Densho Digital Archive - Roy Murakami Interview (denshovh-mroy

<Begin Segment 26>

RP: So you, you shared with us a story about spectators watching these exhibitions. What was that like for you? You know you're, what, twelve, thirteen years old?

RM: Oh, it was nothing... we were just trying to win, that's all.

RP: So you would have, in a tournament, you would take on a number of different opponents?

RM: Yeah.

RP: And how much time would you have? Was there a...

RM: Four minutes I think it was at that time.

RP: For a match?

RM: Yeah.

RP: And would there be a number of matches going on at the same time?

RM: Oh yeah, they was usually about... I think that area covered two, two or three matches.

RP: On the, on the...

RM: Inside the, in the middle, yeah.

RP: So you had four minutes to do your thing.

RM: Yeah, throw or...

RP: Was there any such thing as a draw? Was there a draw in judo?

RM: Oh, yeah. There was a draw. Hikiwake.

RP: Were the matches refereed at all?

RM: Yeah.

RP: And who was the referees?

RM: It was the black belts.

RP: Oh, the black belts.

RM: Yeah, ranking ones usually, but there was some younger ones, too. Younger ones probably did the more young students matches and the older ones did the...

RP: So, the judodojo not only was an outlet for the, for the young men and the older men, but it was also sort of a teaching school, too. Didn't your father and some of the other high degree...

RM: Oh yeah, there's the Takamatsu and Tashima sensei, they did it.

RP: Teaching...

RM: Teaching, because they're higher ranked, too.

RP: Right, but they were, they were teaching the other people to become teachers.

RM: Yeah. [Coughs.]

RP: And, and later a lot of those guys went out and started dojos in other parts of the country.

RM: Yeah, they went out to Chicago, New York, I think Texas, all over. They came, became, most of 'em became judo black belts association. No, not association. Oh, I forget now. Anyway, they're one of the associates or they're in the USJAI.