Japan Trip 2011 (Part II: Old Friends)

In addition to getting to spend a lot of time with Hashimoto-sensei and all the wonderful people at Linden both on and off the mat, Shihan was delighted to meet up with two other great friends and training partners from his days in Japan: Kobayashi-sensei and Uemura-sensei.

Shihan has known Kobayashi-sensei since he first went to Japan. The two of them trained under Kuniba-sensei together.

Shihan and Kobayashi-sensei in 1969

Over the years, they stayed in touch--sometimes meeting in Japan and sometimes in the States when Kobayashi-sensei would visit to train and give seminars.

(Top) Shihan and Kobayashi-sensei at the Hayashi-ha championships in 1980
(Bottom) In South Carolina after a seminar in 2003

On this trip, Kobayashi-sensei was an amazing host, taking us on a whirlwind tour of some of the coolest tourist sites in Osaka--including Osaka castle, a riverboat tour, and a fun and funky shopping street in downtown Osaka.

A nostalgic trip back to Osaka Castle


Kobayashi-sensei on the riverboat enjoying being a tourist in his own city


Having fun in wacky and fabulous downtown Osaka

Unfortunately, we didn't have time to train with Kobayashi-sensei, but the two definitely enjoyed connecting and catching up during our day together. As Kobayashi-sensei said, there are very few people left who have firsthand memories of training with Kuniba-sensei in Japan, giving these two old masters a very special and lasting bond.

Another dear friend and kohai that Shihan was able to visit in Osaka was Shigeki Uemura-sensei. Uemura-sensei was just a boy when Shihan first came to Japan, but his father was also an outstanding martial artist who had already trained closely with Hayashi-sensei for years when Shihan arrived. Shihan was lucky enough to train under Uemura-sensei's father, and he also served as a special sempai for the young Shigeki as he grew up surrounded by the world of Hayashi-ha karate.

Shihan with Uemura-sensei Sr. in 1969 (top) and 1980 (bottom)

Sadly, Uemura-sensei Sr. died just before Shihan's trip to Japan. However, he was honored to have an opportunity to speak to him during his final hours and tell him how much he meant to him as a sensei and a friend. In addition, Shihan was also able to pay his final respects to him at a beautiful altar that Shigeki-sensei had set up in his dojo to honor his father's passing.

Like with Kobayashi-sensei, time constraints did not allow Shihan to train with Uemura-sensei while we were in Osaka, but the two spent a wonderful day together catching up, reconnecting, and reliving old memories. One of Shihan's favorite memories of Uemura-sensei is teaching him kobudo in the street outside his house back in 1979.

Shihan and Uemura-sensei practice kobudo in the street as passersby look on at the sight

Shihan also brought with him a photobook commemorating Hayashi-sensei's life, and the two spent hours poring over it and talking about the past and future of Hayashi-ha karate. Uemura-sensei and Shihan share a special bond in that they were both taken under Hayashi-sensei's wing not just as students, but almost as sons. If Hashimoto-sensei and Shihan are like brothers in their philosophy and approach to budo, it was clear that Uemura-sensei and Shihan are brothers in their feelings of love, respect, and gratitude towards the great Teruo Hayashi.

Shihan and Uemura-sensei pore over photographs and share stories of their late teachers

Uemura-sensei toasts his beloved sempai and brother in Hayashi-ha karate

Today, Uemura-sensei has taken his place as an outstanding and internationally known martial artist in his own right. In addition to running his own dojo in Osaka, he serves as the head of the World Karate Federation referee committee and has traveled to nearly 100 countries promoting traditional martial arts. It was an honor and a privilege to be able to get to know this kind, fun-loving, and incredibly accomplished martial artist, and to watch the two masters share both the present moment and their treasured past.

Japan Trip 2011 (Part I: Linden Dojo)

Most of you know that Shihan first starting learning Shito-ryu in Japan in 1968 when he traveled there on an assignment for the US Air Force. At the time, his main teachers were Kuniba-sensei and Hayashi-sensei.

Shihan with Hayashi Sensei and Kuniba-Sensei in 1968

This was Shihan's first trip to Japan, and he stayed for three years. He kept training after he returned to the US, and invited Hayashi-sensei over many times. In 1979, he finally got a chance to go back to Japan himself and train.

Shihan training with Hayashi-sensei in Japan in 1979

In 1980, Shihan took a team from the Arizona Budokan to compete in the Hayashi-ha World Championships in Osaka. Even in Japan, the Arizona Budokan kids and adults came home with tons of medals--and one of his brown belt kids even took first place in the black belt division for his age group.

Shihan with the winning AZB team in Japan, 1980

Shihan traveled to Japan many more times throughout the 1980s, but stopped going in 1988. When he went again in October of this year, it was his first time back in 23 years, and 43 years since he first arrived. It was still Japan, but a lot of things had changed.

(Left) The bullet train had just appeared when Shihan arrived in 1968 and could travel at 130 mph. (Right) Today, it looks more like a spaceship than a train, and can go nearly 200 mph.

(Left) Shihan at Osaka castle in 1968 (Right) Shihan at Osaka castle in 2011

Unfortunately, Hayashi-sensei and Kuniba-sensei are no longer alive. But Shihan was excited to train with one of Hayashi-sensei's top students, Hashimoto-sensei, who is now considered the leading technical specialist in the Hayashi-ha organization.

Hashimoto Sensei and Shihan catching up over coffee in Osaka

Both Shihan and Hashimoto Sensei are known for their insistence on correct performance of technical details. We all know what it feels like to be on the other end of Shihan's endless corrections--it's the best and most difficult thing about training in our dojo. It was amazing to see Shihan finally meet his match in Hashimoto-sensei!!

(Above) Hashimoto Sensei fixing Shihan's kata in 1988
(Below) Hashimoto Sensei fixing Shihan's kata in 2011

Of course, Shihan wasn't the only one to get the benefits of Hashimoto-sensei's passion for precision and detail. Sempai Dawn also went with him to train at Linden Dojo in the heart of Osaka. Actually, by day, Linden "dojo" is a place where people come to bet on horses, but Hayashi-ha students have been training there in the evenings since the 1970s.

Linden Dojo 1980



Linden Dojo 2011

Like a lot of things in Japan, Linden dojo has changed a lot on the surface, but is still the same at heart: THE place to go in Osaka for quality karate. Shihan and Sempai Dawn spent hours and hours on the mat getting tons of personal instruction from some of the best karateka in the world.

Sempai Dawn learning how to punch, strike, step,
and do Pinan Nidan all over again



Shihan discussing the finer points of Seipai with
Hashimoto-sensei, Brian-sensei, and Michael-sensei

The training was difficult and fantastic, and all the sensei at Linden were as patient and funny as they were demanding and strict. While we were there, we also got to see Hashimoto-sensei's star student Yoshiaki-san give some amazing kata and kobudo performances.

Yoshiaki-san performing a stunning Kosokun (Kusanku) family kata

Of course, all of this hard training deserved some good times afterwards, and there were plenty of those as well, complete with tons of great food and laughter. Still, the training never stopped, and Hashimoto-sensei and Hayashi-sensei's son were as strict about how we held our cups as they were about how we threw our reverse punches.

Drinking sake, eating miso soup, or defending against a
surprise attack--the training continued on into the night.



The company was fantastic...

...and the food, needless to say, was delicious.

A warm and respectful thank you to Hashimoto-sensei, Hayashi-soke #2, Brian-Sensei, Michael-sensei, Yamaguchi-sensei, Chiba-sensei, Yoshiaki-san, and all of the amazing people at Linden. We can't wait to come back next year, and we hope that more AZB students will be able to benefit from your amazing knowledge and friendship.