Question for Oneya (and others)

General discussions on Wado Ryu karate and associated martial arts.
jacob
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Joined: Mon Feb 28, 2011 3:07 pm

Question for Oneya (and others)

Post by jacob »

I only direct this question to Onyea due to the fact that I have seen the old photo's on his website but I'm sure some of you have valuable information..

I have had a short Wado life compared to most on this forum but during my research and talking to people one name alway crops up... Fujii Hisaomi sensei, Can anyone tell me a bit more about him, I am intrigued. Apparently he was very special, what did he have ? Most of the time you can find information via the internet, but Fujii Hisaomi sensei is very rarely mentioned, apart from one story...
mr. suzuki grew so annoyed at peter's fighting skills that he sent for the all-japan champion, hisaomi fujii, to come to britain and sort him out!
jacob
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Re: Question for Oneya (and others)

Post by jacob »

Apologies Oneya I spelt your name incorrectly in the post.
WadoAJ
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Re: Question for Oneya (and others)

Post by WadoAJ »

HI Jacob,

My senseis best terrain was fighting. I heard many stories about him and also from him. He told me that the Japanese instructors used to come togehter and train of course there was jiyu gumite. There where those instructors that skipped that typical part of training, whos name I will not mention, but there was one who certainly did not skip, this was Mr. Fuji. My sensei told me: "I really did my best but could never touch him. If I could only touch him one time, I was very happy. -...- He was just so fast, no, very good timing".

AJ
AJ van Dijk

President & Chief Instructor Wadokai Holland
General Secretary FEW Federation European Wadokai
http://www.WadokaiOnline.com - Wado Books // Wado DVDs
http://www.wadokai.nl
http://www.fewkarate.com
jacob
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Re: Question for Oneya (and others)

Post by jacob »

Thanks for the reply WadoAJ, it seems he was something special. I hear about "half step timing" and that there is always a "space in time." I'll have to work on these for infinity. I've just checked out your website, very good and informative.
WadoAJ
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Re: Question for Oneya (and others)

Post by WadoAJ »

jacob wrote:Thanks for the reply WadoAJ, it seems he was something special. I hear about "half step timing" and that there is always a "space in time." I'll have to work on these for infinity. I've just checked out your website, very good and informative.
thanks
AJ van Dijk

President & Chief Instructor Wadokai Holland
General Secretary FEW Federation European Wadokai
http://www.WadokaiOnline.com - Wado Books // Wado DVDs
http://www.wadokai.nl
http://www.fewkarate.com
blackcat
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Re: Question for Oneya (and others)

Post by blackcat »

jacob wrote:I only direct this question to Onyea due to the fact that I have seen the old photo's on his website but I'm sure some of you have valuable information..

I have had a short Wado life compared to most on this forum but during my research and talking to people one name alway crops up... Fujii Hisaomi sensei, Can anyone tell me a bit more about him, I am intrigued. Apparently he was very special, what did he have ? Most of the time you can find information via the internet, but Fujii Hisaomi sensei is very rarely mentioned, apart from one story...
mr. suzuki grew so annoyed at peter's fighting skills that he sent for the all-japan champion, hisaomi fujii, to come to britain and sort him out!
Hi Jacob

Fujii was one of the first instructors to come to Europe - I think he arrived in 1966. He stayed for about 8 years,based in Holland and England (Birmingham). I think he was winner of the 1960 or 61, All Japan university championships whilst a member of the Nihon University karate club, where he came under instruction from Arakawa Toru. Part of the reason he was popular and is fondly remembered by those who trained under him, seems to be he was a little older than most of the instructors who'd come straight from university clubs, so he had some teaching experience under his belt.

Whether there is any credibility to the statement you've quoted there, well, personally, I doubt it, but I wasn't around then so its one point of view (or agenda if you're cynical..). You can form your own judgement though - just look up the Pathe news reel films to see how competent European karateka were in 1966/67 relative to the Japanese instructors who'd been drilled through 4 years or more of university club training.

Ben
oneya
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Re: Question for Oneya (and others)

Post by oneya »

jacob wrote:I only direct this question to Onyea due to the fact that I have seen the old photo's on his website but I'm sure some of you have valuable information..

I have had a short Wado life compared to most on this forum but during my research and talking to people one name alway crops up... Fujii Hisaomi sensei, Can anyone tell me a bit more about him, I am intrigued. Apparently he was very special, what did he have ? Most of the time you can find information via the internet, but Fujii Hisaomi sensei is very rarely mentioned, apart from one story...
mr. suzuki grew so annoyed at peter's fighting skills that he sent for the all-japan champion, hisaomi fujii, to come to britain and sort him out!
Hi Jacob,

I am unsure of what you are asking here, are you looking for some verification on the quotation or information on Fujii sensei, ?

The thing about Fujii sensei was He was everything one would expect a collegiate karate champion to be. Back in those days the collegiate championships were all styles and so his win in 1964 (I think) would have been a hard road.He was a gentle man and a gentleman who could fight with a razor precision and yet remain modest and intelligent when not in the dojo. As with every other sensei when they pointed at you for free fighting you knew you were on a pasting but in Fujii sensei’s case with instruction and advice littering the fight it was almost a pleasure, not quite, but almost because there was no edge to the man. Wado in the wrong hands can bring out the wrong qualities or highlight the more base human behaviour that give me pause about my involvement but then with sensei like Fujii Hisaomi who demonstrated all the attributes that martial arts are supposed to foster I felt it held the deeper meaning of integrity and spirit.

He returned to Japan after a few years to take over his responsibilities in his father’s business. I last saw him in Tokyo in the late 80s

As for the quotation – often attributed to Len Palmer a Judo guy with political aspirations - if you had been around in those times Jacob you would know immediately that this type of arrant nonsense was a political beat up with not a skerrick of integrity or truth in it. The Japanese sensei were all hard taskmasters teaching a particular form of their country's heritage so honour and fighting spirit had replaced any self doubt and fear was not part of their agenda. Had there been any concern about a particular western fighter, then just about any one of them in the first few years could have shown the fella all four corners of the dojo, especially one who had only started in 1965 and was given his shodan grade in 1966 along with a few others who looked like they might be good leader material in the near future.

This quotation is one that should have been highlighted on the myths and legends thread.

A few short years later Len Palmer lead a breakaway group in the UK, It was largely London-centric and Pete Spanton was one of those that left as I remember. Len Palmer sidled up all friendly like to me one time in London with an offer for my brothers and myself to join them in their breakaway from the Japanese sensei - but when I compared Len Palmer to Suzuki and or Shiomitsu or any other Japanese instructor who had the wado goods Len seemed to be lacking a few fundamental bits that make up a wado ryu sensei, integrity and loyalty not being the least of them. So my brothers and I declined. We have no regrets.

oneya
Reg Kear.
Wado Kokusai San no Ya.

http://www.sannoya.com
Tim49
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Re: Question for Oneya (and others)

Post by Tim49 »

blackcat wrote: Whether there is any credibility to the statement you've quoted there, well, personally, I doubt it, but I wasn't around then so its one point of view (or agenda if you're cynical..). You can form your own judgement though - just look up the Pathe news reel films to see how competent European karateka were in 1966/67 relative to the Japanese instructors who'd been drilled through 4 years or more of university club training.

Ben
Yep, I'd go along with that.

Can anyone put a link up to that Pathe clip, it's very enlightening.

I don't mean to be harsh about those early european pioneers, they came from a zero base so did really well. But the Len Palmer proposition is just plain silly.

Tim
jacob
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Re: Question for Oneya (and others)

Post by jacob »

Hi Jacob,

I am unsure of what you are asking here, are you looking for some verification on the quotation or information on Fujii sensei, ?
Hi Oneya

No, I was not after verification of the quote, like most things on the internet I read I take with a pinch of salt. I just used this as an example of what one finds if you google his name as opposed to googling someone like Shiomitsu Sensei....

I was just asking for imformation on Fujii sensei as there is little around, this makes sense after reading you post and gaining a very small insight into his character, thank you.
blackcat
Posts: 194
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Re: Question for Oneya (and others)

Post by blackcat »

Tim49 wrote:
blackcat wrote: Whether there is any credibility to the statement you've quoted there, well, personally, I doubt it, but I wasn't around then so its one point of view (or agenda if you're cynical..). You can form your own judgement though - just look up the Pathe news reel films to see how competent European karateka were in 1966/67 relative to the Japanese instructors who'd been drilled through 4 years or more of university club training.

Ben
Yep, I'd go along with that.

Can anyone put a link up to that Pathe clip, it's very enlightening.

I don't mean to be harsh about those early european pioneers, they came from a zero base so did really well. But the Len Palmer proposition is just plain silly.

Tim
Hi Tim

I think that's an important clarification to make - the context was that for most of them, they'd never seen karate before 1965 and were probably learning it through infrequent training courses with the new Japanese instructors, rather than regular weekly classes. Spanton may have been one of the exceptions in that he was in London so could go along to the main dojo to train.

Jacob - there was an in interview with Fujii in an old Fighting Arts Magazine. If it rains this weekend, I'll scan it and post it here (if not, you may have to wait a few more days). He also wrote an article in Wado World magazine about his time in England.

Ben
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