Yutaka Yaguchi
Encyclopedia
Yutaka Yaguchi is the Chief Instructor and Chairman of the International Shotokan Karate Federation
(ISKF) Mountain States Region. He was born in Hiroshima
, Japan, in 1932 and began karate
training in 1952. He later tested under masters Gichin Funakoshi
for his 1st dan
black belt and Masatoshi Nakayama for his 2nd through 8th dan black belts. As one of the first graduates of the Japan Karate Association
(JKA) Instructors' Training Program in 1959, he has played an important role in the growth of JKA karate and the internationalization of Shotokan
karate. Yaguchi first arrived in the United States on June 5, 1965, and continues to reside in the US to the present day. In 1974, Yaguchi founded the ISKF of Colorado, the regional headquarters for the Mountain States Region.
, Japan, on November 14, 1932 into a farming family. The youngest of five children, he had a carefree youth but was aware of the clouds of war. World War II impacted his life, at the end of the war, when he was assigned a job at a shipyard
. On the morning of August 6, 1945, while he was waiting to enter the factory building at the shipyard, he saw the flash of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.
After the war, Yutaka Yaguchi was able to resume his education, and was even able to go to university, unlike many of his former school mates. He went to Nihon University in Tokyo, and this is where he first started Shotokan
karate. He also joined the JKA at that time. Training was very intense and heavily oriented to conditioning. Mr. Yaguchi graduated with a degree in Marine Biology, but was averse to sailing. After graduation, he found a job with a construction company.
One day in 1957, Sensei
Masatoshi Nakayama asked Mr. Yaguchi to quit his job and join the JKA Instructor Training program full time. Yaguchi quit his job the very next day and enrolled. When he graduated from the program in 1959, he was the fourth graduate behind Hirokazu Kanazawa, Takayuki Mikami
, and Eiji Takaura.
, the founder of Shotokan
karate, was adamantly opposed to tournaments, Masatoshi Nakayama was convinced that the future of karate depended on using tournaments to popularize karate to a worldwide audience. At the first JKA All-Japan Karate Championships in 1957, Yutaka Yaguchi achieved the unfortunate distinction of being the first contestant to foul out. Over the next half dozen years or so, he faced many of the greatest karate competitors, many who have subsequently been recognized as true masters of the art: Hirokazu Kanazawa, Hiroshi Shirai, Keinosuke Enoeda
, Tetsuhiko Asai
, Takayuki Mikami
, etc.
's dojo
in Los Angeles. Soon after, he was invited to teach in Denver, CO, by Joe Costello, and he relocated there for about a year, but finances were extremely tight. He returned to California and continued to teach at Sensei Nishiyama's dojo through the late 1960s and early 1970s.
retained control of the AAKF. The only Japanese instructor at the meeting who stayed with Nishiyama was Sensei Masataka Mori. The other five instructors formed a new organization called the ISKF: Teruyuki Okazaki
, Takayuki Mikami
, Yutaka Yaguchi, Shojiro Koyama, and Shigeru Takashina. The first organizational meeting was held in Denver, Colorado in 1978.
, Shojiro Koyama, and Shigeru Takashina. As Vice Chairman of the ISKF, and as Chairman of the ISKF technical committee, Sensei Yaguchi has played a central role in the future growth of the ISKF in the United States and around the world.
International Shotokan Karate Federation
The International Shotokan Karate Federation is the largest shotokan karate organization in North and South America. In 1977, in an effort to spread the study of shotokan karate throughout the world, high-ranking members from the Japan Karate Association founded the ISKF. In 2007, the ISKF split...
(ISKF) Mountain States Region. He was born in Hiroshima
Hiroshima
is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chūgoku region of western Honshu, the largest island of Japan. It became best known as the first city in history to be destroyed by a nuclear weapon when the United States Army Air Forces dropped an atomic bomb on it at 8:15 A.M...
, Japan, in 1932 and began karate
Karate
is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was developed from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks,...
training in 1952. He later tested under masters Gichin Funakoshi
Gichin Funakoshi
was the creator of Shotokan karate, perhaps the most widely known style of karate, and is attributed as being the 'father of modern karate.' Following the teachings of Anko Itosu, he was one of the Okinawan karate masters who introduced karate to the Japanese mainland in 1921...
for his 1st dan
Dan (rank)
The ranking system is a Japanese mark of level, which is used in modern fine arts and martial arts. Originally invented in a Go school in the Edo period, this system was applied to martial arts by Kanō Jigorō, the founder of judo and later introduced to other East Asia countries.In the modern...
black belt and Masatoshi Nakayama for his 2nd through 8th dan black belts. As one of the first graduates of the Japan Karate Association
Japan Karate Association
Japan Karate Association is one of the most influential Shotokan karate organizations in the world...
(JKA) Instructors' Training Program in 1959, he has played an important role in the growth of JKA karate and the internationalization of Shotokan
Shotokan
is a style of karate, developed from various martial arts by Gichin Funakoshi and his son Gigo Funakoshi . Gichin was born in Okinawa and is widely credited with popularizing karate through a series of public demonstrations, and by promoting the development of university karate clubs, including...
karate. Yaguchi first arrived in the United States on June 5, 1965, and continues to reside in the US to the present day. In 1974, Yaguchi founded the ISKF of Colorado, the regional headquarters for the Mountain States Region.
Early life
Yaguchi was born on November 14, 1932, in Kure, a suburb of HiroshimaHiroshima
is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chūgoku region of western Honshu, the largest island of Japan. It became best known as the first city in history to be destroyed by a nuclear weapon when the United States Army Air Forces dropped an atomic bomb on it at 8:15 A.M...
, Japan, on November 14, 1932 into a farming family. The youngest of five children, he had a carefree youth but was aware of the clouds of war. World War II impacted his life, at the end of the war, when he was assigned a job at a shipyard
Shipyard
Shipyards and dockyards are places which repair and build ships. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Dockyards are sometimes more associated with maintenance and basing activities than shipyards, which are sometimes associated more with initial...
. On the morning of August 6, 1945, while he was waiting to enter the factory building at the shipyard, he saw the flash of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.
After the war, Yutaka Yaguchi was able to resume his education, and was even able to go to university, unlike many of his former school mates. He went to Nihon University in Tokyo, and this is where he first started Shotokan
Shotokan
is a style of karate, developed from various martial arts by Gichin Funakoshi and his son Gigo Funakoshi . Gichin was born in Okinawa and is widely credited with popularizing karate through a series of public demonstrations, and by promoting the development of university karate clubs, including...
karate. He also joined the JKA at that time. Training was very intense and heavily oriented to conditioning. Mr. Yaguchi graduated with a degree in Marine Biology, but was averse to sailing. After graduation, he found a job with a construction company.
One day in 1957, Sensei
Sensei
' is a Japanese word that basically means "person born before another." In general usage, it means "master" or "teacher," and the word is used as a title to refer to or address teachers, professors, professionals such as lawyers, CPA and doctors, politicians, clergymen, and other figures of authority...
Masatoshi Nakayama asked Mr. Yaguchi to quit his job and join the JKA Instructor Training program full time. Yaguchi quit his job the very next day and enrolled. When he graduated from the program in 1959, he was the fourth graduate behind Hirokazu Kanazawa, Takayuki Mikami
Takayuki Mikami
is a Japanese master of Shotokan karate based in the United States of America. He holds the rank of 9th dan black belt in the art. In 1958, Mikami tied for first place in the All Japan Karate Championships. The following year, he became the All Japan champion in kumite as well as kata . In 1961,...
, and Eiji Takaura.
Early tournaments
Although Gichin FunakoshiGichin Funakoshi
was the creator of Shotokan karate, perhaps the most widely known style of karate, and is attributed as being the 'father of modern karate.' Following the teachings of Anko Itosu, he was one of the Okinawan karate masters who introduced karate to the Japanese mainland in 1921...
, the founder of Shotokan
Shotokan
is a style of karate, developed from various martial arts by Gichin Funakoshi and his son Gigo Funakoshi . Gichin was born in Okinawa and is widely credited with popularizing karate through a series of public demonstrations, and by promoting the development of university karate clubs, including...
karate, was adamantly opposed to tournaments, Masatoshi Nakayama was convinced that the future of karate depended on using tournaments to popularize karate to a worldwide audience. At the first JKA All-Japan Karate Championships in 1957, Yutaka Yaguchi achieved the unfortunate distinction of being the first contestant to foul out. Over the next half dozen years or so, he faced many of the greatest karate competitors, many who have subsequently been recognized as true masters of the art: Hirokazu Kanazawa, Hiroshi Shirai, Keinosuke Enoeda
Keinosuke Enoeda
was a Japanese master of Shotokan karate. He was a former Chief Instructor of the Karate Union of Great Britain. Enoeda was ranked 8th dan in Shotokan karate, and was widely renowned as a formidable karateka . Following his death, Enoeda was posthumously awarded the rank of 9th dan.-Early...
, Tetsuhiko Asai
Tetsuhiko Asai
was a prominent Japanese master of Shotokan karate who was a former Technical Director of the Japan Karate Association , founder and Chief Instructor of the International Japan Martial Arts Karate Asai-ryu , and founder of the Japan Karate Shoto-Renmei .-Early life:Asai was born on June 7, 1935, in...
, Takayuki Mikami
Takayuki Mikami
is a Japanese master of Shotokan karate based in the United States of America. He holds the rank of 9th dan black belt in the art. In 1958, Mikami tied for first place in the All Japan Karate Championships. The following year, he became the All Japan champion in kumite as well as kata . In 1961,...
, etc.
United States
Sensei Nakayama sent Yutaka Yaguchi to America in 1965, and he began teaching in Sensei Hidetaka NishiyamaHidetaka Nishiyama
was a prominent Japanese master of Shotokan karate. He was an internationally recognized instructor, author, and administrator, and helped to establish the Japan Karate Association. Nishiyama was one of the last surviving students of Gichin Funakoshi, founder of Shotokan karate...
's dojo
Dojo
A is a Japanese term which literally means "place of the way". Initially, dōjōs were adjunct to temples. The term can refer to a formal training place for any of the Japanese do arts but typically it is considered the formal gathering place for students of any Japanese martial arts style to...
in Los Angeles. Soon after, he was invited to teach in Denver, CO, by Joe Costello, and he relocated there for about a year, but finances were extremely tight. He returned to California and continued to teach at Sensei Nishiyama's dojo through the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Colorado
In 1972, the year Sensei Yaguchi permanently relocated back to Denver, he was the coach for the US team at the 1972 Shotocup World Tournament in France. This was a very controversial tournament that ended up with the US team walking out of the tournament under objections to unfair refereeing. In addition, Joe Costello (the karate instructor who had originally invited Sensei Yaguchi to Denver in 1966) died. It was a time of upheaval in the new dojo, with many divided loyalties. After things began to settle down, the dojo began to grow.Formation
Tension among the Japanese instructors in the AAKF, the American organization recognized by the JKA, lead to a heated meeting at the Olympic Motel in Los Angeles in 1977, which resulted in the split of the organization into two. Hidetaka NishiyamaHidetaka Nishiyama
was a prominent Japanese master of Shotokan karate. He was an internationally recognized instructor, author, and administrator, and helped to establish the Japan Karate Association. Nishiyama was one of the last surviving students of Gichin Funakoshi, founder of Shotokan karate...
retained control of the AAKF. The only Japanese instructor at the meeting who stayed with Nishiyama was Sensei Masataka Mori. The other five instructors formed a new organization called the ISKF: Teruyuki Okazaki
Teruyuki Okazaki
Teruyuki Okazaki , a tenth degree black belt in Shotokan Karate, is the founder, chairman and chief instructor of the International Shotokan Karate Federation . Along with Gichin Funakoshi and Masatoshi Nakayama, Okazaki helped found the Japan Karate Association's instructor training program.-Early...
, Takayuki Mikami
Takayuki Mikami
is a Japanese master of Shotokan karate based in the United States of America. He holds the rank of 9th dan black belt in the art. In 1958, Mikami tied for first place in the All Japan Karate Championships. The following year, he became the All Japan champion in kumite as well as kata . In 1961,...
, Yutaka Yaguchi, Shojiro Koyama, and Shigeru Takashina. The first organizational meeting was held in Denver, Colorado in 1978.
Independence
In June 2007, Okazaki made the decision to split away from the JKA. In this decision, he was supported by Sensei Yaguchi; however, the other three Japanese masters that were part of the ISKF hierarchy decided to remain with the JKA: Takayuki MikamiTakayuki Mikami
is a Japanese master of Shotokan karate based in the United States of America. He holds the rank of 9th dan black belt in the art. In 1958, Mikami tied for first place in the All Japan Karate Championships. The following year, he became the All Japan champion in kumite as well as kata . In 1961,...
, Shojiro Koyama, and Shigeru Takashina. As Vice Chairman of the ISKF, and as Chairman of the ISKF technical committee, Sensei Yaguchi has played a central role in the future growth of the ISKF in the United States and around the world.
Book
- Yutaka Yaguchi with Catherine Pinch. (May 2008) "Mind and Body - Like Bullet", GreenLight Communications, ISBN 978-1-57833-400-1.
Magazine articles
- Masters Magazine, Summer 2008 "Yutaka Yaguchi: A Cut Above" (Magazine cover story and photo plus video on included DVD) p. 24–29.
- Shotokan Karate Magazine, July 2005, #84, "Sensei Yutaka Yaguchi" (magazine cover story and photo).