Yoshio Sugino
Yoshio Sugino was a Japanese martial artist, he studied Judo, Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto Ryu and many more. He was also a film choreographer.
| Yoshio Sugino | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 12, 1904[1] Tokyo, Japan |
| Died | June 13, 1998 (aged 93) Narutō, Chiba |
| Style | Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto Ryu, Judo, Aikido |
| Teacher(s) | Kunisaburo Iizuka, Morihei Ueshiba, Kano Jigoro Shihan |
| Children | 1 |
Early life
Sugino was born on December 12, 1904, in the village of Naruto, Chiba (a farming village), he was the eldest son of Yutaro and Seki Sugino. Sugino was born a bit smaller than average kids, but his courage to become a strong boy started at an early age of his life. When Sugino was very young his family moved to Tokyo, his parents being very aware of his mischievousness they enrolled him in an elementary school at the age of six, a year earlier than normal. He was not keen on studying and he liked to stage tease sword-fights. Sugino eventually grew up and he met martial arts when he went to Keio University in 1918, he enrolled in the field of Commerce and Industry.
Martial arts career
Jigoro Kano, the founder of judo, introduced Sugino to the Katori Shinto-ryu school of kenjutsu in 1927. Sugino also started studying Yoshin Koryu under Genro Kanaya around this time.[2] He met aikido's founder Morihei Ueshiba in the early 1930s, and studied aikido sufficiently to gain a teaching license and open an Aikikai-affiliated dojo by 1935. By the 1940s he was teaching kenjutsu, aikido, judo and naginatajutsu full-time.[3]
Move to Fukushima
During World War II, Sugino's home and dojo were destroyed by bombing raids on Kawasaki. Sugino and his family fled to Fukushima, where he spent most of his time in martial arts training and used his medical knowledge (he had run a bone-setting clinic from his dojo in Kawasaki) to help the injured. After the war, the family returned to Kawasaki, where his clinic became very busy treating the war-wounded. By 1950, he had constructed a new dojo.[3]
Film career
In 1953, Sugino was asked to provide sword instruction for the actors in Akira Kurosawa's film, Seven Samurai.[4] Originally the work was shared between Sugino and Junzo Sasamori of the Ono-ha Itto-ryu, but Sasamori pulled out early in the filming due to teaching commitments abroad. Sugino's choreography for the sword-fights departed from earlier, Kabuki-influenced work and focussed on making the scenes as realistic as possible.[3]
References
- katorishinto.it. "ASSOCIAZIONE ITALIANA KATORI SHINTO RYU". Retrieved 24 June 2015.
- Pranin, Stanley. "Interview with Yoshio Sugino". Retrieved 18 February 2012.
- Tsukasa Matsuzaki. "The Last Swordsman: The Yoshio Sugino Story". Archived from the original on December 4, 2011. Retrieved 18 February 2012.
- Stuart Galbraith, The Toho Studios story: a history and complete filmography, Scarecrow Press, 2008 p152