Reading a little of some of the exchanges recently regarding the Wado Kai on this forum it got me wondering with regard to Sensei H.Takagi. He appears to be very highly thought of and respected by some of the members of this forum and I would be interested to find out more about his background, his relationship with the late Grandmaster etc. If anyone could help, it would be much appreciated.
Kind Regards,
Peter Hill
www.devonwadoryu.co.uk
Sensei H.Takagi
Re: Sensei H.Takagi
Takagi Sensei never does interviews or articles.
He says he has nothing interesting to say.
In my opinion he is the fastest Wado man I have ever seen. He has figured out how to be faster than most.
And his punch is different. It is more piercing? His hand speed is so fast that he can collapse your abdominal wall before the abs have a chance to react/contract so he can easily damage your internal organs without leaving the typical bruising.
It's kind of weird. It starts bleeding from the inside so the bruising pattern is sort of circular and not on the surface of the body. (been hit)
He entered only one Wadokai National kata event. He won.
The reason he never participated was because Otsuka Sensei never judged.
The only one that Otsuka Sensei judged in modern Wado history, he entered.
Something about it was pointless to do kata in front of people who could not appreciate what he was doing.
He was the first person Otsuka Sensei told to do the seishan step without opening the front foot first because Otsuka Sensei felt he had what it took to pull it off.
This requires a long explanation. Might pick it up in the kihon section at a later date. There is more to this than just moving without opening your front foot first. You first have to be able to do 'Ten Chi Jin' otherwise it is pointless or as he says, learn to walk in harmony with the earth.
(rooting, grounding, whatever you want to call it). Ten Chi Jin is not only a philosophy. It is an actual physical body dynamic but I digress.
He smiles all the time and is constantly joking around which gets misinterpreted at times I think. Definitely not the stereotypical gruff karate instructor. He has no tolerance for liars or cheats.
He has deep respect for Otsuka Sensei so much so that people were surprised he stayed in JKF Wadokai after the split. He helped with the initial start up of Wadoryu by using his dental office to help create those much talked about Shindo Yoshin ryu dan certificates that Otsuka Sensei awarded for fund raising purposes.
I know many people share the same sentiment but he told me that he feels his chief duty is to keep Wado 'real'. In other words to keep Otsuka Sensei's techniques alive and performed correctly. Off the top of my head I can think of at least 6 people who say the same thing and they all do things a bit different but I can say for certainty that the karate of JKF Wadokai definitely has his and Arakawa Sensei's stamp on it and when both gentlemen eventually pass away the technique of JKF Wadokai will change over time.
His biography
Takagi Hideho
Born: 1942 July 23rd China (note: at that time many Japanese were born in China. China ( Manchuria) was a part of Japan. The Japanese empire had extended into China and Korea and were considered part of Japan.)
Three Children
Residing in Tokyo
1953 - Moved to Japan from China to Shimane prefecture (next to Hiroshima prefecture). Shimane prefecture is pretty poor relative to the other
places in Japan.
1966 - Entered Nihon University (Nichidai)
1972 - Entered Nihon Dental College
Employment
Dental Office - Takagi Dental Office
Occupation: Dentist
Karate history:
1966 Started training at the Nihon Dental College taught by Hironori Otsuka, founder of Wado
Guseikai Shihan (Chief Instructor of Guseikai)
Japan Karate Federation Hanshi 8th dan
Japan Karate Federation Wadokai 8th dan
Japan Karate Federation Technical committee (since 1980)
Japan Karate Federation Wadokai Technical Committee Chairman
Japan Karate Federation Wadokai Board Member
He says he has nothing interesting to say.
In my opinion he is the fastest Wado man I have ever seen. He has figured out how to be faster than most.
And his punch is different. It is more piercing? His hand speed is so fast that he can collapse your abdominal wall before the abs have a chance to react/contract so he can easily damage your internal organs without leaving the typical bruising.
It's kind of weird. It starts bleeding from the inside so the bruising pattern is sort of circular and not on the surface of the body. (been hit)
He entered only one Wadokai National kata event. He won.
The reason he never participated was because Otsuka Sensei never judged.
The only one that Otsuka Sensei judged in modern Wado history, he entered.
Something about it was pointless to do kata in front of people who could not appreciate what he was doing.
He was the first person Otsuka Sensei told to do the seishan step without opening the front foot first because Otsuka Sensei felt he had what it took to pull it off.
This requires a long explanation. Might pick it up in the kihon section at a later date. There is more to this than just moving without opening your front foot first. You first have to be able to do 'Ten Chi Jin' otherwise it is pointless or as he says, learn to walk in harmony with the earth.
(rooting, grounding, whatever you want to call it). Ten Chi Jin is not only a philosophy. It is an actual physical body dynamic but I digress.
He smiles all the time and is constantly joking around which gets misinterpreted at times I think. Definitely not the stereotypical gruff karate instructor. He has no tolerance for liars or cheats.
He has deep respect for Otsuka Sensei so much so that people were surprised he stayed in JKF Wadokai after the split. He helped with the initial start up of Wadoryu by using his dental office to help create those much talked about Shindo Yoshin ryu dan certificates that Otsuka Sensei awarded for fund raising purposes.
I know many people share the same sentiment but he told me that he feels his chief duty is to keep Wado 'real'. In other words to keep Otsuka Sensei's techniques alive and performed correctly. Off the top of my head I can think of at least 6 people who say the same thing and they all do things a bit different but I can say for certainty that the karate of JKF Wadokai definitely has his and Arakawa Sensei's stamp on it and when both gentlemen eventually pass away the technique of JKF Wadokai will change over time.
His biography
Takagi Hideho
Born: 1942 July 23rd China (note: at that time many Japanese were born in China. China ( Manchuria) was a part of Japan. The Japanese empire had extended into China and Korea and were considered part of Japan.)
Three Children
Residing in Tokyo
1953 - Moved to Japan from China to Shimane prefecture (next to Hiroshima prefecture). Shimane prefecture is pretty poor relative to the other
places in Japan.
1966 - Entered Nihon University (Nichidai)
1972 - Entered Nihon Dental College
Employment
Dental Office - Takagi Dental Office
Occupation: Dentist
Karate history:
1966 Started training at the Nihon Dental College taught by Hironori Otsuka, founder of Wado
Guseikai Shihan (Chief Instructor of Guseikai)
Japan Karate Federation Hanshi 8th dan
Japan Karate Federation Wadokai 8th dan
Japan Karate Federation Technical committee (since 1980)
Japan Karate Federation Wadokai Technical Committee Chairman
Japan Karate Federation Wadokai Board Member
Bob Nash
Re: Sensei H.Takagi
Hi Bob,
Did Takagi sensei ever compete in kumite in the nationals etc.?
Not that that's important - just a bit of a refreshing change actually :)
Also, I've read that in the most part the "non turning out of the foot" in Seishan was based around aesthetics (in the competition arena) - so I would be very interested in reading the explanation to that.
Gary
Did Takagi sensei ever compete in kumite in the nationals etc.?
Not that that's important - just a bit of a refreshing change actually :)
Also, I've read that in the most part the "non turning out of the foot" in Seishan was based around aesthetics (in the competition arena) - so I would be very interested in reading the explanation to that.
Gary
Re: Sensei H.Takagi
Hi Gary,
I know he competed in kumite because I know he split open his foot once in a match.
Not sure how he did.
He has told me several times that he has never been hit in the face.
I am not sure if he was serious. I mean...how is that possible?
Not sure when he is kidding around.
As for the foot thing, I can't do it justice at the moment due to my workload but when I see Jamie I will make sure he understands so you can just ask him. I will get around to it someday. Right now I am compiling a kihon checklist for all the kihon for my folks that I will post here eventually.
Not enough time in the day.
Nothing to do with aesthetics. All to do with naihanchi actually.
At the moment he is making me stand on one foot for minutes on end during my flapper doodles (my word for the part in chinto where you stand on one foot). Didn't realize it was similar to some of the Chinese exercises but it makes sense since all this stuff is related on some level.
I know he competed in kumite because I know he split open his foot once in a match.
Not sure how he did.
He has told me several times that he has never been hit in the face.
I am not sure if he was serious. I mean...how is that possible?
Not sure when he is kidding around.
As for the foot thing, I can't do it justice at the moment due to my workload but when I see Jamie I will make sure he understands so you can just ask him. I will get around to it someday. Right now I am compiling a kihon checklist for all the kihon for my folks that I will post here eventually.
Not enough time in the day.
Nothing to do with aesthetics. All to do with naihanchi actually.
At the moment he is making me stand on one foot for minutes on end during my flapper doodles (my word for the part in chinto where you stand on one foot). Didn't realize it was similar to some of the Chinese exercises but it makes sense since all this stuff is related on some level.
Bob Nash
Re: Sensei H.Takagi
Bob - I think you may have mis-typed the dates for his university days?
Interesting point for Takagi sensei is he didn't start training Wado until he went to the dental college, he wasn't a member of any of the karate clubs at Nihon university. So his karate career began a little later than is typical, he was 21 or 22. The kata event he won was the 1976 All Japan Wadoryu championships.
The Nippon Dental College karate club which he joined has a long history and is about the oldest Wado dojo - I think they share this title with the Agriculture University club (Nodai). Its one of the clubs which Otsuka went to on a regular basis right up to the end of his days and it produced some very good karateka. There's an Andy Adams article you can find if you search through the archives of 'Black Belt' magazine where the journalist went to meet Otsuka and see him teach there.
One feature of Takagi's classes is extensive emphasis on basic punch technique. He seems to have countless drills for the most simple stuff and I think that is where people will (hopefully) find a lot of value to take back for their training.
Ben
Interesting point for Takagi sensei is he didn't start training Wado until he went to the dental college, he wasn't a member of any of the karate clubs at Nihon university. So his karate career began a little later than is typical, he was 21 or 22. The kata event he won was the 1976 All Japan Wadoryu championships.
The Nippon Dental College karate club which he joined has a long history and is about the oldest Wado dojo - I think they share this title with the Agriculture University club (Nodai). Its one of the clubs which Otsuka went to on a regular basis right up to the end of his days and it produced some very good karateka. There's an Andy Adams article you can find if you search through the archives of 'Black Belt' magazine where the journalist went to meet Otsuka and see him teach there.
One feature of Takagi's classes is extensive emphasis on basic punch technique. He seems to have countless drills for the most simple stuff and I think that is where people will (hopefully) find a lot of value to take back for their training.
Ben
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monkey mind
- Posts: 35
- Joined: Thu Mar 03, 2011 2:32 am
Re: Sensei H.Takagi
I was fortunate enough to have the chance to observe a couple of Takagi Sensei’s classes at the Budokan about a year ago. I was tremendously impressed with his speed and how clean & sharp his technique was (I’m only a 1st kyu so take that for what it’s worth). But something else impressed me as well. The first class was a kids’ class & there was a new boy there. He looked like the stereotypical spoiled kid – kind of pudgy, an annoyed scowl on his face, he arrived late and had to be literally pushed into the class by his mom. While the others were warming up (by the way, warmups were led by Arakawa Takamasa – you know you’re in the right place when the “assistant” instructor is a 6th dan) this kid was fumbling with his belt. Takagi Sensei walked over, smiling, and with great patience and gentleness tied the boy’s belt for him, then patted him on the back. Wow. To the kid he was probably just some boring old guy. To me the humility and kindness Takagi Sensei showed were truly inspiring.
Paul Cooper
JKI Wadokai Chiang Mai
JKI Wadokai Chiang Mai
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Phill25467
- Posts: 6
- Joined: Sun Feb 27, 2011 10:10 am
Re: Sensei H.Takagi
I would like to thank all of you who replied so promptly to my request, particulary Bob Nash.
If I may I would like to reply to one or two points. Firstly, I have personally always felt it pointless to some degree to do kata in front of people who do not appreciate, understand or who are not your peers, so it was nice to hear this point of view. With regard to Ten Chi Jin not only being a philosophy, but also about being an actual physical body dynamic I can also concur with this completely as it is something I have worked alot on with Shiomitsu Sensei in the past ten - fifteen years and is something that I try hard to work on in my daily training.
I would also like to thank Paul for his contribution, that to me says more than any CV etc could ever say and answers my query fully.
With Kind Regards,
Peter Hill
www.devonwadoryu.co.uk
If I may I would like to reply to one or two points. Firstly, I have personally always felt it pointless to some degree to do kata in front of people who do not appreciate, understand or who are not your peers, so it was nice to hear this point of view. With regard to Ten Chi Jin not only being a philosophy, but also about being an actual physical body dynamic I can also concur with this completely as it is something I have worked alot on with Shiomitsu Sensei in the past ten - fifteen years and is something that I try hard to work on in my daily training.
I would also like to thank Paul for his contribution, that to me says more than any CV etc could ever say and answers my query fully.
With Kind Regards,
Peter Hill
www.devonwadoryu.co.uk
Re: Sensei H.Takagi
So we had the course in Southampton with Takagi Sensei.
We had friends from the other Wado groups, Wadokai groups from Israel, the Netherlands, Sweden, Hungary, Canada, USA.
We had our new Wadokai friends from Teeside (?) show up. Leo McDermott, Tracey and Tracy Bob and a few of their students. Great people.
Zilch from Barry Wilkerson Wadokai. On Sunday Sakagami Sensei had 2 students - Peter May and his girlfriend. We also had one from Frank Johnson so technically Sakagami Sensei had 3 students there.
So the two largest Wadokai groups in England were represented by 3 students.
Sakagami Sensei was on the floor helping out. I translated for Takagi Sensei.
It was good to see friends from the other Wado groups.
That is all I have to say on this subject.
We had friends from the other Wado groups, Wadokai groups from Israel, the Netherlands, Sweden, Hungary, Canada, USA.
We had our new Wadokai friends from Teeside (?) show up. Leo McDermott, Tracey and Tracy Bob and a few of their students. Great people.
Zilch from Barry Wilkerson Wadokai. On Sunday Sakagami Sensei had 2 students - Peter May and his girlfriend. We also had one from Frank Johnson so technically Sakagami Sensei had 3 students there.
So the two largest Wadokai groups in England were represented by 3 students.
Sakagami Sensei was on the floor helping out. I translated for Takagi Sensei.
It was good to see friends from the other Wado groups.
That is all I have to say on this subject.
Bob Nash