life of its own.
Shoji Hiroshi
Hiroshi Shoji is one of my favorite instructors to read about and watch. Not as physically gifted as Asai Sensei and not as powerful looking and athletic as Enoeda Sensei, Shoji had that common man look that made him my hero. He was not very tall, but his spirit was HUGE. He won the all Japan Shotokan championships with Unsu on several occasions and many said that despite his apparent disadvantage over the more athletic and boisterous competitors he demonstrated a quiet kind of Karate that had lots of appeal.
Shoji sensei was the chief instructor at Chuo university and had a reputation as being very quiet, shy and never wanting attention outside the Dojo. He never pushed for public rank advancements or wanted to run an organization. He was just happy with his training and teaching at his club and the JKA. However, he was also known as a very tough instructor who turned out great students.
Shoji took over the classes from Mori Sensei when he left for the States to live and teach. The change in instructors was at first taken hard by the students. They were used to Mori Sensei and his hard attitude during training. But when they first saw it was Shoji Sensei, a senior who was known as the smiling instructor, they were very happy. Till his first month of classes were done and he was then known for his hard classes and multitudes of repetitions.
The most outstanding thing about Shoji Sensei was not his techniques, which were very good from what I am told, and not his amazing Kumite skills…which I am told were equally good, but it was his attitude and approach. He was not overly stern, he tried to show people how to be humble and modest and he only took what was offered to him. He never tried to run more than his club and even then he was very generous. It was often said that his wife and him fed most of his clubs at one time or another. His charity did not end there. Despite being a hard instructor he was also the one that would spend hours with students to ensure they progressed.
From researching Shoji Sensei I think I found a model of modesty and hard work that I tried to strive towards as a student and instructor. Born in 1931, Shoji lived thru the hard WWII years and stayed in Japan to teach. He passed away quietly in 2003. But despite not making any major waves in Karate or in the organization his passing rippled thru the Karate world and everyone he had touched knew of his passing within days. His influence, even though he did not seek the lime light, was in fact greater than some who had strived to be the leaders of organizations.
Shoji Sensei left behind one book “Road to Karate” it is one that my library is looking forwards to holding one day.
Yamaguchi Toru
Toru Yamaguchi Sensei was born in 1936. Yamaguchi Sensei was born Toru Iwaizumi and born into a family with three older boys and a very busy father. His father was a home surgeon during the war and spent most of his time working with soldiers that were injured. When Iwaizumi Toru married in 1960 he was asked by his wifes family to adopt her last name so that the family would have a heir to the Yamaguchi name. Toru Sensei agreed and when he was married he took on his wifes name and soon after they had their first son.
Toru Iwaizumi entered tion Ibaragi University near Tokyo and studied Literature and social sciences while participating in track and field. Upon seeing a demonstration of Karate he began training with Nishiyama. Soon after he entered the JKA instructor training program and became a full time instructor at the JKA.
Yamaguchi Sensei entered Karate tournaments and found success competeing for over 10 years. His style was unique and he was never easy to spar against because he was known for his unique and unexpected attacks and defense. His style was very aggressive and he was known for leaping in the air one minute then falling to the floor the next.
In 1971 Yamaguchi sensei opened his first club called the Sei Kan Ku or the Success Karate Club. He later formed his own Shotokan organization he called the Todokai. He formed the organization officially when Nakyama Sensei passed away. Mostly popular in France and Canada, the Todukai has clubs in South Africa, Morocco and other countries.
Yamaguchi Sensei passed away in july of 2010 at the age of 74. He had suffered ill health for the last few years and when last I spoke with his student Alain Faucher he had passed on a invitation to train with Yamaguchi Sensei. While I grew up reading and rereading his exerpts in Best Karate I had never dreamed I would get the chance to train with him. Alas, I could not go and Alain had told me that the last training Yamaguchi Sensei had given was very sad as he physically was not the man he was years before.
Yamaguchi had passed away and much of his physical ability, much like Asai Sensei, will never be seen again. It was a natural and unforced dynamic that no one can fake or learn. But I am still sad I did not get the chance to train with this great man.
Ozawa Osamu
Ozawa Sensei lived a fairly quiet life in Reno and Las Vegas. He started his Karate training under Mabuni of Shito ryu but quickly transferred to Shotokan in University and trained under Funakoshi Sensei.
Ozawa Sensei, by all accounts, should never have made a big impact in Karate. In 1944 he was recruited into the Kamakazi corp as a pilot. His plan never made it off the run way however as it crashed upon take off. The planes used for suicide bombers were not exactly the best quality fighter planes the Japanese military could muster up. He was in a full body cast for months and if he had not been he probably would have committed suicide like many of his fellow pilots did when the war ended.
He went back to university and after his punctured lung and other inuries healed up he restarted his Karate training as well. He graduated with adegree in economics and Ozawa Sensei was part of the group that helped form the JKA and he even because a regional director in Kobe. He became a famous TV director.
In 1964 Ozawa came to the states for business reasons, trying to sell a film he had made. But things did not work out the way he had wanted. He tried to make ends meet teaching private lessons to celebrities like Natalie Wood and Rock Hudson. In 1974 he moved to Las Vegas and opend a dojo in Vegas were he also worked at a local Casino as a black jack dealer.
Ozawa Sensei held one of the most popular tournaments in north America. He set up the Las Vegas Ozawa “Annual Traditional Karate tournament international” a two day tournament that often hosts more than 1200 competitors and has 25-40 countries participating. The event also holds 15-20 demonstrations. This tournament is now just as popular today as it was when Ozawa Sensei ran the event. It has come to be known as the Ozawa Memorial Cup.
Master Ozawa was a very interesting person and someone I respect a great deal because of his life. He went from almost dyeing in a Kamakazi plan to running one of the biggest tournaments in the world and bringing together over 20 different courtiers to compete in a friendly event in Vegas.
The point of this little walk down histories land and write up on all of these men is this. Don’t ever turn down a chance to train with other people. You never know when someone you miss training with will not be available for you to train with again. That and looking into instructors that have passed and history is a great way to motivate your training now.
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