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, Masatoshi Nakayama, 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]
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 daimyō (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]
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]
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]