Isao Obata
| Isao Obata | |
|---|---|
| Born |
1904 Tokyo, Japan |
| Died |
1976 (aged 71–72) Tokyo, Japan |
| Other names | "Elephant" |
| Style | Shotokan Karate, Kyudo, Judo, Kendo |
| Teacher(s) | Gichin Funakoshi |
| Rank | 5th dan karate |
| Spouse | Miyako Obata |
| Notable students | Tsutomu Ohshima, Kazumi Tabata, Shigeru Egami, Genshin Hironishi, Masatoshi Nakayama, Motokuni Sugiura, Osamu Ozawa, Hidetaka Nishiyama, Taiji Kase |
Isao Obata (小畑 功 Obata Isao, 1904–1976) was a pioneering Japanese master of Shotokan karate.[1] He was a senior student of Gichin Funakoshi,[2] who is widely recognized as the founder of modern karate, and was a key figure in the establishment of the Japan Karate Association (JKA) under Funakoshi in 1949.[3][4][5][6] Obata also helped introduce karate to the United States of America through his demonstrations of the art to United States Air Force personnel,[7][8] and through his students, most notably Tsutomu Ohshima.[1]
Early life
Obata was born in 1904 in the Tokyo area of Japan, the son of Kyuichi Obata and Toyoko Obata (née Ishiguro).[1] His father owned several silk mills in the region, and moved the family to different towns as demanded by his work.[1] Obata lost two brothers in infancy, and grew up with one younger brother and one younger sister.[1] As a child, he had a great interest in the martial arts, and left it to his brother, Satoru, to prepare to lead the family business eventually.[1]
At school, Obata trained in judo, kendo (swordsmanship), and kyudo (archery).[1] Unlike most Japanese boys of the time, he went through several schools, and entered Keio Preparatory School in Tokyo around 1922.[1] A friend gave him a copy of Gichin Funakoshi's first book on karate, and this sparked Obata's interest in the art.[1] Upon completion of his secondary education, Obata gained entry to Keio University.[1] In 1923, Funakoshi accepted a position teaching karate at the university, and Obata was one of the first students in line.[1] He would go on to become one of Funakoshi's senior students.[2] The Great Kantō earthquake struck later that year, destroying most of Tokyo, including Keio University's karate dojo (training hall).[1] The students rebuilt the dojo within a year, however, and training resumed.[1]
Kyuichi Obata was too busy with his business to have studied the martial arts himself, but was pleased at his son's commitment to karate; one of the family's ancestors had been Obata Nobusada, a famous samurai, general and governor under the daimyo (feudal lord) Takeda Shingen in the 16th century.[1] Toyoko Obata was a deeply religious Christian and saw the martial arts as contradictory to her beliefs, but never inhibited her son's training.[1]
Karate career
Over the next few years, Obata assisted Funakoshi with teaching karate at Takushoku University, Waseda University, and Hitotsubashi University (then known as Shoka University).[1] He became the inaugural captain of Keio University's karate club.[1] In 1926, Funakoshi awarded black belt status to his most senior students, including Obata.[1] Obata's father died of a heart attack in 1927.[1]
In 1932, Obata travelled to Manchuria, and was to work there for more than 10 years as an economic adviser to the Manchurian Aviation Corporation.[1] He was responsible for flight scheduling and operations.[1] During this time, he taught karate privately to a few friends and students, but turned his focus to kyudo.[1] His mother introduced him to a young woman, Miyako, and the two were married in Tokyo by 1935.[1] In 1940, he returned to Tokyo to represent Manchuria at a kyudo tournament, and won the competition.[1] For a time, he was much better known for his expertise in kyudo than in karate.[1]
During the first few months of World War II, Obata was promoted to the rank of 5th dan in Shotokan karate.[1] When Japan entered the war, Obata's brother Satoru joined the Imperial Japanese Army as an officer.[1] S. Obata had practised judo and was ranked 2nd dan in karate.[1] He died in the bitter fighting for Iwo Jima, and this meant that Obata had to return to Japan to look after his mother and sister.[1] His brother's death affected him deeply, for the two had been very close.[1] With the end of the war, the occupying forces suspended all martial arts training in Japan for three years; it was only then that Obata could resume training under Funakoshi.[1] In the meantime, he worked at international trading company Hirano Seiko.[1]
On May 27, 1949, Obata, Masatoshi Nakayama, Shigeru Egami, and other colleagues established the Japan Karate Association (JKA) under Funakoshi.[3][4][5][6] Obata was the inaugural Chairman of the JKA, with Funakoshi as Honorary Chief Instructor and Nakayama as Chief Instructor.[9] In 1954, he left the JKA when the organization became increasingly commercial and militaristic in nature.[1][2][4][9] Along with Nakayama, Hidetaka Nishiyama, and others, he began teaching personnel from the US Strategic Air Command (SAC) who were based in Japan.[7][8] Through Emilio Bruno of the SAC, whom Obata had earlier met through his work at Hirano Seiko, SAC headquarters invited Obata to visit the US to demonstrate his art.[1] For two months in 1953, he flew from base to base, demonstrating Shotokan karate to US military personnel; he then returned to teaching in Japan.[1]
Later life
Obata's master, Funakoshi, died in 1957.[2] While Funakoshi had been honorary head of the JKA, Obata felt that the university karate clubs (Keio, Waseda, Takushoku, Hitotsubashi, and Hosei) most faithfully represented the spirit of Funakoshi's karate.[2] Through the 1950s and 1960s, Obata continued teaching karate to SAC personnel at the Kodokan.[1] In 1968, he visited the US again and was honored by his student Tsutomu Ohshima, who had established the Southern California Karate Association.[1] Obata's mother died that year.[1] Another pioneer of karate in California, Dan Ivan, also studied under Obata.[10]
In his final years, Obata lived with his wife in the outskirts of Tokyo, spending his days teaching karate or tending to his garden.[1] While officially retired, he continued teaching four nights and four evenings each week at Keio University and Meiji University.[1] His students presented him with a plaque reading: "Like your nickname, Elephant, you are strong, big and gentle. We thank you for the lessons you have taught us."[1] In a 1972 interview, Obata expressed disillusionment with the development of karate, saying, "Karate is dying now. It cannot last longer than a few more decades."[1] He died in 1976.[11]
See also
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 Blair, R. L. (1972): "Karate is dying, says Isao Obata, disciple of the venerable Gichin Funakoshi, Founder of Modern Karate." Black Belt, 10(10):27–33.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Adams, A. (1971): "The Father of modern Karate." Black Belt, 9(10):41–47.
- 1 2 Japan Karate Association: History – The early years (1949–1957) (2010). Retrieved on April 23, 2010.
- 1 2 3 Evans, J. K. (1988): "The battle for Olympic Karate recognition: WUKO vs. IAKF." Black Belt, 26(2):54–58.
- 1 2 British Traditional Karate Association: Shotokai – The true heir of Funakoshi? (June 11, 2006). Retrieved on April 23, 2010.
- 1 2 De Anza Shotokan Karate Club: Shotokan Karate organizations (c. 2009). Retrieved on April 23, 2010.
- 1 2 Melton, J. R. (1986): "The evolution of Karate: From fighting method to art, sport and self-defense system." Black Belt, 24(12):28–32, 98–106.
- 1 2 E/B Productions: A short biography of Master Hidetaka Nishiyama (c. 2009). Retrieved on April 17, 2010.
- 1 2 Noble, G. (1995): Master Funakoshi's Karate: The history and development of the empty hand art, Part III Retrieved on April 23, 2010.
- ↑ Kroll, P. W. (1976): "Dan Ivan: Karate's man of many contrasts – He is both traditionalist and avid martial arts promoter." Black Belt, 14(9):18–22, 74, 82.
- ↑ Chidokan Karate-Do New Zealand: Historical background (2010). Retrieved on April 23, 2010.
External links
- United States Taiho Jutsu Federation contains photographs of Obata (1953).