Speech by Iwasaki Sensei to introduce the European based Senseis at the 20th Anniversary celebration.






















Up again at 8am, and this time I got the traditional Japanese breakfast: a piece of cooked fish, a bowl of rice, a bowl of steamed vegetables, a bowl of white miso soup and a cup of green tea. Delicious! Then two hours of Kata practice - Chinto.

After a shower, and a bottle of Pocari Sweat we made for the train station to go to Sensei’ family home where we were to have lunch with his father and brother and where Sensei was to go to get his haircut in the place he used to get it cut when he was a boy. We got there after only a short ride and Sensei led me through the little windy back streets of Yokohama, looking for the barbershop. These were the streets where he grew up and as we walked along looking for the barbers, he pointed out this place and that place that he remembered. But most of the area had completely changed since he left 30 years before. Behind his house there were once rolling hills and many vegetable gardens where now stood rows of apartment blocks, offices and shops. The natural hills that were once there had been removed and the land flattened out to build on. Most of the buildings were relatively new ones built in the western style because almost all of Yokohama was destroyed in WW2. Apparently the Japanese army had hidden hundreds of tanks, planes and artillery in Yokohama during the war, but the Americans got wind of it and blasted the place apart. Sensei says there were many, many casualties. It was a big awakening for the Japanese people who believed that the Emperor was a God and that he could do no wrong. Concepts like loss and surrender were simply not even in the common Japanese vocabulary he said. We never did find the barbers!

When we got to the house, Sensei asked about the barber shop and apparently it had closed down some years previously. But there was another one nearby. I was brought into the western style sitting room to watch Karate and Budo videos – there were about fifty tapes spread out on the floor in front of the 42 inch Sony flat screen. There were Wado championships going back 20 years, All Japan Karate Championships, world Championships, Judo, Jujitsu, Kenjitsu, K-1, Brazilian Jujitsu, UFC and many others. So Sensei headed back out again for that illusive haircut and I settled in for some TV. Sensei’s dad sat with me and while we watched the videos, he laughed and occasionally jumped up to do a little demonstration of some Judo or Kendo move himself even though he is a little wobbly on his feet. But you can see that he was once very strong – his eyes sparkle when he’s demonstrating. But he doesn’t like the UFC or K-1 stuff.

Sensei arrived back with a skinhead haircut. He was back to his old menacing looking self and ready for the big evening with all the Japanese Karate masters who will attend Ohtsuka Sensei’s 20th Anniversary dinner celebration being held in a big hotel in Tokyo. The hotel owner was a very wealthy Wado technical committee member.

It took us two hours to get to Shinjuku via several train journeys from Yokohama. When we come up into the twilight of this urban sprawl, I am greeted with the archetype of a busy Asian shopping district. It is teaming with people, flashing neon and skyscrapers and still very warm. But it is only a short walk to the hotel from the station. Inside the massive marble lobby of the hotel there were many recognisable faces there. These were the faces of Karate masters from all over Japan and Okinawa, there to pay respects to Sendai (the first Grandmaster Ohtsuka Sensei) who had died 20 years previously. These were not just Wado masters, but many other styles of Karate as well as other Budo arts. There were Chief Instructors and representatives from Goju-Ryu, Shotokan, Shito-Ryu, numerous Okinawan schools, Yagu-Ryu, Judo, Aikido, Jujitsu. I swear, if there had of been an earthquake and the building destroyed, the martial-arts world would have been totally decimated! The reception room upstairs was huge with the biggest chandeliers that I have ever seen. On each side of the 16 foot tall double-door entrance there were beautiful, traditionally dressed Japanese hostesses that bowed deeply to all that entered. In the centre of the room was an oval shaped banquet buffet about 30 feet long and 15 feet wide jam-packed with foods from all around the world.

After the speeches and introductions ended, giant screens were lowered from the ceiling on which beautiful images of Sendai when he was already over 80 years old were shown. The demonstration was with his son Jiro and was the complete set of Wado-Ryu Kumite, Kihon, Kumite Gata, Idori, Tanto-Dori and Shinkan-Shirai Dori. The demonstration went on, and on and on. It is hard to believe that this man was the age he was and performing these techniques with speed, accuracy, perfect timing and distance.

Everyone got pretty well loosened up with all the beer, wine and sake. I, on the other hand, spent most of the time running around after Sensei with his camera under strict instructions to get any picture that I could of him with all his old friends and buddies from the Nichi-dai days as well as other Karate masters and dignitaries. I had to fit the odd slug of beer in-between. But I did get to meet a lot of the greats!

Iwasaki Sensei reminds Noburo Suzuki Sensei who I am.


















After the evening was officially over, we left with Noburo Suzuki Sensei who was one of the old boys of Nichi-Dai back before the war and the oldest living original student of Sendai. He was a Sempai of Tatsuo Suzuki, but no relation. An 8th Dan Wado-Ryu and 8th Dan Daito-ryu Jujitsu, this man is revered by my Sensei as being one of the last great Jujitsu master alive. He is tiny – probably only 5 feet! We went back downstairs (with me carrying Suzuki Sensei’s bags) and went into the small café just off the main lobby where there were already several groups of Karate masters gathered to have a cup of coffee or tea, or glass of wine before they all went their separate ways. I was the only ‘Gaigin’ and felt a bit conspicuous. However, I was made feel very comfortable by Osaka Sensei from Utah, USA who chatted lightly with me until the formalities and introductions are over and Sensei sat down with Noburo Suzuki Sensei at a table nearby. After a while, Suzuki Sensei and Iwasaki Sensei were talking about healing, Shiatsu and Acupuncture as well as the ‘old ways’ of Shamanistic Japanese healing arts and how they influenced modern Japanese medicine. Then Suzuki Sensei explained about Atemi techniques. Iwasaki Sensei did not translate too much and only threw me the odd ‘bone’ of interesting information to keep me awake. This was secret stuff they were talking about.

Later that evening in the hot-tub at the hotel Sensei said he was surprised that Jiro Ohtsuka showed the film of his father because he was so old and obviously not at his best, but then perhaps the beauty of falling leaves in Autumn was just as nice as a springtime blossom!


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