Tag: Nisei

Interview with Longtime Aikidoka Kiyoshi Yasutake: His Time With Midwest Pioneer Akira Tohei

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Kiyoshi Yasutake was Akira Tohei’s first student to go from white belt to black belt under him. Beginning in 1973, Yasutake took to aikido with much vigor, learning from and supporting Tohei in his many endeavors through the Midwest Aikido Center and the Midwest Aikido Federation. Today, Yasutake took some time to discuss his time … Continue reading Interview with Longtime Aikidoka Kiyoshi Yasutake: His Time With Midwest Pioneer Akira Tohei

For Context: Judo and Japanese American Internment

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In any situation, context is key to understanding what is currently happening or what has happened. Context is important to a historian as history is a study and a field that deals with change over time and how the perspective on context affects people, ideas, locations, and things. Why am I bringing up context and … Continue reading For Context: Judo and Japanese American Internment

Interview with Hawaiian Kenshi Michael Sone: A Sone Kendo History of Hawaii Part II

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Like many American Japanese in Hawaii – as Michael Sone terms many like him – Sone began his kendo training at an early age under his grandfather, Tetsunosuke Sone. Under him, he learned traditional kendo, emphasizing on the virtues one’s character through the use of the sword. Now leading the Mitsune Dojo, Sone took some … Continue reading Interview with Hawaiian Kenshi Michael Sone: A Sone Kendo History of Hawaii Part II

Interview with Former Hawaii Kendo Federation President Kathleen Nekomoto: Her Time as President

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Kathleen Nekomoto began training kendo in 1990, under the guidance of Dick Okaji. She became a secretary for the Hawaii Kendo Federation, later serving as the organization’s president between 2008 to 2019. Teaching out of her Kenyukai Dojo, Nekomoto took some time to talk about her time as president of the Hawaii Kendo Federation. All … Continue reading Interview with Former Hawaii Kendo Federation President Kathleen Nekomoto: Her Time as President

Reflecting on Joseph Svinth’s Getting a Grip

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Svitnh, Joseph. Getting A Grip: Judo in the Nikkei Communities of the Pacific Northwest, 1900-1950. Guelph: EJMAS, 2003. Martial arts historian Joseph Svinth tackles the immense task of chronicling the foundation and growth of judo in the Pacific Northwest for the first fifty years of the twentieth century. Splitting his book into two parts – … Continue reading Reflecting on Joseph Svinth’s Getting a Grip

Preserving Culture: Judo Inside the Manzanar War Relocation Center Part I

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Originally written for a History of Genocide course, expanded and presented at a conference in the Spring of 2019 during my graduate career, the following is the first part of an article exploring the role judo played in the Japanese American Internment Camps during the Second World War, specifically the Manzanar Camp in southeastern California. … Continue reading Preserving Culture: Judo Inside the Manzanar War Relocation Center Part I

The Indirect Effects of Martial Arts on Community Development and Urbanization: A Look at West Coast Communities of the United States, Part II

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Originally written for an Urban History course during my graduate career, the following is the second part of a study that explores the connection between martial arts and community development/urbanization. This is the second part of a two-part article. Read the first part here. Martial Arts in Different Communities Judo to the Japanese immigrant communities, … Continue reading The Indirect Effects of Martial Arts on Community Development and Urbanization: A Look at West Coast Communities of the United States, Part II