By Tetsuro Nariyama-shihan
March 15th, 2025
My mentor, Tomiki Kenji shihan, was born on 15th March 1900, in Kakunodate, Semboku District, Akita Prefecture. Accordingly this year, 2025, marks the 125th anniversary of his birth. On the occasion of this commemorative year, I would like to briefly introduce about Tomiki shihan’s lifelong involvement with judo and how this relates to Shodokan Aikido.
It was a few years after I had graduated from university and had been appointed as a full-time instructor at Shodokan. At that time, I was in charge of instructing the aikido club at Osaka University of Foreign Studies and would visit their campus near Uehommachi 6-chome every week. On the way from Kintetsu Uehommachi Station to the university, I would occasionally stop by used bookstores and browse through books related to martial arts. One day, at the used bookstore ‘Tengyu Shoten’ an old book caught my eye. The title was “Showa Tenran jiai” (The Showa Imperial Martial Arts Exhibition Tournament), a booklet that detailed the first Budo Tournament held in front of the Showa Emperor, held in May 1929. The booklet was divided into sections on kendo and judo. In the section on judo, it had a description of the accomplishments of a young Tomiki shihan during the tournament. Also featured were other renowned judoka such as Ogata Genji sensei, who was from my home prefecture of Yamagata, and Ushijima Tatsukuma sensei, famously known as the teacher of Kimura Masahiko sensei. It was a very fascinating read.
In this Showa Imperial Martial Arts Exhibition Tournament, Ogata sensei advanced to the quarterfinals in the ‘Designated Competitors’ Division. However, during a match he sustained a head injury from contact with his opponent and, bleeding profusely, continued the match with his head heavily bandaged, but ultimately lost. This match became famous as the “Blood-stained Tenran jiai.” In the following year’s first All Japan Judo Elite Championships, Ogata sensei achieved a brilliant victory in the Young Adults Division. Meanwhile, in the Showa Imperial Martial Arts Exhibition Tournament, Ushijima sensei advanced to the final of the same Designated Competitors Division but narrowly lost to Kurihara Tamio sensei.
I had the opportunity to meet Ogata sensei twice. When I was a high school student, I was a member of the judo club, and Ogata sensei was present and watched my matches when I took a dan grading promotion examination. I later heard from my school’s judo club advisor, that Ogata sensei had praised my performance in my matches. Years later, when I told Tomiki shihan about this encounter, since the two were old acquaintances, he told me, “You should go and greet Ogata sensei.” So, when I returned to my hometown of Yamagata, I brought a souvenir and visited Ogata sensei’s dojo. I remember him saying to me, “So you are Tomiki kun’s deshi? Do your best.”
As for Ushijima sensei, I only saw him once, at the Setagaya campus of Kokushikan University. When I was in my fourth year of university, I was attending Tomiki shihan’s lecture on “Theory of Martial Arts” in the Faculty of Physical Education. After class, I accompanied Tomiki shihan as we walked through the Setagaya campus, and he said, “Nariyama kun, do you know that person over there? That’s Ushijima sensei.” Ushijima sensei had silver hair and a piercing gaze, and at the time, he was in his mid-sixties. Later, I heard from the judo club instructor that “Even now, the first and second-year university students up to 2nd or 3rd dan all lose to him”, that’s how strong Ushijima sensei was. Ushijima sensei had reportedly once considered challenging Ueshiba Morihei sensei, the founder of Aikido. However, Ueshiba sensei didn’t engage with him and learning that Ushijima sensei might try to challenge Tomiki shihan who was in Manchuria at the time, Ueshiba sensei sent Tomiki shihan a letter saying, “If he [Ushijima sensei] comes to your place to challenge you, do not accept the match under any circumstances.” Years later, Tomiki shihan recalled the incident and said, “I never had any intention of engaging in a match. We could have just talked it out.”