![]() So, do not tell this to anyone.” He lowered his voice tone, and said, “Do you really want to go to the battle field?” “Yes, absolutely.” “Really? But that’s a problem.” I had no idea about what the problem was. He continued, “This is a super top secret. He then paused, and turned his eyes downward engaging in thought. He was deeply impressed, saying, “No wonder, he is the number 1 judo master in the world.” Y came to me and asked, “Who in the world is he”. I felt like bowing to you, thinking, ‘After all, a man who excels in one art is different from others.’ After the match, Mr. But I did not even imagine the tactics you used. I have never grabbed a wooden gun.” “I thought so. But once the match started, I got badly shaken when I saw your posture since you looked like a complete novice.” “Yes, that is right. So, even though I thought I would be discourteous to you, I picked you. But if nobody volunteered, the dignity of our unit would be tarnished. I knew nobody had a chance against him since he was the best master in the country. Compared with you, I must be like a kid, but still got the 4th dan.” He poured whisky into a glass and continued, “The match you did with the Jukendo master was very interesting. I like judo, too, and often practiced in Kodokan. He said, “I have known about your achievement in judo. After I returned from the vacation, Captain of the Unit called me. Special 5-day vacation was given to all the volunteers. One day, an announcement “If you wish to go to the battle field, report to the captain” was posted. If I had lost the match, I might not be here today. ![]() The master looked as if he did not understand what happened to him, dropped his head, and left the scene. “Stop, stop! It is over!” Captain stepped in and separated us, but it was clear that I won the fight. I mounted on his chest, removed his face guard despite his shouting “Wait, wait!” and tried to deliver a finishing blow to his face. At the moment he deflected the wooden gun, I tackled at his knees. I fainted a thrust, and then threw the wooden gun at his face with full force. ![]() So, I waited for the right moment for attack. Come on, what’s the matter?” I knew I would lose as soon as I thrust the gun at him. We bowed to each other, and held the wooden gun toward each other. It would be like a fight between an adult and a child, since I had never held a wooden gun in my life. If I engaged in a bayonet combat, there is no way I can win. I walked up to the master as slowly as possible to buy time and come up with a workable strategy. “If I engaged in a match with such a master, I would get humiliated or could get killed,” men around me whispered. He then looked around us and said, “Any volunteer for practice with me? Come forward without any reservation.” But nobody came forward. He explained the basics of thrust and defense. All the members of the unit got together in the field at 1 pm to receive instruction from Mr. His name was Y (Note: the name is kept anonymous) who was regarded as number 1 in Japan and was 8th dan. One day, there was an announcement that a master of Jukendo (Note: Juken = bayonet, Jukendo = martial art for using bayonet, created exclusive for the military use, where practitioners wear the same protectors used in Kendo, i.e, face-neck guard helmet, hand-forearm pad, and chest-abdominal cover, and use wooden weapon shaped like a military rifle conjoined with a bayonet), will come to our unit. On Jan 11, 1942, I entered Amaki Air Defense Unit. However, since I was scheduled to join the military 8 months later, I resigned the university in November 1941, and returned to my home in Kumamoto. ![]() Because of my achievement during my student days, I was paid a salary higher than full professor’s salary. After I graduated from Takushoku University in March 1941, I remained in the university as an assistant in the department of Martial Arts.
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