Articles Yokota Interview
Interview with Sensei Kousaku Yokota
(This interview was done by Shaun Braun)
Can we please start by asking you how you first started you karate training and why?
(Kousaku Yokota) My father was a Kodokan judo blackbelt, so he encouraged me to take up judo when I was in junior high school. There was no judo club in my school so I went to the ward police station headquarters where the policemen were teaching martial arts (only judo and kendo). I took up judo when I was 13 and practiced for 3 years. I earned a junior black belt and won a high school championship.
One day a short boy joined the judo club. I clearly remember him to be quite strange because every time I threw him down on the mat he would spring up and gets in a strange stance (I think it was a cat stance now that I think of it). Normally a new student would not jump up from the mat after being thrown down like he did. I had never seen this unusual move. After a few weeks I got to know him better so I asked him why he did this. He said he practiced karate and he was taking up judo to learn how it was to be thrown so he could fight a judo man. Up to that time I really believed that judo was invincible and greatest martial art so I said to him “So, you learned karate cannot beat judo, right?’ To my surprise he said, “Judo is great when some body grabs you but a judo guy cannot beat a karate guy if he is more than 3 feet away.” I did not understand what he meant as I did not know the techniques of karate. He explained and demonstrated what karate could do and I was very fascinated. When I went into senior high school, although the Judo club tried very hard to recruit me, my mind was set. I wanted to start karate. Again, there was no karate club in my school so I joined a karate club at the main YMCA in my hometown, Kobe. That dojo happened to be the headquarters of JKA (Japan Karate Association) of Hyogo prefecture taught by late Master Sugano (9th dan).
(SB) Can you please tell us a little about Sugano Sensei, and your early experiences with him and karate?
(KY) Sugano Sensei was a big guy especially a man of his generation. He must have been 180cm tall and weighed about 90 – 100kg. When I first joined the club in 60’s, I was one of the lowly students so I did not have any interactions with him. One thing I can say is that he flunked me when I took my first kyu test. It is unbelievable that I could not even pass my first kyu test. It is a long story so I will not explain how it happened.
Sugano Sensei was independently wealthy. He owned a bar and a tobacco shop that were very profitable. After the evening trainings, he used to take us to his bar. We did not drink any alcohol but we enjoyed the informal gathering with the other instructors. At those get together, we could ask him some personal and karate related questions which we could not do at our dojo (it’s a Japanese tradition that the students never ask questions). He told us that we should never pick up karate as a profession to earn living. This is because by doing so, your students become the “customers”. You would be afraid to lose the customers and your training methods would change thus the quality of your instructions would be compromised. He had a big impact as I was thinking of becoming a full time instructor and living on this profession. Actually, none of the instructors under Sugano Sensei’s command were full time instructors. They all had some kind of jobs to support their families.
As far as the karate is concerned I remember he had a very “heavy” punch. His fist was like a hammer and when he hits you (in a demonstration) I did feel like a sledgehammer had hit me. The impact went through my whole body. He had a very scary face as well. I don’t know the translation but his face looked like a Japanese “oni”, like a goblin or a devil. He told me that the local yakuza (Japanese mafia) were afraid of him and I believe it. Here is a not so scary looking picture of Sugano sensei.
Unfortunately, he liked to smoke and drink. After having some drinks he told us some interesting stories and some crazy things he did when he was young. I would not go into this but I really enjoyed listening to his stories. He had heart attack when he was in his 60’s so the doctor told him that he should not drink or smoke. I remember him saying; “I would not like to live long if I cannot enjoy my life with my favourite vices”. He passed away in 2002 at the age of 74. Like Asai sensei he was not scared of dying. He went like a samurai but in a different way.
I want to add something here. As I lost my original sensei in 2002, I was free to resign from JKA. This is why I could transfer to JKS in 2002.
(SB) You enjoyed a very successful competitive career am I right? Could you please tell us about some of the most vivid memories you have from your competitive years.
(KY) Though I did enjoyed the competitions when I was active in that aspect of karate, to be honest, I was not very active in the tournaments when I was training in Philadelphia during the 70’s. I have treated karate as a martial art since then so my motivation was always beyond tournaments. I competed in the US only a couple of years and got some good experiences. There were many good competitors in East Coast region so I enjoyed competing against them.
As I was not getting enough training at Philadelphia dojo, I decided to go back to Japan to complete my Kenshusei training there. I went back in ’81 and stayed in Hyogo prefecture for two years.
Upon returning to Hyogo, I went back to Sugano sensei’s dojo and continued my serious training. Even though my purpose of the training was not tournaments, I will mention about them as you are asking about my competition experiences.
I entered the prefecture championship, which was elimination round for the national championship, a few months after my return. Luckily I placed first so got a ticket to JKA All Japan Championship in Tokyo. That is probably the most memorable experience out of my competition days. I competed with the best competitors of the world in that era such as Osaka sensei and Yahara sensei. They are my age group and they were in their prime time. Also, this is the first time I witnessed, with my own eyes, Master Asai’s techniques in his demo. I was truly impressed by his techniques as they were very unique and unlike JKA karate. His arms are like whips and flew around so fast. It was unbelievable and he left a tremendous impression on me.
In 1981 I also represented my prefecture in Kokutai (All Japan Athletic Fair), which was held in Shiga prefecture. It is like a miniature Olympics and karate was one of the new events. Also, it should be noted that JKA joined WUKO hosted tournament for the first time. It was memorable as I saw and competed against, for the first time, the top-notch karate practitioners of other styles such as Shito Ryu, Goju Ryu and Wado Ryu. I was also exposed to the protective gears like Menho (face protector) and large fist pad. I believe in not using any protective gears including groin cups so I did not like them. These equipments allowed the techniques that were way short in distance (as you are not supposed to touch the face mask to win a point). That was also the first time I saw a fighting style with a lot of hopping. This kind of kumite may be popular in Shotokan now a days. In 70’s and early 80’s our stance was low and pretty much stationary. We moved our steps carefully and never hopped. We believed in Ippon shobu and our moves are very similar to two samurai in a sword fight.
I represented Hyogo prefecture in All Japan Championship in ’82 and that was my last event in my competition life. I was 35 years old and many coaches were younger than me. I returned to the US (California) in ’83 and never competed again.
(SB) You mentioned you competed with the likes of Osaka and Yahara. Did you ever get the chance to fight either of these?
(KY) At the national championship, I did not face Yahara sensei. But in an invitational tournament we held in Hyogo, I did. He gave me such a good roundhouse kick to my side, a few of my ribcage bones were fractured.
In kata, of course, Osaka sensei was the champion so I competed against him as one of the finalists. I never went past quarterfinals, however.
(SB) Competitively, who would you say was your biggest influence?
(KY) Osaka sensei was my model in kata and respected him as his moves were textbook accurate. A lot of kata performers change their kata to make them look fancy or dynamic, etc. Osaka sensei did the kata as it is shown in Master Nakayama’s textbook, Best Karate. He was accurate and powerful but his performance had something more, which is very difficult to describe.
Yahara sensei was my model in kumite because he was not interested in winning. He threw some unique and difficult techniques (like a heel hook kick) and seemed to enjoy them. Most of the competitors throw only front kicks and reverse punches to ensure the winning. To me there is little learning in repeating the same techniques. I want to see the back kicks, uraken uchi, etc. though it is more difficult to get points from those techniques. Actually Yahara sensei rarely became a champion as he lost for trying those difficult techniques.
(SB) You mention that Sensei Yahara was not interested in winning, rather treating the competitive experience as an experimental lesson to be learned from. Is this the way you feel competition should be treated, emphasis on experience rather than winning?
(KY) In my opinion, yes. To me, winning has very little meaning. Tournament karate is quite different from real fighting. It is good to have that experience to get motivated and to face some nervous situations. But we must know and understand the real purpose and objectives that you should get from the tournaments.
(SB) You were a graduate of the JKA Kenshusei. Who took most of the sessions during your time there?
(KY) I started the instructor’s training with Okazaki sensei in late 70’s. I graduated in ’83 from Master Sugano class in Japan. My teachers in addition to Master Sugano (9 Dan) were sensei Kashimoto (8 dan), sensei Sakai (6 dan) and sensei Terada (6 dan).
(SB) Can you talk us through your day to day training at this point in your life and what elements were stressed most?
(KY) The main thing in my training days in 70’s and 80’s was to see what my physical (closely associated with my mental) limit was. I knew the free flowing and automatic technique will come only after the break through as a result of extremely demanding (almost impossible) training. In addition to my regular karate training (classes and self training), I did 500 push ups, 500 sit ups and 500 makiwara punches daily. I was so tired after a day’s training; I had to climb up the steps literally on my hands and knees to my room on the second floor. So, my idea was to build the foundation with my body while I was young as I formed karate techniques upon the foundation. I was pretty good shape and did 3,333 push ups on my 33rd birthday (1980). I do not recommend this kind of training as a lot of push ups itself will not aid to one’s karate skills. Actually, building too developed muscles on your chest is counter productive to many of the karate techniques that I found out later.
Oh I have to share a funny story with my 3,333 push ups. I did the push ups in the dojo in the afternoon after a morning class (it happened to be Saturday, I think) so no one was there except for Okazaki sensei who was in the office doing some writing. It took me a few hours to do all those push ups. Okazaki sensei came out of the office once to go to the bathroom while I was doing my exercise but he did not say anything to me except he laughed lightly. I did not know how to take it but I had to keep on going to finish my goal. When I finally completed the push ups it was around 5 o’clock in the afternoon. Then Okazaki sensei came out of the office and said “Oh today is your birthday. I will treat you to a dinner.” I was so happy that he would take me to a dinner, which rarely happened to any instructors. First of all Okazaki sensei was so busy to do such a thing plus he did not want to show any favour to a certain instructor. He was all smiling while he was driving. I was happy to see him celebrating my birthday. He took me to this restaurant “all the crabs you can eat” place. This is where you need to crack the shells with the metal tool. This action is not difficult or hard for any adult. But after hours of push-ups my muscles on my chest and arms were all worn out. I had all kinds of trouble in trying to crack the shells and Okazaki sensei laughed very loudly seeing this. I was a little upset because I thought he was too mean to do this to me. At the end, he asked “Can you defend yourself now?” Even though he enjoyed a comical scene, he was trying to teach me that I must have the mental state to stay ready to defend myself at any time regardless of the situations I am in.
When I was in Kobe I had some special training outside the dojo. I ran up the trail (about 2 miles of bending trail and the first half of it was a steep up hill path) of the mountain near my house (actually my parents’). At the summit I practiced kicks and punches against the trees and bushes for an hour or two. Then, I ran down the slope (very crooked and narrow path) as quickly as possible. This exercise taught me balance and quick body movements. If you step wrongly you could twist your foot and break your ankle. You could also get yourself seriously injured if you would fall down. It must be done very carefully but I ran down the hill at the full speed. It was like a down hill skiing. It was exciting and dangerous. I loved it. At the half way down, I changed to bunny hopping. Running down a slope in bunny hopping is also a challenging matter. You get a false impression that it is easier to hop down a slope than on a level surface. In fact you can hop more but you will pay for it the very next day.
The hardest thing in the dojo training happened in the summer. The Saturday training used to be 5 hours long (1pm to 6pm). It was too long and strenuous for the students so Sugano sensei usually stopped at 5pm or earlier. But it still was a long training. I did not have any problem with a long class as I was used to long training sessions. The temperature in the dojo in summer would get up to 90’s and the humidity was about the same degree. Sugano sensei would close the windows in the middle of the training. Some of the students literally passed out and many had to sit down and could not stand up again. There seemed to be no air to breathe and keeping moving in that condition was the worst I had experienced. The floor got all wet with our perspiration so we had to be very careful as it was very slippery. Many of us slipped and fell when we had to do some combinations and kicks. Those training sessions seemed to last forever. It really built our spirit and mind of perseverance.
He opened the windows in the middle of winter. The dojo was located on a hill side (maybe at the elevation of 1,000 yards) so it could be below zero. The floor was like ice but I did not mind that as much as summer training. I was used to train in that kind of condition in Philadelphia where it gets colder. I felt cold at the beginning of the training but I got warm and hot as I got into the middle of training. So, we all hated the summer training, which as fondly called “steam sauna” training.
No visitors were allowed to watch but one day in August Sugano sensei allowed one instructor from another dojo to watch. This instructor brought a video recorder and took the entire (or most of) training. He said he wanted to keep a record of the famous training of Sugano sensei. The training was open to any JKA practitioners but we rarely had any visitors. Some of the tough college boys from Kobe University came but they did not come back after one session. I wanted to have a copy of this video for my record. A few months later I saw this instructor at either a tournament or a dan examination so I asked if I could get a copy. He said he deleted most of the record as we did not look like seriously training. I could not believe it but according to this instructor through the video the viewers cannot feel the temperature and humidity. In the video we moved very slowly, looked tired from the very beginning and we even fell down. He expected the students of the famous Sugano dojo to move fast and strongly and he was disappointed to see our performance. So, I have no record of the hellish training of Sugano dojo.
I also did many 1,000 kick sessions as well as 100 kata without stopping. Both of those exercises, if performed correctly, will take about 2 hours each. In essence my objective was to put the repetitions in my karate training.
(SB) Who were in the classes alongside you whilst on the Instructor’s Course?
(KY) Muratsu, Takaba, Yamaguchi are the closest guys in my training days.
(SB) Toru Yamaguchi Sensei is obviously a world renown karateka. What was it like to train alongside such karateka?
(KY) Yamaguchi I knew in early 80’s is a different person. Yamaguchi sensei you are mentioning is the JKS instructor who is much junior (as far as the age is concerned). I have some acquaintance with Yamaguchi sensei of JKS and I respect his karate and his personality (he is a very humble person) as well.
(SB) Did you ever train with Nakayama Sensei? If so, could you please tell us about your training with him?
(KY) To be more accurate, I had an opportunity to train “under” Nakayama sensei. I enjoyed them, however, only a few times. In 1981 I visited Tokyo to pay my respect to Nakayama sensei. I visited his apartment and found he lived in the same building where he had his dojo, Hoitsugan. I only wanted to give my respect by giving my greetings at his door step and go home. I did not think he would remember me, just a member out of thousands of JKA students, but he remembered me. He remembered from the time I met him in Philadelphia during his visits to the US in 70’s. I was very honoured. He invited me in his apartment and I had a very personal (just he and I) meeting with him for an hour or so. We talked about karate but mainly about how it was in the US. He was very much interested in spreading karate through out the world and he thought Europe and North America were the key regions. His concern was the sectionalism and internal disputes among the dojo and organizations of not only Shotokan but even more closely of JKA. This was before his passing and he was worried that these internal “fights” would weaken the JKA. He asked what I thought we should do. Of course, I could not answer to such a difficult question. I mentioned to him that Taekwondo in the US had a support from the Korean government and they had very tight organization. Even though we thought the quality of instructions in Taekondo was poor, they were very successful in building many dojo across the US. I think he was aware of this approach and he said he needed to put more pressure on the Japanese government for more support. Unfortunately, he passed away in ‘87 and he was only 74.
That evening Nakayama sensei invited me to come to his dojo so I did. Unfortunately I do not remember much but the only thing that stuck to my mind about his training was that he stopped the training for short period to explain technical points. This was a rare thing in typical training in Japan at that time. Sugano sensei also made some comments on the key points but he would do this before the training. Once the training begins we just trained. Nakayama sensei suspended the movements many times to make some short comments. I think he was a very educated person and he wanted to have a very systematic training. I guess he could not stand looking at the students doing something wrong. Instead of saying we were doing wrong he wanted to explain what and why we needed to do certain techniques. It made sense and his comments made us think. This is a very valuable heritage I carry from him even though the number of trainings under him was only a few.
Another thing I remember clearly about Hoitsugan is its “dormitory”. I mentioned earlier that the dojo was located in the basement of the apartment complex. At the corner of the basement, there was a small section with bunch of beds (2 rows and 3 levels stacked up). There was hardly anything else in that section. They called this a “dormitory”. It wasn’t even a room so there was no privacy and minimum amenities. This was where the foreigners would stay if they needed a place to stay in Tokyo, one of the most expensive cities in the world. I thought if the training at the JKA dojo did not build a character of the visiting students from overseas, the living condition at this dormitory would certainly would do that. After the passing of Nakayama sensei, Kawawada sensei took over the dojo, but I do not know if he is still the chief instructor at Hoitsugan and if they still have this dormitory in tact.
(SB) You were the personal assistant to Okazaki Sensei am I right? What did that position entail?
(KY) There were half a dozen assistant instructors in 70’s (such as Ron Johnson and Gerald Evans) at the headquarters dojo on the 45th Street, Philadelphia. All of us took turns and taught the classes (we had one morning class and three in the evenings if I remember correctly).
In addition to the teaching, as a personal assistant, I took care of some personal things of Master Okazaki such as washing his gi. I did not mind this chore, as it is a typical thing for an assistant to do in a Japanese dojo. Another chore I had was preparing coffee for him. He did not smoke nor drink and his favourite was a cup of freshly brewed coffee. So, this was a very important ritual when Master Okazaki was in the office of the headquarters dojo (he came to the dojo about twice a week, he was visiting the affiliated dojos in the region on other days). I enjoyed this ritual as I got to drink a cup of coffee myself. Now I gave up on coffee and drink only tea. I also accompanied him to the other dojos and universities where he taught. He drove his big Buick and I carried his bag. I prepared his gi before the training and folded his gi after the training. I also assisted him in the class doing kata in front of the class, etc.
(SB) How did it feel to be so close to a Master and what was the most important thing you took away from being so close to him?
(KY) I felt very honoured to be so near to him. He picked me to do these tasks simply as I am Japanese. I was the only Japanese assistant instructor and he could speak Japanese. I think he really missed it as he had no other occasions to speak his native language.
He was one of the most flexible persons I have ever seen. He was always flexible even in the middle of winter. I am pretty flexible but I get stiffer in winter. I learned that I need to be ready to fight any time of any season and regardless of the environment or situations.
I also remember that he was very secretive about his training and karate skills. I wish I could boast that he had given me a one to one training, etc. but in fact that never happened. This is the same way to all instructors. He is from the old school. If a student wishes to learn karate skills from Okazaki sensei, he had to be in his class. That is it. He would not make any comments or teach any techniques outside the class situation. Even at a lunch or dinner table, he rarely spoke about the subjects that were related to karate even though many of us tried to direct our conversation to that direction. I respected him as he did not brag such as his karate skills or relationship to Master Funakoshi, even though he had all the rights to do so.
(SB) You were a full time instructor at the ISKF headquarters. What were main technical things ISKF emphasised and can you share some of your experiences from this time in your life.
(KY) ISKF was a branch of JKA (recently I heard Okazaki sensei broke away from JKA) so our techniques were purely JKA style. The Philadelphia dojo was known for its bloody kumite. We did not think a punch or a kick was in or scored if it did not reach the target. We were supposed to hit only the gi but often times, intentionally and unintentionally, the punches and kicks went through. Unless we knock some one down we did not apologize. Nosebleeds were a common happening among the senior belts (black belts). However, we were very careful with the junior belts so we never injured them. We were in the middle of tough neighbourhood of Philadelphia so the expectation of “fighting” training or kumite was different. I liked it and I feel that it is the way kumite should be. It should be something to be feared and not of “fun”. I have not visited Philadelphia dojo for over 20 years. I hope they are doing kumite in the same spirit even now at that dojo.
(SB) What then drew you to the JKS?
(KY) Definitely it was because of Master Asai and his karate. He was the only one I know who can move and use techniques like he did. It was beyond JKA and Shotokan. He had Asai style karate and you have to see it to understand it.
When I was young I was very much satisfied with the powerful movement of JKA techniques. I still like and honor the one punch, sure kill concept. “Kime” was the ultimate. At Philadelphia dojo I saw many older practitioners having problems with their backs and knees. But I did not pay attention to it. Actually I thought that came from their poor techniques or wrong stances so that was their fault. However, I saw the similar problems among the senior students in Japan, I began wondering if there may be a flaw in the way we trained in JKA. This was a sensitive subject as you are pointing a finger to the core of the practice of JKA. To make the long story short, I realized that what is lacking in JKA training is the emphasis on relaxiation of the muscles as we stressed too much on Kime or total focus.
Actually, to practice the “soft” side of martial arts I joined Nishino style ki school in Tokyo between 1998 and 2000. Master Nishino was able to throw (jump) people around without physically connected by simply with his “ki”. To make the long story short, he could throw around hundreds of his students and assistant instructors but he could not do anything with me. I really wished he could throw me around. Nevertheless, he asked me to leave his class as he was embarrassed that he could not do anything. Even though I did not learn the “secret” of ki from Nishino sensei, I learned how to relax more. I definitely increased the ki level within myself even though I cannot throw an opponent with my ki.
I did not practice karate at all during my 2 and a half-year stay in Japan. I returned to California in 2000 and I was searching for something. With due respect to ISKF, this organization was getting too restrictive for me. That was the year Asai sensei started his organization, JKS. Asai sensei held a seminar in California in 2002 and I participated in this fateful seminar. When I saw him performing at the age of late 60’s, I knew this is the master I wanted to follow.
It was not easy for me to severe the relationship with JKA. I had been a member over 40 years and had a life time membership. It took me a year before I officially resigned from ISKF (which means JKA). It was difficult but I believe I did the right thing. I have no regrets now.
There are two major reasons why I decided to follow Master Asai. One is the way he can move his body. I wished to learn the way to use my arms like whip as he did. The other is his commitment to karate practice. He got up at 4am every morning whether he was in Tokyo or travelling overseas. He put his 2 to 3 hour training daily. Even when he was in the hospital I heard he was doing some exercises such as squeezing a rubber ball to strengthen his grip, etc. Most of the senior instructors give up on training. They get out of shape and stop showing the techniques when they teach. I believe karate is lifetime training so Asai sensei is a perfect model for me.
(SB) You mentioned your experiences trying to improve your understanding of Ki. How would you describe ‘Ki’ and how does it relate to the karate we practice?
(KY) Ki is a difficult one to describe as you cannot see or locate it in your body. I define it as the essence or energy that gives life to us. This essence cannot be seen or measured but we should not deny its existence because of this. There are a lot of other things about us that cannot be seen but exist. For example, you may be sad, happy or in love. You cannot prove you have such feelings or measure how much but you know you have those feelings.
There are at least two aspects of ki. One is health related and the other martial arts related.
Health:
I can only say about my own ki. Thanks to continuous karate and ki training, I can say that I have been able to keep perfect health. I have never had any serious illness in my life. Actually, I have never been in a hospital except for the injuries I received during kumite exercises. In spring, I may feel some irritation in my nose due to the excessive pollens in the air. As soon as I feel this I tell myself that I will not have allergy. Then, I feel fine in a day or two. I can control all this in my mind. Again, I do this using my strong ki level.
Some of the ki experts say they can see the ki condition of the other people and can influence the ki state. As an extreme case, it is documented that a ki expert can give full anaesthesias before major medical operations. But I have not been able to influence the other people’s ki and improve their health yet. It looks like I need to train more.
Martial arts:
Ki is an internal energy that supports your mind matters such as determination, perseverance, fear, courage, etc. By building your ki, you will have a stronger mind; determination, perseverance and courage. At the initial stage a practitioner may have only the brutal courage. This is why Funakoshi sensei put “Refrain from violent behaviour” in Dojo Kun. By developing ki through proper breathing exercises, you can reach a stage that is beyond the emotional limitations such as hatred and anger.
(SB) Why do you think this instructor could not throw you, did you ever discover why?
(KY) I can only guess. Nishino sensei must have used some type of hypnotism to those people. I really cannot say his ki was so strong that he could throw any of us by his ki alone. I must have developed strong ki through practicing martial arts all my life and was not induced into his hypnotism.
(SB) Master Asai has sadly passed away, news that saddened the entire Martial Arts world. What are your memories of him, and would you share a few stories of him?
(KY) Yes, that was the saddest thing in my entire karate life. I had only 4 years of close relationship with Asai sensei but yet we developed a very close tie. He always wanted to extend his presence in the US and I was the key man to do so. I always searched for a master who can surpass age. He was like a father to me.
He passed away on August 15 last year. I found out on that very day as I happened to call the JKS headquarters. It was shocking but I sort of expected this. Let me tell you why.
We (JKS Americas) invited Asai sensei to make an US tour in the summer of 2006. I visited JKS headquarters about a week before the US trip in June. Master Asai’s assistant, Sensei Ishimine told me that Asai sensei had been seriously ill. He had pneumonia in the previous month and had been hospitalized for two weeks. He had just been released from the hospital and had lost 10 kilograms of his body weight while he was in the hospital. He was a thin person to start out (maybe 50 kg) so losing 10 kg means 20 percent of his body weight. I knew he really was seriously ill. So, I told Ishimine sensei we should cancel his trip to the US and he gladly agreed. I called my contact in NY that night and told him that his trip had to be cancelled. However, the next morning I received a call from Ishimine sensei that Asai sensei was at the headquarters office that day and he wanted to see me. When I saw him that afternoon he looked like a different person. He was a thin person but he was always full of vigour like a sword that is thin but very sharp. At this time, he looked sick and aged. I told him that we had cancelled his trip to the US in the following week. He got very upset to hear my report and told me emphatically, “I promised those people in the US that I would visit. I deliver what I promise. Even if it kills me I am going there.” So, he knew that trip might shorten his life. He did not want to prolong or save his life if he had to cut off his teaching. He flew to New York the very next week and spent nearly 10 days in the US and Mexico. I joined him at a seminar in Los Cabos Mexico towards the end of the tour. He was so sick he had difficulty getting out of his bed in the morning. He insisted on going to the dojo where the seminar was held. We called a physician and had the local doctor take a look at Asai sensei. The doctor said Asai sensei could go but he should not do any physical activities as he was that weak. He could have stayed at the hotel but he did not want to disappoint the students so he went. He lined up in the starting and ending rituals. Though he let the assistant instructors teach the class he cut in several times to make comments. He wanted to be an active part of the seminar. He really gave 100% of himself and he was a samurai by serving his duty by burning his life. He went back to Japan early July. I was relieved that we had completed his tour without any incidents and he returned to Japan safely. I was hoping he would take it easy and recuperate but obviously he did not. There was all Japan Championship towards the end of July and I heard that he was fully involved in the event. Master Asai exhausted himself from this event and he just went into coma right after it.
I wish he thought of himself as Shogun and not samurai. In a losing battle, Shogun would retreat back and regroup for another battle. A samurai would jump into a battle regardless of the outcome and he is happy to die in a battle. Asai sensei told me he was a samurai and he proved it by his last action. I feel guilty for organizing that US/Mexico tour which became his last overseas tour. I wish I could have cancelled the tour so he could have prolonged his life. I told this to Mrs. Asai who visited me in San Francisco this month. Then she said, “Mr. Yokota, you could not stop him. Asai sensei would not cancel the trip for the fear of his life. He always wanted to die like a samurai so he did.”
(SB) Master Asai repeatedly made references to making your body like a whip. What did he mean by this and how would you describe his karate?
(KY) I can only say his body was like a whip. You just have to see his movements to appreciate it. He can move his body in that way because firstly he is flexible and he can relax his body completely. His moves come from complete relaxation to a quick snapping of his arms. The move is so sharp his knife hand is like a knife. A typical Shotokan expert has strong punches and kicks, but they are not a sharp knife or a sword. Master Asai was the only one who could do it. I think he trained a lot of Chinese style martial arts, especially White Crane style of Southern China. This is why he uses a lot of open hand techniques and body turning/rotations. Many techniques are not found in the regular workout of JKA style dojos.
(SB) He also stressed the importance of using the joints correctly. In what ways did he influence you and your understanding of the human body and how it can be used to create devastating levels of power.
(KY) You are correct. To deliver a whip like knife hand strike, elbow and shoulder joints become very important. The same thing can be said for the hip joints, knee joints, etc. for the kicking techniques. He explained that the body parts must be trained to move independently like the chains of a 9 sectional chain whip (a Chinese weapon). A punch does not start from an elbow or from a shoulder. It starts from the upper spine that is connected to the shoulder joint. The left side of the body must be totally independent from the right side or from the lower body sections (stances and leg moves including kicks). In other words, while a left punch or a strike is being delivered, simultaneously your right arm should be available and ready for a block, parry or attack technique as well as the legs. By being able to do these tasks, Asai sensei can deliver a devastating and blinding strike to the groin while ducking under a front kick. This ability will enable you to throw multiple (nearly a dozen by both hands) whip hand techniques in less than 2 seconds (as shown in his recent video). I cannot imitate Asai sensei’s techniques as well as I wish I could but now I understand how the body should be trained.
Interestingly, a lot of people think this is applicable for only the long techniques such as back hand strike or knife hand strikes. Actually, by having good control of the sections of the body, we can deliver much power in short distance, commonly called one inch punch. If you move your arm as one piece your punch is like a baseball bat in a jabbing motion. By being able to move the different portions of the section that starts from the spines to the fist, it is like transcending the power by hitting one billiard ball to another. You do not need to move the cue stick too much in distance (maybe an inch would do) to hit the first ball. If the next ball is near, then the energy is transcended almost instantaneously. It flies away and hit the next one with great impact. That is only a visualization example and the mechanism of one inch punch is quite different. However, I think one can picturize how a punch that travels only an inch or less can deliver tremendous amount of power by this analogy.
(SB) Did you ever learn how Master Asai achieved that total relaxation? And what types of methods did he use to develop this relaxation?
(KY) To be honest, I could not find the “secret” from him. When I asked him several questions regarding his training for relaxation, he only told me “you need to train every part of your body”. However, he never mentioned the specifics of the exercises. He only said he has some unique training methods that normal person even the black belts would find challenging. Unfortunately, he did not reveal what those exercises were. I was close to him but I was not one of his inner students (uchi deshi). He might have revealed his secrets to some of those uchi deshi but you need to ask them.
(SB) He truly was a Master who inspired so many around the world. What were the most vital developments he made to the Martial Arts do you think?
(KY) I believe there were at least two unique things that Asai sensei contributed to the martial arts.
One is definitely his karate style. Many karate instructors, not only Shotokan style but also other styles such as Shitoryu, told me that Asai sensei’s karate was different or unique. His karate, actually, did not look like Shotokan or JKA. It was indeed beyond Shotokan and JKA karate.
He practiced other styles such as Shito ryu and Goju ryu. In addition, he practiced Chinese style, Hakutsuru ken (White Crane style) extensively. He actually brought back many of the techniques that were taken out of Shotokan when JKA was formed. The techniques include the short stances (i.e. nekoashi and sanchin), open hand blocks and strikes, and body rotation moves. He even created many new kata (Junro 1 – 5 dan, mandatory kata for JKS) and revived old kata (Suishu, Kashu, Roshu, and many more). Asai sensei routinely practiced more than 150 – 200 kata. Just think. Most of us have difficulty remembering 26 basic Shotokan kata. So, it is amazing that Asai sensei remembered all those kata. He really was an encyclopedia of kata and karate.
The other major contribution to martial arts was the development of Wheel Chair karate. He told me that he had spent more than 20 years to develop this karate. He took so much time as he had to understand the limitation as well as the skills of the wheelchair movements. He put himself on one of these wheelchairs for many years and developed wheelchair kata. He also developed the kumite program. Now at JKS tournaments you can find the kata and kumite competitions for wheelchair practitioners. This is very unique as far as I know JKS is the only karate organization that offers such events. I wish to carry on his heritage so I have opened the door to the “challenged” people. The first thing I did was approaching the people who are older than 60. I started to hold a karate class at the senior citizen’s association in Japan town in 2006. Any senior citizen at this association can train at my dojo at no charge. I had one gentleman, 70 years old, joined last year and he liked it so much he decided to train three times per week. I have another dojo in Japan town so he practices along side of the students who are 40 or 50 years younger than him. I want more senior citizens to join but our training seems to scare most of them. I plan to contact the local hospital and see if there is any interest among the patients who are terminally ill. I am excited to see how I can expand my dojo in the future.
(SB) Everyone who talks of Sensei Asai describes him as pioneers who in many respects changed a lot in the way people understand karate-do and the human body. Where do you see your own research taking you and what are you currently practicing in your own karate right now?
(KY) You are right that Asai Sensei was a pioneer who expanded Shotokan and JKA karate to the next level.
I am very much interested in kinesiology and sports medicine. Up to now very small research was done on the karate techniques from that perspective. I am unable to go back to school right away but I am determined to do so some time in the future. My hope is to get a doctoral degree in that major though it may take many many years.
As far as practicing in my own karate is concerned, I want to continue my daily work out till the day I die as Asai sensei did. My goal is to live till 100 years old which means I have 40 more years to train.
(SB) Kagawa Sensei is now Chief Instructor of the JKS am I correct?. What do you think has made him such a highly respected karateka?
(KY) I need to make a correction. Kagawa sensei is Technical Director of JKS but not Chief Instructor. JKS has decided to forever reserve Shuseki Shihan (Chief Instructor) title only to Asai sensei. Kagawa sensei earned this very important role of Technical Director by his own right. He was JKA National Champion many times as well as World Champion in 80’s and 90’s.
He is one generation younger than me so I never encountered him in the tournament but I had to face him in my 4 dan exam. I remember he had a very fast kizami zuki.
(SB) Who would you say has been of the biggest influence on your karate?
(KY) Throughout my karate life I studied the methods of the JKA champions such as Oishi, Tanaka, Osaka and Yahara. I am sure they had some impacts and motivation in me but the biggest influence definitely came from Asai sensei. That is exactly how I wish I could move. I am 60 years young this year and I will continue to practice his way of karate for the rest of my karate life.
(SB) You have studied the Sai and Nunchaku am I correct? Why did you decide to integrate these disciplines into your training?
(KY) I practiced not only Sai and Nunchaku but also Tonfa and three sectional staff. Out of all these, I like Nunchaku the most. Nunchaku is closest to the 9 sectional chain whip that Asai sensei practiced.
There are several reasons why I included the training of those weapons in my training repetour.
- 1. I wanted to learn the original karate that was brought by Master Funakoshi and found Kobudo was a part of it. So, I took it up in 70’s. I think I was the only one who was practicing it at the Philadelphia dojo.
Kobudo is still practiced in Okinawa even now. When JKA was founded in mid 50’s it was intentionally dropped. I do not know the exact reason why but I believe it was a part of the main concept of changing karate to something that is easier to learn so that they can promote to more people and increase its membership. I do not disagree with this approach but I wish they had kept it to the senior students. Unfortunately, I discovered only few practitioners of JKA in both the US and Japan practiced Kobudo (openly). Those few practiced only Bo but not Nunchaku and Sai. I discovered that the Kobudo weapons are the extension of your body and techniques, as I explain below.
- 2. Sai, Nunchaku and Tonfa have one common thing, that is, they come in a pair. We have two hands and they need to be used in harmony. Even though in our kata we use both arms but typically one arm is use for a punch then the other arm is pulled back to the hip. We find only few techniques that require both arms (i.e. juji uke in Heian Yondan and Godan or first several moves of Heian Nidan). I found using these weapons I can increase the body coordination particularly the upper body around shoulders to the arm regions.
- 3. I also found Nunchaku to be quite different from Sai and Tonfa in the body mechanism of handling them. For this difference I liked Nunchaku much better. Nunchaku definitely helped me with my karate. So what is the big difference? Nunchaku is a short version of 9 sectional chain whip. It requires a lot of small and large swinging motions. You need to move your arms like whips. Whereas with Sai and Tonfa, though some swinging motions are also required, the movements are based on the linear actions and rather small. The wrist motion of Sai is rotational but you do not swing Sai around as you would do with Nunchaku so the use of the weapons is quite different. Tonfa also has the wrist rotation move to swing the tonfa sticks that is different from Sai and Nunchaku. So, Nunchaku is the only weapon that you would have the dynamic swinging motion of your arms as well as the quick rotation of the wrists. Nunchaku movements are often whipping techniques. Now I realize that it certainly has the common ground as the arm movements of Asai sensei technique.
(SB) What is Sensei Yokota’s favourite kata and why?
(KY) When I was competing my kata was Nijushiho. It is strange and coincidental that this kata was Asai sensei’s favourite and it was mine as well.
I have two kata I favour now. One is Gojushiho Dai and the other is Suishu. Gojushiho is supposed to be the last kata for a Shurite karateka. In Okinawan time, the students had to be 42 years old (42 is pronounced as Shi Ni same as death meaning you are old and close to death) before his teacher taught this kata. Now even the school kids are performing this kata. I like this kata because Neko ashi dachi is the main stance unlike all the other Shotokan kata.
I learned Suishu directly from Asai sensei. It has many open hand techniques that is a signature of Asai sensei. He told us there are 5 “hand” (“su” or “shu”) kata. They are Unsu (cloud hand), Roshu (wave hand), Kashu (fire hand), Fushu (wind hand) and Suishu (water hand). We learned Unsu from JKA time. I learned Roshu, Kashu and Suishu from Asai sensei. Fushu is the only hand kata I did not learn. I hope some day I will meet one of his students who know this kata.
(SB) Can I on behalf of myself and all of us at TSW say thank you for this opportunity to speak with you, and may we wish you every success for the future.
(KY) I enjoyed speaking about Master Asai and my karate life. Even though he passed away too soon, his spirit and love for karate live on. What he left behind within us is beneficial to all karateka. I hope all Shotokan practitioners will have a chance to see Asai sensei’s karate in video and DVD.