always a pause to allow a change
of mind within your opponent,
and for you to analyse the
situation mindfully.
When we studied with
Ohtsuka Sensei in the early
days, it was very different. He
encouraged us to test our bunkai
(self-defence applications from
kata) in the street. For 2nd Dan,
you were required to pick a
fight with two yakuza (Japanese
gangsters) and defeat them; for
3rd Dan, three yakuza, and so
on. They were happy to fight and
of course, wouldn’t run to the
police to complain about being
beat up by a karateka. I always
aimed to beat up more than
was required. One day, I used a
nukite (eye strike) and pushed a
gangster’s eyeball into his head.
To this day, I can recall the awful
sensation of his eye disappearing
and my finger penetrating into
his eye socket.
James, did the yakuza ever
retaliate against the school
after those fights? Was anyone
from the karate school ever
seriously hurt?
Sumarac: There was no
retaliation by the yakuza that
I am aware of, but just in case
there was a plan in place. In
the possibility of a visit by the
yakuza, there were three seniors
(one of whom was Morita
Toshio) they had to defeat before
they got to Ohtsuka Sensei. Once
again, and I heard this story from
many seniors in the heirarchy,
there was no evidence of anyone
being seriously hurt from the
school. They were very proud!
And when did the shift occur
in Ohtsuka’s thinking about
karate such that this approach
to grading stopped?
Sumarac: In the early ’70s,
about the same time he decided
to accept non-Japanese students
into the dojo. He had a spiritual
awakening when he observed
foreigners donating blood at his
local hospital alongside his dojo
members, something the dojo
did regularly. (I participated on
one occasion).
Noguchi Sensei, what is your
interpretation of the old saying,
‘One punch, one kill’ — and is it
relevant to your way of karate?
Noguchi: Much of the
mindset of budo that is contained
in karate came from the way of
the sword, that taught ‘kill with
a final blow’ — which, of course,
was a life-or-death matter.
My early karate mindset from
Ohtsuka Sensei was to first put
them down [to the ground], then
decide what is necessary to finish
the confrontation. That is an old
way of thinking; now I believe
that karate is not a fighting art
first and foremost, but a vehicle
for personal development.
We must dedicate ourselves
to appreciate the glory of life
and be pure of heart through
persistent practise of karate-do.
It is not so much about defeating
an enemy but rather our own
weaknesses. My ambition is to
pass this empowering Japanese
cultural tradition down to future
generations.CONNECT WITH US blitzmartialartsNoguchi training at Sorrento
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