A trip with Toru Takamizawa

I started off in Toru's association, the Tera Karate Kai, when I was 11 years old. For those that don't know, Takamizawa Sensei just wanted to be called Toru and I will do so here. As a young kid flitting in and out of stuff I stopped after a couple of years, played football on the fields but luckily started training at another club after a couple of years.

It was only when I moved to another part of the North East of England that I joined what was now called the Takamizawa Institute of Karate (TIOK). As a 16 and 17 year old I went to a couple of squad training sessions down in Birmingham. A word of advice, if you are catching a coach do sit by a window on the side where they load the bags. I remember one person had to leave the coach and got the wrong bag out. it was actually mine and I had to knock on the window to make it known that he took the wrong bag otherwise it would have been 3 hours later and I would have been standing outside the Temple Karate Centre with no bag, no karate suit and probably a little distraught.

On one squad session my instructor came down with me and after the training we got changed and Toru had a quick word with me afterwards. I say a quick word, I just couldn't make out what he said and just nodded. For those that met him, it did take a little while to get used to the way he spoke. It was only afterwards that my instructor asked if I knew what he said. Apparently he said I should do well at the competition. Unfortunately I didn't but nice that he thought so.

With my interest in karate taking momentum I decided to apply to two universities in Birmingham as well as one in Manchester. I managed to get into Birmingham University, but that is a whole different story altogether. For any kids reading this, make sure you study and do some work. I didn't do too well...

Once I settled in at Uni after several weeks I packed my bag and headed on the bus to the Temple Karate Centre. I walked down the stairs. I didn't see Toru teaching so I asked if he was around. He has moved to Kent was the reply. Hmmm, I was just a bit stunned. A strange journey back on the bus afterwards.

It was during the Easter holiday that I was back home and he was teaching a course nearby. My instructors sorted out a lift back to university from Toru after the course. There was me, young and impressionable 19 year old spending three hours in the car with a Japanese 6th dan chief instructor.

What do I talk about, I pondered. My opening gambit was "Do you eat Japanese food at home?". As soon as I said it, it felt so wrong. There was a brief pause and he said something alone the lines of you eat all sorts of food at home don't you, not just Chinese food. Although it did make me feel a bit silly but I think Toru was just trying to say you can do better than that.

We got talking about his time at university and why he studied Russian language. I wont say what his reply was here.

He would rarely tell you not to do things, unless it was injurious to your health and said at university I would have the time to train, compete and do many things, and to do it when the opportunity is there. I even ended competing for the student squad at the British nationals even though the Takamizawa Institute had their own teams there. He said it was OK and to do it while I can. I even sat in on a Martial Arts Commission (MAC) meeting representing the British Students Karate Federation and that was a strange affair. The Korean head of a Kuk Sul Won organisation couldn't get a look in.

Obviously we talked about karate and being young I had dreams of going to Japan to train and maybe becoming an instructor and so on. He didn't say don't, but left me with a very firm "family first, work second and then karate". This was further cemented after I had left university and returned home to help look after my little brother whilst my parents worked full-time, virtually 7 days a week.

Training stopped for a while. I even missed the Budosai event in Durham even though it was half an hour away from my doorstep. When I caught up with him I said sorry that I haven't been training as I had been helping with family. He looked and said I never need to apologise for that. He understands it is very much an Eastern obligation and it just has to be done.

I never really got to spend the level of time that the senior grades did with Toru but I know from experience you could spend all night drinking with him and having a really good laugh. He never played the aloof character role. He was just down to earth and just wanted to be called Toru.