The Rafu Shimpo Newspaper March 7, 1967:

SUCCESS CROWNED THE AMERICAN KARATEKAS OF THEIR FIRST TRAINING TOUR TO JAPAN

Japanese karatekas amazed at the "toughness" of the blue-eyed American karate team.

A blue-eyed American karate team (consisting of 34 karatekas headed by Tsutomu Ohshima) created a sensation in Japan before their return to Los Angeles March 4th. During their training tour to Japan these American karatekas inspired remarkable incentives as a result of their "knight-erranty," giving to the Japanese karate community a strong desire to do likewise.

The American team consisted of 30 Americans, 2 Frenchmen, and 2 Canadians--all "manadeshi" or favorite students of Godan Ohshima. (Six family members of the karatekas brought the total number of visitors to 39.)

During their recent tour to Japan, their intensive practices astonished the Japanese side. They also participated in goodwill exhibitions, leaving behind the impression, "American karatekas are awe-inspiring."

Shodan Ken Osborne demonstrating "jiyu kumite"
with a Japanese karateka.  Ken is on the right.

This goodwill exhibition between the American karatekas and members of Waseda, Hosei, Takushoku, Nihon, and Keio Universities preceded those in All Kanto and Nagoya. The Japanese karate community had mobilized not only active members of college karate clubs but first-class older karate experts as well to participate in this exhibition. Surprisingly, however, the blue-eyed American karatekas fought with their Japanese counterparts on an equal footing and Godan Ohshima, head of the American team, was heartily satisfied with his students' performances.

Upon arrival in Tokyo on the 19th, the American karatekas took hard training at several universities in Tokyo, using their short tour to Japan to their maximum advantage. Their laudable sportsman-like attitude came as a surprise to most Japanese karatekas and this brought the American and Japanese karatekas closer together. After the training was over, some Japanese karatekas were eager to teach their American counterparts some difficult "katas." It was indeed a moving scene of goodwill at work.

American karatekas demonstrating "katas" at the
exhibition held on the campus of Keio University.

The exhibitions did not include "shiai" matches because they were intended only to strengthen the ties of friendship between the American and Japanese karate communities. Summarizing his conclusions in regard to the exhibitions, Godan Ohshima stated, "I am under the impression that the Japanese excel their American counterparts in technique, whereas the American karatekas are more powerful physically than the Japanese karatekas." Some Japanese observers commented that the American karatekas behaved more like Japanese than the Japanese themselves," thus satisfying Godan Ohshima's pride in them.

The American team visited Enkakuji Temple in Kamakura to sit cross-legged in silent meditation with their eyes slightly open ("zazen"). They also enjoyed visiting hot springs baths and eating expensive Japanese dishes. They all became instant Japanophiles and some of them even said that they would like to spend their honeymoons in Japan.

On the 4th of April when the American team went to Haneda Airport from which they were to depart for America, approximately 300 people including the Japanese karatekas (who had been brought closer together through karate,) came to the airport to see them off and the Japanese karatekas loaded their American counterparts with many gifts.

Since circumstances did not permit the American karatekas to express their personal thanks to the Japanese, Godan Ohshima had his students line up and express their gratitude in unison.

On their return to America Godan Ohshima made the following comments about the tour to Japan. "The training tour to Japan was indeed a great success. Japanese karatekas, ignoring their factional thinking, pull together like a team and gave us the most cordial welcome we have ever experienced. All my students are grateful for the Japanese hospitality. I think we behaved well as a group and left a favorable impression on the Japanese. I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to the Japanese-American groups and individuals who gave full support to our visit to Japan."