I have told you stories about my time with Kyokushinkai, as I hold a Ni-Dan with them. I have a letter dated June 29, 1976 from Tadashi Nakamura, his withdrawal from Kyokushinkai I-Kan Organization to me. He wrote me after I wrote him as to how sorry and bad I felt about this and the circumstances evolving around the West-Indies incident of a Kyokushinkai instructor who more or less needed a shellacking. Mas Oyama did not like this as police, government seem to be quite upset with this story. Be that as it may, Kyokushinkai is and has been known for its brutality, some might call it "hard fighting". There are always two sides to every story. From what I heard the Sensei was a bad man and deserved what he got, beat up, period. But another facet of this mind-set revealed it’s self to me after I had decided to stay with Kyokushinkai and Soshu Shigeru Oyama.
A former student dropped by the Dojo Saturday morning. He pulled up front outside and was watching from his car, I wondered who it was. Until he parked his car and came into the Dojo. As is custom I would send a senior ambassador to see want he wanted, but I did not want to upset senior training as some students can only come Saturdays. So I excused myself from class and bowed out. I went to the office. I welcome him and started to searching his face, he looked familiar, eyes, nose, hawk like look. I said do I know you? He said "yes Sensei" I am Steve Bruno Sempais Mark Bruno's cousin and trained in the barn with you. He was a kid then, now 42 years old slightly balding. I hugged him, we laughed, omg omg, I said this is going back in time. Yea! He said I went to summer camp with you to Brodie as a kid. Must been fifteen of us, you took us there. But i remember one thing about that camp......
The brutal beating of then yellow belt Sal Beazie who become one our Sempais Sal Beazie and a Champion of yours. I was taken back, because that was a pivotal time in my life that cause me to almost leave Kyokushinkai. I could not believe Steve Bruno remembered this so vividly and to my regret it really happened. I don't know why I called the class out as Steve recounted the story, but to hear it from me is one thing, to hear it from a kid that was there decades ago was another thing. I just wanted my students to know blood, sweat, tears was always part of training. But training that was severe. It seems Sempais Sal; his brothers went to Andrew High and thought they were tough guys, till they came to my Dojo, the barn. Sal had a smart mouth, terrific fighter, and the fastest side thrust to this day I have seen. When at summer camp he mouthed off about Soshu Shigeru Oyama and was not going to bow to him as a God. He did get carried away with being disrespectful, unbeknownst to me, word spread and got back to Sensei Ted Oyama and then to Soshu Shigeru Oyama. No one came to me, being his Sensei to tell me of this infraction of code.
But later that afternoon, after training session, Soshu Shigeru Oyama, Sensei Fejiwara, Sensei Ted Oyama asked us to form a circle and sit down. Soshu Shigeru Oyama called Sensei Ted Oyama out in the middle of the circle. Then they called then yellow belt Sal Beazie out to fight. I thought well this is an honor because Sal was a good fighter and we were going to have a session of individuals sparring. But the fighting started, I watched as did everyone else. I was use to heavy contact and the fight seemed paced well. After several minutes I noticed viciousness on the part of Sensei Ted Oyama I had not seen before.
I started to see some high level contact with unwanted power to my student, especially low kicks, I sat-up startled, as I saw a what started as normal Kumite turn to vicious attacks to Sal and he started to wince, yell, scream, as pain increase attack after attack. Sal was tough, I trained him, but not for this. I started to look around at Soshu Shigeru Oyama and Sensei Fjeiwara, what the hell is going on look. Sal went down many times and then it hit me, he is being punished. My student would not stay down, I finally jumped up and yelled "stop" what the hell is this and why are you doing this. Everyone knew except me, and I blew my frigging top. I looked went over to Sal grabbed him and told all my students let’s get the hell out of here, we are going home, this is bullshit.
Sal's legs was black and blue, he could barely walk. I was fit to be tied, fuming, told Shihan Mary come with me and all of my students glassy eyed were scarred as hell what happened just now, and why this punishment. I was shaking, tears in my eyes. We went back to our cabins started to pack our things. Screw this I said. Then as we were packing the door opened to our cabin and in walked Soshu Shigeru Oyama. He looked at me and saw how upset I was, he walked over to me put his arm on my shoulder, said he was sorry this happened. I turned to him and said, "You know Soshu I looked up to you as my father" with tears in my eyes and you do this to my student without approaching me and asking me to talk to him about his disrespect. This was a total shock and surprise to me, why?
Culture differences, could be, maybe I did not understand. I was always use to the Shinai being whacked across my body, but not this brutal beating on my student. I told Soshu Shigeru Oyama I am leaving Kyokushinkai and probably go with Tadashi Nakamura, or would I? Soshu Shigeru Oyama became very nice to me, and ask that I stay and this was all a misunderstanding and should never have happened. He told me of future plans, of training, and better things to come, and this would not happened again. Can I say Soshu Shigeru Oyama was asking me to please stay and I was important to him? I can only say Soshu Shigeru Oyama was not one to bend to anyone, as I admired his strength and powerful force, plus I loved the style.
Things have a tendency to get out of hand, Dojo challenges, tournament, but a summer camp is based on friendships, respect and community to learn together. Sal over stepped his bounds but so did others....as well you know I stayed, through political upheavals and other misunderstandings. I am sorry Steve remembered this. Then many decades later in San Jose one of my students was sent to the hospital after a Black Belt testing, he hit Sensei Oyama too hard in front of Soshu Shigeru Oyama.....that's another story.