I was just thinking about everything in the news this week, commemorating the passing away of “The King” Elvis Presley, back in August of 1977….thirty years ago. I heard the news when I was attending a small dinner in my honor, at my boss’ home in Vandenberg AFB. Yes, I was leaving the Air Force and we were getting ready to come back to Hawaii. Everyone at the dinner table was in shock, as we were all children of the Rock and Roll era. As a little kid in elementary school, one of the first taunts I can recall was some innovative girl yelling at me, “Wesley-Pesley, Elvis Presley.” Elvis’ career ran the gamut from young, shocking-pelvis Elvis…to gold record Elvis…to G.I. in Germany Elvis…to Has-Been Elvis (thanks to the British Invasion)…to B-Movie Elvis…to Re-Invented in Vegas Elvis. The last incarnation of Elvis is how we most like to remember him; huge side-burns, cool sunglasses, white gem-studded jump suit with the collars up, white boots, stretching into his long, stylized zenkutsu-dachi and kokutsu-dachi and vibrating “karate hands”, sweating profusely and tossing out scarves to his admiring fans. He was a kenpo practitioner who received his black belt from the late Ed Parker. He certainly incorporated some of the martial arts moves into his show. Till this day, he has inspired a whole generation of Elvis impersonators who try to capture some of his spirit and charisma.

Coincidentally, this week also marks a year since Asai Tetsuhiko passed away from leukemia. Not as well known as Elvis, but Master Asai was a true master of Shotokan Karate-Do as well as innumerable other martial arts. He was formerly the chief instructor of one of the two JKA factions, and later, the founder and head of the JKS. My two senseis, Kenneth Funakoshi and Ed Fujiwara were fortunate to have trained directly under Master Asai during the several years he spent teaching in Hawaii at the KAH. In addition, Sensei Fujiwara became a personal student of Master Asai, spending some time of most every year training with him from the late 1960’s until shortly before Asai’s passing…a period of nearly forty years. I only got to train with Master Asai throughout the early 1980’s-1990’s, during his frequent visits to Hawaii. No other karateka has ever so astonished me with the speed, flexibility and power Asai possessed. He was somehow able to maintain and grow these amazing abilities up till his untimely passing. I must admit that I have never figured out how he was able to do some of the things he could do, especially his tai-sabaki techniques. He made the most basic stepping drill in zenkutsu-dachi, something rare and special. Most times, when I asked him how he did a technique, he would simply repeat his uncanny movement and softly say, “Natural, natural!” in his Japanese accent. I must say that although he couldn’t convey or articulate his thoughts/concepts in words to me, he certainly always inspired me and I am so blessed to have been in the presence of such a wonderfully talented and unique karateka.

Well, these great masters are both gone, but their legacy still lives on; and I think of them sometimes, when I hear an old Elvis song on the radio or tv, or see one of our members trying to execute a technique that’s particularly difficult for him/her (I can hear, “Natural, natural.”)