Without them, it would not have been possible ...
I would like to thank the people without this project of mine, would not even have been possible.
Above all, I would like to thank my own teacher, Reinhold Hirsch Sensei, whom this book is dedicated to.
I would also like to thank Ishida Sensei and his wife Reiko-san, who took me in like a son during my time in Japan, and also established vital contacts between me and some of Toyama Sensei’s students and his son, Hatoyama Hiroshi Sensei. I have Ishida Sensei to thank for much of the historic information in this book, as well as many of the historic photographs.
Next I would like to say that Tanaka Sensei, Takahashi Sensei and Tokuyama Sensei were a great source of inspiration to me through their training.
I was also given the honour of meet Tsuchiya Sensei twice at his dojo in Odawara, Japan. I was deeply awed by his incredible amount of knowledge.
This book also includes many translations I commissioned of Japanese texts, which I received from other teachers of the Toyama line as well as information from books, interviews, articles and a great number of personal anecdotes of oral tradition. I received worldwide support from other teachers, in the form of precious information about the history of their Toyama line, as well as rare photographs. I am so deeply thankful for this, as they entrusted me, a complete stranger, with such detailed knowledge about their schools, without ever even having met me. It is the following teachers that I would like to thank with the utmost respect and gratitude:
- Concerning the information I received about Koyasu Michio Sensei and Karatedo So-ryu, I would like to thank Caldwell Sensei.
- Espinoza Sensei was a great help when it came to writing about the life of Takazawa Masanao Sensei and his school, Keishinkan. I also received additional information on this topic from Dye Sensei, Murray Sensei, Uchida Sensei and Sullivan Sensei.
- I would like to thank Whiffen Sensei for all the information he gave me about Takahashi Hiroshi Sensei and Yoshinkan Karatedo.
- Yamamoto Sensei was a great source of information when it came to Onishi Eizo Sensei and Koeikan. Without his help, a lot of what I wanted to write about would have been quite wrong.
- Concerning Tsuchiya Hideo Sensei’s time in Argentina and his teaching methods, his student Gonzales Sensei was of great help to me.
- I would like to thank Hollinger Sensei for our exchange on Tanaka Mikio Sensei and the Toyama-kai.
- I want to thank Sinclair Sensei for his friendship, his valuable historical notes, the correction of the Japanese foreword, and his contribution to the chapter on Ichikawa Sensei. Sinclair Sensei already trained at the Toyama Kanken Memorial Dojo (formerly the Shudokan) in Tokyo, Japan, in the late 1960s and early 1970s. His knowledge about the karatedo of Toyama Sensei and Ichikawa Sensei of Karatedo Doshinkan is unique. I am very glad and grateful that we "coincidentally" met in Japan in 2016.
- Stansbury Sensei has also been researching the topic of Toyama Sensei and his students for a long time. It is this very same passion that really connects us. I would especially like to thank him for his openness towards me and for sharing his documents and information with me. I am grateful to him for giving me permission to use his previously unreleased translations of historical documents – particularly documents from Iwasa Kahoya Sensei and Tsuchiya Hideo Sensei – in my book. I especially thank him for his contribution to the chapter on Todd Sensei, in which Mack Sensei – his teacher – plays a leading role.
- I would like to thank Wong Sensei for the extraordinary interview, in which he shared his stories and experiences with Todd Sensei, Shimabukuro Sensei, Toyama Sensei, and Ichikawa Sensei with me.
- I would like to thank Nakaishi Toru Sensei for his great support during my last two stays in Japan and for the translation of the interviews with Ishida Kenshin Sensei and with Hayama Yuji Sensei.
- McLain Sensei particularly helped me gain a deeper understanding about Toyama Sensei’s taekwondo line, which I am very grateful for.
- Arambulo Sensei shared his experience, of studying under his teacher Hiramatsu Yoshihito Sensei, with me. I am particularly thankful for his wonderful anecdotes about Toyama Sensei and Hiramatsu Sensei.
- I would like to thank Moeller Sensei for his information on Todd Sensei.
- Also, I want to thank Gouig Sensei, who has been a good friend to me for many years and helped me with a great many details about Todd Sensei.
- And finally, I want to thank Pyrzewicz Sensei, for our great discussion about Doshinkan and for all the information he shared with me.