is a prominent Japanese

master Master or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles * Ascended master, a term used in the Theosophical religious tradition to refer to spiritually enlightened beings who in past incarnations were ordinary humans *Grandmaster (chess), National Master ...

Shotokan is a style of karate, developed from various martial arts by Gichin Funakoshi (1868–1957) and his son Gigo (Yoshitaka) Funakoshi (1906–1945). Gichin Funakoshi was born in Okinawa and is widely credited with popularizing "karate do" throu ...

karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the ...

who founded the organization

Shotokan Karate of America Shotokan Karate of America (米國松濤館; SKA) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to teach traditional karate-do in the United States. It was founded by Tsutomu Ohshima, a direct student of Gichin Funakoshi, the father of Shotok ...

(SKA).Shotokan Karate of America: Tsutomu Ohshima
(2010). Retrieved on March 31, 2010. He is the ''

Shihan is a Japanese term that is used in many Japanese martial arts as an honorific title for expert or senior instructors. It can be translated as "master instructor". The use of the term is specific to a school or organization, as is the process of ...

'' (Chief Instructor) of the SKA, and to this day holds the rank of 5th ''

dan Dan or DAN may refer to: People * Dan (name), including a list of people with the name ** Dan (king), several kings of Denmark * Dan people, an ethnic group located in West Africa **Dan language, a Mande language spoken primarily in Côte d'Ivoi ...

'', which was awarded to him by

Gichin Funakoshi was a japanese martial artist who is regarded as the founder of Shotakan karate, perhaps the most widely known style of karate, and is known as a "father of modern karate". Following the teachings of Anko Itosu and Anko Asato,Funakoshi, Gichi ...

. Ohshima’s branch of the Shotokan world has become known as “Shotokan Ohshima Karate-do.”

Early life

Ohshima was born on August 6, 1930, in Japan. By the age of five, he had already begun learning martial arts. He studied

sumo is a form of competitive full-contact wrestling where a ''rikishi'' (wrestler) attempts to force his opponent out of a circular ring (''dohyō'') or into touching the ground with any body part other than the soles of his feet (usually by thr ...

from the ages of 5-15,

kendo is a modern Japanese martial art, descended from kenjutsu (one of the old Japanese martial arts, swordsmanship), that uses bamboo swords (shinai) as well as protective armor (bōgu). Today, it is widely practiced within Japan and has spread ...

from 8-15, and

judo is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponi ...

from 9-13. Recalling an episode from his youth, Ohshima said, "One day I was going to Tokyo. This group was beating one young student because he was a quiet boy, but something he pushed with his elbow. And this was a ridiculous reason. But these guys were beating this young boy - same age as me, fifteen or sixteen. I got so mad. Mad, because person next to me said, 'Don't go, you get beat up.' I was ashamed of myself. I knew this was injustice. Why couldn't I put myself out there? I could be beaten up, but I could stand it. But I just sit there and overlook. I say to myself, 'Alas, how I am a coward guy.' I knew somebody was getting beaten up, but I couldn't help him. Therefore, when I was practicing karate, every time I asked myself, 'Are you ready to put yourself into something that you believe is justice?'" (p. 34).Sulak, T. (1975): "Hard school sensei pushes soft philosophy: But legendary Shotokan stylist Tsutomu Oshima's no pushover." ''Black Belt'', 13(7):30–35, 73, 76–77.

Karate career

Ohshima began studying karate in 1948, while a student at

Waseda University , abbreviated as , is a private university, private research university in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Founded in 1882 as the ''Tōkyō Senmon Gakkō'' by Ōkuma Shigenobu, the school was formally renamed Waseda University in 1902. The university has numerou ...

. There, he trained under Shotokan's founder,

, and later became captain of the university's karate club in 1952. That same year, Funakoshi personally awarded Ohshima the rank of 3rd ''dan'' black belt. Ohshima's seniors at the club also influenced his development in karate; they included

Shigeru Egami was a pioneering Japanese master of Shotokan karate who founded the Shōtōkai style. He was a student of Gichin Funakoshi, who is widely recognized as the founder of modern karate. Early life Egami was born on December 7, 1912, in Ōmuta, Fu ...

, Toshio Kamata-Watanabe, Hiroshi Noguchi, Tadao Okuyama, and Matsuo Shibuya. It was also during this period that he befriended

Mitsusuke Harada was a prominent Japanese Grandmaster (martial arts), master of Shotokai karate who introduced this martial art to Brazil and was after based in the United Kingdom.

, who would go on to become a pioneer of karate in Brazil and the United Kingdom.de'Claire, J. (''c.'' 2009)
Karate-do Shotokai: Harada Sensei, MBE – Page 1
Retrieved on March 21, 2010.
(''c.'' 2009). Retrieved on March 31, 2010. In 1955, Ohshima travelled from Japan to the United States of America to continue his tertiary studies in economics at the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...

. In 1957, he founded the first university karate club in the USA at the

California Institute of Technology The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech or CIT)The university itself only spells its short form as "Caltech"; the institution considers other spellings such a"Cal Tech" and "CalTech" incorrect. The institute is also occasional ...

(Caltech).Caltech Karate Club
(2009). Retrieved on March 31, 2010. That same year, Funakoshi promoted Ohshima to 5th ''dan'' - the highest rank awarded by Funakoshi, and the highest rank in the SKA system to this day. In 1959, he founded the Southern California Karate Association (SCKA). It was around this time that Ohshima invited

Hidetaka Nishiyama was a prominent Japanese master of Shotokan karate.International T ...

to take charge of his karate students in the US, as he was planning to return to Japan following completion of his US university studies.Evans, J. K. (1988): "The battle for Olympic Karate recognition: WUKO vs. IAKF." ''Black Belt'', 26(2):54–58. The arrangement did not work out satisfactorily, and was to be a source of bitterness between the two masters.Clary, D. W. (1992): "Political rivalries in the martial arts: Can't we all get along?" ''Black Belt'', 30(12):24–28. In the end, unhappy with Nishiyama's actions and the direction being taken, Ohshima settled in the US and continued teaching there. Following the SCKA's growth across the US, it was renamed Shotokan Karate of America in 1969. '' Black Belt'' magazine selected Ohshima as its Japanese Instructor of the Year in 1968.Zimmerman, R. (1980): "Black Belt Hall of Fame 1979." ''Black Belt'', 18(1):62–65, 82. During the mid-1970s, Ohshima lived near

Griffith Observatory Griffith Observatory is an observatory in Los Angeles, California on the south-facing slope of Mount Hollywood in Griffith Park. It commands a view of the Los Angeles Basin including Downtown Los Angeles to the southeast, Hollywood to the sout ...

in Los Angeles. His main occupation at this time was teaching physical education as a member of the faculty at Caltech. Ohshima has written two books on karate - ''Shotokan Karate of America: The first twenty years'' (1977) and ''Notes on training'' (1998) - and also translated Funakoshi's ''Karate-do Kyo-han'' (1973) into English.Funakoshi, G. (1973): ''Karate-do Kyo-han: The master text'' (translated by T. Ohshima). Tokyo: Kodansha. ()Ohshima, T. (1977): ''Shotokan Karate of America: The first twenty years''. Los Angeles: Shotokan Karate of America.Ohshima, T. (1998): ''Notes on training''. Ravensdale, WA: Pine Woods. () He also demonstrated the nineteen Shotokan ''

kata ''Kata'' is a Japanese word ( 型 or 形) meaning "form". It refers to a detailed choreographed pattern of martial arts movements made to be practised alone. It can also be reviewed within groups and in unison when training. It is practised ...

'' for Funakoshi's book. In 1980, ''Black Belt'' magazine announced Ohshima as the inaugural recipient of its Publisher's Award. The award recognized "the role he has played in the development of karate in the United States and the world over" (p. 63).

Later life

In 1988, the Caltech Alumni Association bestowed an honorary membership on Ohshima for his contributions to the Caltech community.California Institute of Technology Alumni Association: Honorary members
(2010). Retrieved on March 31, 2010. In 1993/1994, he received a teaching award from Caltech's undergraduate student organization.Associated Students of the California Institute of Technology: ASCIT Teaching Awards
Ohshima retired from Caltech in 1994, after 37 years as a staff member.
''Shotokan Newsletter'' (1994). Retrieved on March 31, 2010. On May 22, 1994, around one hundred Caltech alumni assembled in the institution's gymnasium to honour Ohshima on the occasion of his retirement. In 2000, SKA opened "Shotokan Ohshima Dojo" in

Santa Barbara, California Santa Barbara ( es, Santa Bárbara, meaning "Saint Barbara") is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coas ...

, where Ohshima had moved his residence to. Apart from being the SKA's ''Shihan'', he holds a similar position in Canada Shotokan Karate and other affiliated organizations.Canada Shotokan Karate: Tsutomu Ohshima
(''c.'' 2005). Retrieved on March 31, 2010.MIT Karate Club: Tsutomu Ohshima
(2009). Retrieved on March 31, 2010. Ohshima is an advisory board member of Waseda Tomonkai Karate Club. Ohshima officially retired as Shihan in August, 2018 when, at the age of 88, he appointed his successors in SKA and affiliated organizations.

Notes

a. Ohshima's surname is sometimes also spelled as Oshima, such as in the article by Sulak (1975).

References

External links