Interview with James 'Jimmy' Takemori, USJF 9th dan, Washington (DC) Judo Club - 2012

Thank you for the post! Takemori Sensei reminds me in some ways of my own Sensei. I think they have been doing judo for about the same amount of time and both are Japanese Americans. I looked around a bit on google but couldn't find much on Takemori Sensei's past (was he interned, was his family's property stolen?). It's really nice to be able to hear from people who have been involved in judo for so long and been able to see its development(?).

Ian Shiparii wrote:Thank you for the post! Takemori Sensei reminds me in some ways of my own Sensei. I think they have been doing judo for about the same amount of time and both are Japanese Americans. I looked around a bit on google but couldn't find much on Takemori Sensei's past (was he interned, was his family's property stolen?). It's really nice to be able to hear from people who have been involved in judo for so long and been able to see its development(?).

I don't know if this family was inturned during the war, but I have heard him talk about his time in the 442 during WWII over in Europe the japanese-american brigade. I believe they were one of the most decorated brigades during the war. There are some fabulous stories about the 442.

judoratt wrote:... I don't know if this family was interned  during the war...

Yes, as I understand it from our kancho they were. A private matter in the details, but relevant here as the internment camp experience makes the history of judo quite different in the US. It was a funnel through which almost everyone passed, and the mechanism by which almost everybody knew everybody in the mainland US.

BillC wrote:

judoratt wrote:... I don't know if this family was interned  during the war...

Yes, as I understand it from our kancho they were.  A private matter in the details, but relevant here as the internment camp experience makes the history of judo quite different in the US.  It was a funnel through which almost everyone passed, and the mechanism by which almost everybody knew everybody in the mainland US.

Verry well said Bill. Few people realize how much tbe internment of Japanese Americans still affects judo in the US today.

I enjoyed watching this video. I had a chance to go to a number of shiai at his club back in the 1970s. I'm not sure if my first sensei, John Peters, was a student of Takemori Sensei or if they were just friends through Shufu Yudanshakai. Either way, the two of them seemed to have an amicable relationship and a healthy rivalry regarding their students in competitions.

If I might share a memory about Takemori Sensei. We were at his club for a regional shiai and I was trying to earn points for my junior ikkyu that day. I had to win five matches that day to qualify for the promotion to purple belt.

The first thing we did was line up for a round robin of matches. They put us in line by height and weight. Back in the day, I was nearly 6 feet tall, but I only weighed about 115 pounds. As he went down the line, sizing us up, Takemori Sensei saw my blue belt and that I was standing in the middle of a bunch of lower ranking guys about my size. He immediately reached down and grabbed my belt and pulled me down the line where the big guys were. He put me into the line with a bunch of guys who were around 170 pounds and up and around the same rank.

When the line finally worked down to me, I won four matches in a row, with each opponent getting bigger as they went down the line. By this time I was super-tired. It was a typically hot, humid Maryland August. I didn't know how much "gas" I had left in me to keep fighting. My fifth opponent was wearing a white belt, but he was nearly twice my size. He had to weigh at least 200 pounds!

When the referee said "Hajjime!" I figured the guy had probably very little experience with chokes, so the first thing I did was go for a standing choke. The strategy worked, his inexperience caused him to panic for a moment, allowing me to turn in for a morote seoinage and drop him for ippon. I was relieved because it was over in less than 10 seconds. I the next match, I was spent and I got pinned by an even bigger guy. Nevertheless, I had my five wins for my promotion.

About a half-hour later, I was walking down toward the restroom when Takemori Sensei saw me. He grabbed me by the belt again and pulled me over to him where he proceeded to scold me for choking a white belt. He didn't do it in a mean way, but instead with the intent of imparting a bigger vision of judo to me. That lesson stuck with me. Seeing the video brought that back to me. Thanks for posting it.

This interview is a breath of fresh air. Takemori sensei looks very good. Last time I saw him was over 40 years ago at the Jr. Nationals and he has not changed very much: only a few more gray hairs. Great interview!

I was fortunate to spend some time with Jim last November when he was in Seattle. He was very sharp almost ageless.

Takemori-sensei is also a Kodokan 8th dan.
Some of his first words to me were "that's not uchimata, that's more like a dog p---n!"  :
A great sensei!

kodokanjudo wrote:Takemori-sensei is also a Kodokan 8th dan.

That is correct. He was part of a batch of Japanese Americans who in 2003 were all promoted by the Kôdôkan to high ranks, and which also included Onchi Sadachi 'Jim', Okada Shigeru 'Shag', all elevated to 8th dan, and Fujitani from Hawai'i of whom Jerry today elsewhere on this forum announced the passing, who then became a Kôdôkan 7th dan. Takemori, by the way, is of the same age as Daigo-sensei.

Ogasawara-sensei is also on that list.

kodokanjudo wrote:Ogasawara-sensei is also on that list.

Depends on what list you mean. Please, send PM.

Cichorei Kano wrote:

kodokanjudo wrote:Ogasawara-sensei is also on that list.

Depends on what list you mean. Please, send PM.

Ah, "Japanese American:" are the key words... I see my error.

kodokanjudo wrote:

Cichorei Kano wrote:

kodokanjudo wrote:Ogasawara-sensei is also on that list.

Depends on what list you mean. Please, send PM.

Ah, "Japanese American:" are the key words... I see my error.

As I said, I can't publicly respond to this.