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Person
Without a Shadow.
One Sunday evening, about five years ago, I and Nippon Kan member
volunteers were serving our monthly dinner to the homeless at the
rescue mission. This time was special in that very good friends
of mine, Mr. and Mrs. Toshihiro Kizaki came down to volunteer their
time. Their time is busy, how well I know, in that they are the
owners of one of the best sushi restaurants in the United States
here in Denver. As I watched Toshi-san skillfully apply his talents
with a cooking knife to the potatoes at hand, I thought about his
life story.
Toshi-san began the adventure of his life with a visit to his brother
who was studying in England at the time. He decided that while
visiting his brother in England that he would open a sushi bar
there. With that decision made, he set off to fulfill his dreams.
His dream was short lived however, and before he had even set foot
on English soil, he was turned back to Japan by English immigration
officials.
Unfortunately, Toshi-san had received such a send off from well
wishers at home, that he was reluctant to return to his hometown
so empty handed. He decided to settle in Tokyo for a while, and
further his study of sushi making. So to Tokyo he went, all the
while waiting for the next chance to fulfill his big dream; this
time it would be in the United States.
Today, twenty years later, Toshi-san is owner of one of the most
popular restaurants in Denver, a restaurant that seats over 200
people, and is serviced by 90 employees. He has even franchised
his Denver-based restaurant back to Japan with a new-styled sushi
restaurant in Fukuoka City. Sushi and the culinary arts are his
passion, and he is always thinking of something new, studying and
perfecting his craft.
My thoughts returned to the rescue mission where volunteers busied
themselves serving over 300 meals to residents and outside guests
who had gathered for the evening meal. I glanced over at Toshi-sans
wife Michiko and noticed that her eyes were shiny with tears. In
the past fourteen years of serving meals at the mission I have
seen many different reactions by volunteers who came down to donate
their time to the homeless. Many of the volunteers have been young
people, and their reactions are different in ways than people more
of my generation.
Michiko-san works on a daily basis to organize the service of at
least four to five hundred patrons a day. She is skilled and experienced,
and I was surprised in a way to see a tear in her eye. She quickly
wiped away the tear and said to me quietly “We are so lucky.
There is so much more happiness in our lives compared to what I
see here. It saddens me to the people here”. I thought to
myself, it is because of Mr. and Mrs. Kizaki’s ability to
care in this way that they have had the happiness and success that
they have had. It is due to their pureness of heart that luck has
followed them.
Recently I had the chance to visit their restaurant and sat down
to talk with Toshi-san. There was a heaviness of heart about him
that was easy to see. He explained to me that while he had been
away in Japan visiting his restaurant, that a “sushi chef
scout” had managed to lure some of his employees to another
restaurant. Some of them, especially one of the Japanese managing
staff had been someone he had taken care of for a very long time.
I have known Toshi-san for almost fifteen years, and this is not
the first time I have heard this kind of story. This time was a
little different however. This time, this exodus was organized
behind his back while he was away by someone he trusted, and it
seemed to have set him back more than usual. Toshi-san has about
thirty chefs that he works side by side with on a daily basis,
and it was a shock to him that the plans that were being made were
kept hidden from him. He has always been an owner that has tried
to maintain personal relationships with those that worked for him,
and it concerned me that his spirits seemed so low.
I have noticed in my thirty years of living in the United States,
that rival companies lure executive employees away from one another
all the time, and that employees leave at a moments notice for
personal gain. It seems to be an acceptable and almost cavalier
practice here in America.
The common phrase, “A rolling stone gathers no moss” that
has two completely different meanings in the United States and
Japan. In the United States this phrase is interpreted to mean;if
you do not keep moving, you will stagnate and grow moss, which
is a bad thing. In Japan however, “growing moss” is
a source of pride and a reflection of loyalty and stability. It
is considered a good thing.
If you are educated in the United States, then moving forward is
desirable. Upgrading one’s own position and career is far
more important than loyalty to any company. More money, more power,
more personal prestige are the desired goals. Changing jobs is
commonplace.
In Japan, still today, the focus is quite different. Someone who
regularly changes jobs is considered suspect and not a good job
prospect. Even if he or she is skilled and experienced, many past
jobs on a resume has a negative connotation, not a positive one.
Sushi has become part of the American dining scene, and it is common
these days to go to a sushi bar in the United States that does
not have any Japanese chefs at all. Sushi is no longer the private
domain of Japan or the Japanese sushi chef.
In the past, it was easy for a Japanese sushi chef to obtain a
visa in the United States, because his skills were in such demand.
Not any more, anyone these days it seems can become a sushi chef
in the United States with very little or no training at all.
Today in Denver there are about 120 Japanese restaurants. There
also many “fusion” Japanese, Chinese and Korean cuisine
restaurants. If you count these restaurants too the number of restaurants
soars to well over 150. These restaurants vary in size from large
to small, but most of them have some kind of sushi bar. With all
of these restaurants in Denver, sushi chefs of any degree of skill
are in demand, and many without experience or training move from
restaurant to restaurant demanding high salaries and benefits to
make sushi as if they were some kind of Hollywood star.
Some of those employees that left Toshi-san’s establishement
were personally trained by him; he had shared his technique and
extensive expertise with them personally. Some had stayed at his
home while he helped them get settled in Denver. Others he had
helped cover their debts, or helped care for their families. For
any one of these people to announce that “they were quitting
that day” or leave without even that courtesy is dishonorable
in my book.
I offered to Toshi-san that he had too big of a heart when it came
to business and that he needed to draw a line between business
and personal relationships; that he needed to pull back a little
to protect himself.
Toshi-san concluded his story by saying “Those who left are
taking a risk too. There is no stability or guarantees of their
survival if they move to a new restaurant. I wish them luck. These
are the best thoughts I can have for them, and it is best for my
heart not to be angry but to forgive”. As I sat listening,
I thought that his capacity for compassion and ability for forgiveness
was to be very much respected.
You might be wondering why an article about a sushi restaurant
owner would be on the Nippon Kan website. I have written about
this experience of my friend Toshi-san because similar situations
have unfortunately happened at my dojo. Over 15,000 students have
gone through the Nippon Kan beginner’s series over the years,
and with that many students passing through the dojo there have
been very few unfortunate incidents with students.
There have been only a few for example, who have left Nippon Kan
headquarters to start practice groups on their own unsanctioned.
These former members caused a lot of disappointment for other members,
much in the same way as the former employees of Toshi-san.
When a student leaves under these circumstances it is impossible
for them to carry their heritage with them. They cannot use my
name as their instructor in their accreditation, accurately describe
travels and projects they had been apart of or can they legitimately
use any Nippon Kan ranking they might have received.
Last week I received a letter of inquiry from an Iwama- style instructor.
He was inquiring about a former member of Nippon Kan. This was
not the first letter of this kind I have received, in all I have
received six. This past weekend I attended Iwama’s Hitohiro
Saito Sensei’s seminar in Reno, Nevada. There I was asked
the same questions from graduate Iwama uchideshi- instructors that
I had been asked in the letters of inquiry. What was the question?
The questions were in regards to the resume of a former Nippon
Kan member. In this resume, a student implied that he had serious
ties to Iwama, the late Morihiro Saito Shihan and one of Saito
Shihan’s direct students, Aikikai Akita Branch Director,
the late Shigeru Kawabe Shihan. These former Iwama uchideshi were
very concerned about why this person was giving the impression
in his resume that he was an Iwama protégé when they
were not familiar with him at Iwama.
It is my dojo policy that if someone leaves Nippon Kan on a bad
note, they are no longer my student and that is the end of the
relationship. If any former student of this nature does not cause
any further problem for me or my students then there is nothing
to say or to do. However, hearing repeated inquiries like these,
especially from graduate Iwama uchideshi it is a situation that
is difficult for me to ignore.
I very much respect the intense training that Iwama uchideshi have
voluntarily undergone. It is in defense of their personal history
and identity that I feel I must say something about someone who
implies on paper that they have received the same kind of training
as these Iwama instructors. The late Kawabe Shihan took care of
many students, many from countries other than Japan, and it is
for his memory and out of respect for the kindness and generosity
in his nature that I feel that I must speak up. I fear that I am
not as wise and understanding as Toshi-san, as I feel like I must
take a step to make the record clear.
I authorized introductions for the former Nippon Kan student in
question to Iwama several years ago. It is my understanding that
he practiced at Iwama for a total of about five days. It has been
Iwama policy and a long custom in Iwama that to be a student named
associate with Iwama, a student must practice daily at Iwama for
at least a one to two month period. Anyone who practices less than
ten days is only a visitor. The title of graduate Iwama uchideshi
is the highest honor, a title that carries respect and accomplishment.
Someone who has only visited for a few days has not established
a relationship with Iwama. Visiting Iwama for a few days is a completely
different experience than becoming a student who has earned the
credential of this association. As far as practicing with the late
Kawabe Shihan of Akita, I checked with his widow, and his name
is not listed in any of the student records, nor does she remember
him.
If this former Nippon Kan student did have any contact with the
late Morihiro Saito Shihan and the late Kawabe Shihan, it was during
their visits to Nippon Kan in Denver that I had arranged. As far
as this former student’s ranking is concerned, I requested
his ranking as Aikikai shodan through Kawabe Shihan. Before or
after this ranking there are no other records of his practice or
any other ranking through Aikikai Hombu. This former student’s
Dan ranking at Nippon Kan has been dissolved.
I am writing this article as a form of apology for the tarnish
laid on the tradition and heritage of true Iwama uchideshi graduates.
It is an embarrassment to me that a former Nippon Kan student would
exaggerate his qualifications in this manner.
If I were to represent myself as a doctor but could not say what
schools I had attended or from which instructors I had learned
my medical technique, how I am to be believed as a medical professional.
The same applies to Aikido Instructors. It is very difficult to
stand before others as an instructor when you cannot lay claim
to your past, to your roots, especially in this day age when research
is available around the world in seconds through the internet.
I have spoken harshly at times in the past about well known high-ranking
Japanese Instructors in the Unites States as a commentary on the
morals and responsibilities of being instructors. I know well that
everything about these important pioneer instructors is not negative,
and that they have achieved a great deal in their careers.
In my own small organization I have had problems with a only a
very few students. In organizations as large as those of well known
high-ranking Japanese Instructors, I would imagine that on many
occasions they have had incidents of betrayal or other human dramas
amongst their students. If this happens enough, it is understandable
if an instructor becomes protective and distant and relies more
on hardened organizational rules and structure than personal communication.
The generation of Japanese Aikido Instructors that came to the
United States in the 1960’s came to this country with only
a keiko-gi and a mission. They came very innocently to
the US with a spirit and mission of teaching Aikido. That these
instructors
may have hardened or changed over the many years of teaching in
this country, I think might be the result of the ethics and deeds
of some of their past or former students. For any instructor to
spend years developing teaching methods and the foundation of an
organization can’t help but react protectively if their students
take what they have learned from them to sell themselves. I think
many instructors may have had experiences like these and to further
this discussion, this column is being translated into English,
Japanese, Spanish and Portuguese.
Someone reading this article might not understand these feelings
of disappointment; others might, and not ever be able to forgive.
In the past few years I have met Aikidoka in many parts of the
world, and to be frank it has been more American young people who
have misused relationships whether in our Aikido world or the world
of sushi chefs, than in other places I have visited. Some students
that I have known in the United States misunderstand if they think
they can understand so easily. It is not about only one’s
self or only one’s self development, it is about appreciation
and respect and belief in powers greater than ourselves. In a forest
the larger, older trees provide shade for young trees in the hot
summer sun. In the winter they provide a shelter from the winds,
and their fallen leaves provide nourishment to insure the survival
of growing saplings. In our lives we live in the shadow of many
who have come before us, and we are nurtured and protected by nature’s
shadows as well. If we cannot understand and appreciate these basic
facts, it will have its effects on our future.
One of the most common greetings in Japanese is “Konichiwa,
ikaga desuka?” (Hello, how are you?). The reply to this greeting
is “Hai, Okagesama de”. Literally, this translates
as “Yes, I am fine, I am under the shadow” or more
abstractly, “Yes I am fine, I am protected by the gods.” Even
if things are not going well, people in Japan return the greeting
with “Hai Okagesama de”.
What is the deeper meaning of Okagesama de? Appreciation for the
life force outside of one’s self. The literal translation
of “kage” is shadow, or more widely as god. The “O” and “sama” are
both honorifics that imply respect. If one is not aware of the
power of this shadow, or fails to respect and appreciate it, then
one will not be able to cast a shadow themselves. For the one without
a shadow, love and success will always remain illusive.
This article has been difficult to write, and I am not proud to
have written down these words. I would be even less proud however
if I were to say nothing. I speak in defense of those who have
earned the title of graduate Iwama uchideshi, and it is for them
that I have shared some of the experiences in this article. It
is my hope that others who might have had experiences such as mine
and my friend Toshi-san, might find a glimmer of wisdom or understanding
here.
Gaku Homma
Nippon Kan Kancho
10-5-2004
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