Great Masters

YOSUKE YAMASHITA, THE SAMURAI OF KARATE

Master Yamashita passed away on February 1st of this year. The sensei was one of the fundamental pillars in the development of karate in Spain. Many of the great masters of this art have passed through his classes. Yosuke Yamashita is simply part of the genesis of this martial art in our country, thanks to his teachings and that of a few others of that time, karate is what our country is today, in fact, on May 30, 2014, the Spanish karate federation, awarded him the 10 dan, the highest distinction in this martial art. In recent years the awards for his work accumulated, among which it is worth mentioning in 2011, the Emperor of Japan in a private audience, the Emperor of Japan awarded him the medal of the Rising Sun. This article serves as a tribute to his memory.

Yosuke Yamashita came from a family of samurai. In fact in Ohaka, there is the bodaigy (similar to a shrine) of the famous samurai Yamashita Yasazaemon Noriaki (XV); his ancestor. The only thing that has maintained this family tradition is the bushido code.

Yamashita was a man of honor, sincere and upright, who stood out more by his actions than by his words. He was one of those people who shone with their own light on the tapestry and then went unnoticed in the street. He never asked anything of his students that he did not do himself. He always led by example. In his classes he was the one who pulled the students, being famous the Saturday sessions, especially for the black belts. I do not know anyone who has had the opportunity to meet him and not feel an enormous respect for him. Of all the Japanese masters who have taught in Spain, and that I have had the opportunity to deal with, he is the one who has impacted me the most; to the point that I went to interview him more than thirty years ago, and I decided to change style and teacher. Honestly, even though they were both Japanese, it was impossible to establish comparisons between them. After more than a year of training, I gave up Karate for good. However, during all these years has remained unchanged the enormous respect I feel for him and his teachings, considering them unique in Spain (not in vain is the greatest exponent of Goju ryu style in Europe).

Master Yamashita was born on February 16, 1941, in Tokyo, in the bosom of a wealthy family. His father, Yasazaemon, was a professor of marine biology for the Emperor of Japan, Hiro Hito, as well as a master of Kendo (6 dan). As it could not be otherwise, his first contact with the martial arts was with Kendo, at the young age of eight years, obviously under the tutelage of his father. At the age of twelve he decided to give it up and practice Judo, which he trained passionately for three years. The master, despite knowing how to handle the katana, refused to do so in public. "I know it's not my way."