– Story by V.Takemori, Hanshi 9th Dan, SKIF Hawaii – compiled by R.Nouchi –
We’ve all heard of extraordinary stories about a person in a moment of crisis, turns into a superhuman, lifting a car or heavy object to free a trapped victim. Some may call it “Adrenaline Rush”…maybe. Well, I would like to share with you a similar story that involved Soke. The year was 1961.
Soke came to Hawaii to teach karate in late December of 1959 and started teaching in January of 1960. About a year later, he developed very bad stomach ulcer. I think he had lots of stress in his life at that time. The sponsors gave Soke about $120/$150 a month or something like that… hardly enough to pay for his apartment, food and necessities. Can you imagine, coming to Hawaii where he could not speak or understand the language, where everything was new and different… by himself, no family or close friends…customs and food were all unfamiliar, a very demanding class schedule, and the list went on. At one point, he had over one hundred students…you know, he never turned down anybody who wanted to learn karate. At the same time he was also trying to convert the for profit karate organization into a non-profit.
Soke relied a lot on me since from day one, he found out that I spoke both English and Japanese. Although I was a beginner, he and I were only several months apart in age. I had left Hawaii when I was 10 years old for Japan and was educated in Japan. So, I did help him as much as I could but I guess it all took a toll on him about that time…it was just too much pressure for one person.
Anyway, in one of his classes, the pain was so bad, he had to stop the class and sit down. There was a Dr. Momyer, a green belt in class that came up to me, and suggested Soke visit his office. He said he could help ease the pain. So I talked to Soke and if Dr. Momyer could help relieve the pain, he was willing to try anything. The following Sunday morning, I drove Soke to the Doctor’s office in Kailua, which is on the other side of the Island.
At the office, the Doctor first told Soke, what he was going to do and what was to take place. Of course I had to translate everything the Doc was saying. Some of what he was saying was somewhat technical but I tried my best. For example, I had to ask the Doc, “What is a trance?” Trance, he said simply, is “deep, deep sleep.” That, I understood and could translate into Japanese. After some consultation, he brought out a gold pocket watch and started to swing the thing in front of Soke. Just like you might see on a hypnotist show. He told Soke to “relax… you are getting sleepy… you are getting sleepy.” Soon, Soke was asleep, but able to respond to Doc’s questions and directions…and all this through my interpretation. The Doc took Soke further into a deep trance. He then told Soke to lie down between the two chairs that he had prepared, with his head on one side and the legs on the other. He softly said “make your body stiff.” Then, he said “Make your body as hard as an iron bar.” Soke was on his back, between the two chairs and he looked stiff as a board with his arms folded in front of him. It reminded me of an Egyptian mummy.
The Doc then told me to sit on him. “You want me to sit on him?” “You sure?”…”Yeah, Sensei will be fine.” ”You sure?” “He will be fine.” So, I gingerly sat on Soke. The Doc then told me to bounce up and down. “Really?” ”Yes, yes.” “Okay.” So I did… Soke never moved and remained straight across the two chairs…like I was sitting on a stiff board. It was an incredible thing!
After awhile, I was told to get off Soke…and then the Doc told me to support Soke when he woke-up. On the count of three the Doc took Soke off the trance. I was ready to catch Soke… and I did. We sat Soke on a chair. When Soke came around, the first thing he said was that he felt really good and he felt like he had been asleep for good 10-hours. He looked refreshed.
The Doc explained that we all have these abilities but don’t know how to access them. Soke chimed in and said that karate is the same thing. We always talk about “kime”… well, we need to practice kime. A young boy 12-13 years old can knock down a large man if he knew how to use his kime…using his entire body and mind, Soke said. The Doc agreed and then mentioned that he wanted to learn karate after watching one of Soke’s powerful demonstrations.
The session did not cure his ulcer right away but Soke talked about how in karate, we all need to practice kime in our daily karate training. Kime involves using your entire body to your kicks or punches. Ever since that experience, I have made it a point to emphasize the importance of the notion of kime using my entire body, mind and intention in practicing karate. There are many things we do not understand about human capabilities…in mind, body and spirit. I believe that through the practice of karate, we should try to develop these untapped abilities.
Soke unfortunately fell ill to a disease, but when he was in his prime, he told me that he felt he could knock down a bear. I believed him. He said he even went to a zoo to stand in front of a bear. Jokingly, he said after all, the thought of fighting a bear was just too frightening. We all laughed. I would like to leave you with some thoughts by Master Masatoshi Nakayama regarding kime. He of course was the Saiko Shihan of Japan Karate Association from 1955 until his death in 1987. He was the architect behind the growth of Shotokan world wide, by sending top JKA instructors overseas. He appointed Soke Kanazawa to teach karate in Hawaii. In volume 11 of his “Best Karate” book series, Master Nakayama writes, “The essence of karate techniques is kime.” “Kime means an explosive attack to the target, combining the right technique and maximum power in the shortest possible time.” “A technique lacking kime is never true karate.”