TAIZABURO NAKAMURA
Taizaburō Nakamura 中村泰三郎 (1911–2003) was a master of Japanese kenjutsu and battodo. Founder of the Battōdō Nakamura Ryū style.
Great Teacher of the art of drawing a battōdō sword, expert in bayonet fighting. Previously, he practiced the Omori -ryu sword school for 40 years.
Taizaburo Nakamura developed and popularized battodo after World War II – developing the final version of the Toyama-ryu kata and creating happo giri toho. He gave many shows in Japan, wrote several books on samurai fencing, trained leading fencers from Japan and abroad.
Master Nakamura held the following titles and ranks in martial arts: Nakamura-ryu soke, battodo 10th dan hanshi, jukendo 8th dan hanshi, tankendo 8th dan hanshi, kendo 7th dan hanshi, kyudo 4th dan, judo 3rd dan (degree obtained in the thirties of the twentieth century). He was known as kensei battodo (Holy Swordsman). It had the official status of „Living Treasure of Japan”. He was a master calligrapher, hanshi shodo. He died on 13 May 2003 at the age of 92, physically fit and impressed with the art of mastering the sword, even in old age.
Master Nakamura remained the mentor of hanshi Tomasz Piotrkowicz and the Samurai School – Samurai Juku he founded.
TAKEMASA OKUYAMA
At the age of 7, according to family tradition, he began training in judo and sumo. At the age of 13, he began learning karate from Kinjo master from Okinawa. During his studies at Takushoku University – famous from Japan Karate Association’s karatekas he regularly studied karate Shotokan from the masters: Tabata, Hamanaka, Ozawa and Tsuyama. In 1966, he arrived in the USA to continue his studies and trained for three years under the instruction of Takayuki Kubota – founder of Gosoku-ryu style. Then he moved permanently to Canada, where he lives and teaches martial arts to this day.
Already in 1971 he organized in Canada the World Cup of the International Karate Association – a competition in the rank of world championships. In 1997 he published a book called „Ultimate Karate” which demonstrates karate techniques in kata bunkai, showing intricate applications of stances and hand techniques beyond the Heian katas and Tekki Shodan.
Master Okuyama received the Key to the City of Cali, Colombia from Mayor Ricardo Cobo, and special awards from the City of Be’er Sheva, Israel from Mayor Kakuv for peace work between Israel and Palestine.
Kancho Okuyama teaches karate in many countries of the world, and in particular he has conducted many times international martial arts seminars and gave demonstrations opening karate championships in the Canada, USA, Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, Israel, Russia, Serbia, Poland and other countries.
Hanshi Tomasz Piotrkowicz has been friends and learns karate from kancho Okuyama for over thirty years.
Yoji Yamanaka
(1945 – 2020) Hanshi
Zen Nihon Iai Battodō Renmei Kaichō
He lived and taught in Chichibu, Saitama, Japan, his beloved city.
For many years he was an important figure in the International SportsChanbara Association Federation, cooperating with the master Tetsundo Tanabe, famous creator of the sports chanbara – spochan.
For 20 years hanshi Yamanaka has been teaching, supporting and helping hanshi Tomasz Piotrkowicz and his students training at the Samurai School, which hanshi Piotrkowicz founded with his sons in 2001.
Tribute to Yoji Yamanaka sensei
Battodo Tai Kai 2019 – hanshi Yamanaka’s last international seminar in Samurai School in Poland
