by Yutaka Yaguchi
with Catherine Pinch

Why Should Anyone Read This Book?

Mind and Body – Like Bullet: Memoirs of a Life in the Martial Arts, a book written by Yutaka Yaguchi with Catherine Pinch, is about the life of Yaguchi Sensei and his contribution in the development of karate in the United States and the world. This book is worth the read not only because of the candidness Yaguchi Sensei displays in his writing, but for the historical, and sometimes comical, content it contains. This book also contains personal stories and anecdotes about the life of Yaguchi Sensei from many high-ranking Shotokan karateka, including Master Teruyuki Okazaki, Chief Instructor for the International Shotokan Karate Federation (ISKF).

Before I actually address my thoughts about this book, I want everyone to know why I think this book is important to read. When I was in grade school I was required to read about U.S. Presidents and America’s founding fathers, but these topics didn’t peak my interest. I often fell asleep over the required reading assignments for history class. It was clear to my instructors, and to me, that history and biographies were not my favorite subject. But as I matured I realized that understanding the past, and the people who formed the past, directly affected me, and the world I live in, today.

Now as I look back at three decades, I realize the history of Shotokan and the forerunners who influenced the development of JKA-style karate in this country (and abroad) has vastly affected everyone who studies this type of karate. All traditional karateka should know how the past formed our present. Master Funakoshi, the founder of Shotokan karate wrote,

“To search for the old is to understand the new. The old, the new, this is a matter of time. In all things man must have a clear mind. The way, who will pass it on straight and well?”

It seems Master Funakoshi’s poem is more of an epiphany than I cared to admit in my younger years. And reading Mind and Body – Like Bullet, is more like looking into the mind and past of someone who has assisted the old way of karate into today’s new way of karate. Anyone who has a love for traditional karate would do well to read this book, if just to understand the old and the new, and how Yutaka Yaguchi has played a part in successfully assisting Master Funakoshi’s dream of internationalizing karate.

About the Book

One of the reasons I enjoyed reading Mind and Body – Like Bullet was because the author didn’t omit some of the struggles he faced throughout his life as a karateka. I think people tend to forget that very few individuals are born famous and that well-known people struggle with the same inner turmoil common to the human race; Yaguchi Sensei was not born famous and he’s had his share of inner turmoil. He writes about his financial struggles in Japan and in the United States, feeling less than successful for the first several years in California and Denver, the strained relationship he experienced with Nishiyama Sensei, his desire to go back to Japan instead of staying the course in the United States, and how he regrets not spending more time with his children in their youth. The author, although he is an extraordinary man, did a very good job at presenting himself with the same inner truth that resides in all of us.

Mind and Body – Like Bullet starts out with Yaguchi Sensei’s early life. I found it very interesting to learn about his experiences as a child. He writes about his mother and father and the dynamics of family life on a farm. Also from his youth, he writes about being placed into forced work labor, called gakuto-douin, to assist the WWII effort. He also gives an eyewitness account about the bomb that destroyed Hiroshima. These are just a few of the many interesting facts about his early life that are laced throughout this book.

We live in a time where karate has become popular, or at least known, all over the planet! This fact is due in part to Yutaka Yaguchi’s role in the historical development of Shotokan karate in the United States and abroad. The author grew up in a time when karate was not very popular outside of Okinawa or Japan! He writes of his early experiences as a young karateka at Nihon University in Tokyo and the type of training done during this era. I was surprised to read he originally started his study of karate at Nihon University in the Shito-ryu style of karate and after a short while switched to Shotokan.

The author’s instructors and peers eventually became the who’s who in the world of Shotokan: Kanazawa, Okazaki, Nakayama, Enoeda, Mikami, to name a few. Several candid stories about Yaguchi and these great men, some so grand they border the possibility of tales, are found throughout this book. Some of these stories are funny and exposed the mischievous nature of Yaguchi Sensei. But by the author’s own admission, he states, “I was accustomed to getting into trouble . . .” Never the less, his quick wit, zest for life, and his passion for karate jump off the pages of this book.

It’s been said that every great man has a great women in his life. It seems from all accounts in this book that Mrs. Yaguchi is the greatness behind the Sensei. The book has several tidbits about Mr. and Mrs. Yaguchi’s enduring love and devotion for each other. Here is one worth mentioning.

Yaguchi Sensei candidly writes about falling asleep at a gathering with his friends the night before departing on his honeymoon. During the merry making, they all fell asleep; it had been a very long day of ceremonial activities, everyone was tired and they all had celebrated a bit too much. Not only did a very young Yutaka Yaguchi fail to spend the night with his bride, he slept through the scheduled departure of the train that was to take them away on their honeymoon that morning. Yaguchi’s wife forgave him, and this alone speaks volumes about the character of his wife and the support he’s received from her through the years.

Mischievous and Forever In Trouble

There are four underlying personality traits that quickly became evident to me about Yaguchi in this book: he is a bit mischievous, forever in trouble due to his mischievous nature, loves to eat noodles, loves to teach karate to anyone who is genuinely diligent, and needs very little sleep! Each of these attributes has a story that will elicit either a giggle or a well-grounded belly laugh.

It seems Yachuchi has always enjoyed playing pranks on his seniors, peers, and students. Mind and Body – Like Bullet, recounts numerous first hand accounts about these soon-to-be legendary mischievous acts. Let me give you a sampling without details, just to wet your appetite. In this book, you’ll read about the author sneaking out of a window, skipping English classes, placing a snake in the path of a well-known karate instructor, faking an illness in his family to get off a ship, teaching people Japanese poems without telling them what the words mean, and going to a completely unknown dojo and instructing the students before the clubs real Sensei shows-up! Imagine if that happened today in your dojo!

Ultimately It’s All About Karate

I’ve touched on many of the subjects contained in this book. But ultimately this book is about Yutaka Yaguchi’s dedication in pursuing his life’s work, teaching karate. He has lived to stand and grade in the presence of Master Funakoshi, was part of the precession that carried Master Funakoshi’s body to his final resting place, has trained with some of the greatest karateka of the 20th and 21st century, participated in some of the first international competitions of karate, has taught numerous karateka all over the world, and has an international reputation for karate excellence that will exist for all time.

Is Yutaka Yaguchi perfect? No, he’s not. From the human perspective he is just like any other man. This book, Mind and Body – Like Bullet, doesn’t hide his imperfections. We all have a story about something we did, or a story about something done to us that wasn’t very nice and regrets abound. We are all seeking to improve and perfect our character. I found this book didn’t hide the lesser side of the author, but displayed his quest in becoming a better member of the human race by affecting everyone he can in the most positive way possible with the medium of karate. Yutaka Yaguchi’s memoirs embody the life of a karateka. Mind and Body – Like Bullet: Memoirs of a Life in the Martial Arts, should be read by anyone who has an interest in karate.

Book Review by David Gomez
Senior Instructor, Georgia Karate Academy, Inc
Executive Committee Memeber, American JKA Karate Association - International

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