View Single Post
Old 04-29-2003, 08:08 PM   #1
PeterR
 
PeterR's Avatar
Dojo: Shodokan Honbu (Osaka)
Location: Himeji, Japan
Join Date: Mar 2001
Posts: 3,319
Japan
Offline
Death in the Family

We lost one of our own this week. Yesterday we said our final goodbye to our friend Takahiro Abe killed in a car accident in Turkey. In the interview of Tetsuro Nariyama Shihan on Aikido Journal (http://www.aikidojournal.com/new/art...?ArticleID=109) Abe sensei is uke. At the funeral, with attendance in the several hundreds, Shihan delivered a eulogy which reflected the pain and utter frustration felt by all - why? Abe sama had just been promoted to Shishodin and was part of a handful of young, extremely talented Aikidoka, that are considered the future core of the Shodokan. Last year he finished his term as deshi with Nariyama Shihan and began his grooming to take over his father's company. So many people had so many hopes for this young man who was also a seriously nice guy. To many he was the ultimate expression of what an Aikidoka should be - he had kokoro. He was only 27.

Personally two images will remain with me. One of the last times I saw him was at the recent Spring Training Camp where he was excitingly telling me about his up-coming three month European trip. He was relaxed and happy although his father had him working hard. The other image is actually a picture I've had on my web site for years. He was helping a newly promoted Shodan to drink his beer. At the time he was captain of the Tenri University Aikido club. This club fielded some of the strongest shiai players in the country and Abe sensei, as Kansai University Champion, was no exception.

I ask again - why?
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	drink.jpg
Views:	129
Size:	70.7 KB
ID:	112  

Peter Rehse Shodokan Aikido
  Reply With Quote