Each of us can probably remember the first time we entered the dojo to begin our journey with the art of Karate-Do.  It is an intentional act, and for most adults, a pretty big decision to put on a gi and commit the body and mind to learning the exercises and philosophy of Shotokan.  For some, it ends up being something of a lark or hobby that’s tried for a few classes, a few months, or perhaps a few years.  For others, it eventually becomes a natural and long-lasting part of one’s life. Ironically, while the first karate lesson is usually planned and prepared for – the last one is usually unintentional.  One might gradually get too busy at school, work, or with personal activities.  It might be a health issue or some minor injury.  Often, it’s a temporary break due to some circumstance that slowly becomes a permanent break long after the circumstance is gone.  In any case, few of us ever know when the last time we train in the dojo will be.  The only sure thing is that for each of us – there will, inevitably, be a last time we get to place on our gi and train.

Sempai James literally walked into our dojo in rather serendipitous fashion, one evening exactly fourteen years ago.  He was performing his second daily walk through the Pearl City neighborhood and greeted me just as I was unlocking the gate to the Momilani Rec Center.  We had first met, back in the late 1980’s at a dojo where I agreed to help out as an assistant instructor.  Years earlier, Sempai had already earned a sandan in Aikido and a shodan in Karate, but in his restless “later” years, he started from scratch with the JKA Hawaii and worked his way back up to a brown belt.  As a youngish 50-year old, he was a muscular and fit (marathon runner) middle-aged man, sporting a fine, thick black mustache.  As always, his strong character and spirit stood out to me at once.   At the end of our chat, I naturally invited him to join our little club – surprisingly, he accepted and the rest is history.  He humbly restarted as a green belt and over time, re-earned his black belt, rising to become our club’s head sempai.  I estimate that he has led our class warm-ups some 1,400 times; a record that’ll probably never be broken.  He has faithfully showed up for training at our open pavilion, rarely missing a class – even during storms, on holidays, or when he was under the weather.  He always, without hesitation, accepted all brand new white belts, old and young, that I have given him over the years, and patiently introduced them to the basics of Karate-Do. He always was one of the first to show up and helped sweep up/prepare the training area for you, while competently covering class for me whenever I was away on trips.  Sempai has said that the fourteen years he spent with us were, by far, the longest he stayed with any club – such a blessing to the club and especially to me.

It has been a great run, but there is always a last time for everything, often beyond our control.  Sempai, however, is a man who sets out to achieve personal goals and he has persevered to reach the 14 year mark and even more impressively, has actively trained until the venerable age of 80!  You may occasionally hear about an 80-year old sensei or sifu, but it is extremely rare to find an 80-year old training in the karate lineup, a mark that I suspect, none of us will ever equal.  I think that he takes a quiet satisfaction in that, and in being able to walk into retirement on his own terms.  In the Judiciary, where I work, our venerable judges face a mandatory retirement at age 70.  Sempai James has shattered that mark by a decade and his “retirement” is really a form of graduation into a new level – “Sempai Emeritus”.

For many in the Momilani neighborhood, Sempai has been, and will continue to be, a familiar sight, performing his morning and evening walk.  For me, however, I will always picture him in his gi and black belt, faithfully anchoring the HISKF line, leading warm-ups, and working with our beginners.  I thank him for his years of service to the members of our group, my hope is that the example of his enduring strength of character and spirit will always infuse our club.