In memoriam – Goro Hatakeyama
On 8 December Goro Hatakeyama died.
Hatakeyama sensei was born on 17 August 1928. After years of training in kendo and jujutsu he started studying Katori Shinto-ryu when he was 30 years old under Sugino Yoshio, eventually becoming his the most important teacher in his Kawasaki dojo.
In a time the Otake dojo was closed to all but a handful of foreigners living in Japan, Sugino sensei opened his dojo to all who were interested and, accompanied by Hatakeyama, he travelled to Europe to further spread the school.
After the death of Sugino sensei in 1998 Hatakeyama left the kawasaki dojo, which was now led by Sugino’s son Yukihiro, and went his own way. Incessantly he devoted himself to the spreading of Katori Shinto in the West. His Kamakura dojo was accessible to everyone willing to go there and with his inexhaustible travels he has contributed enormously to the name of Katori Shinto in the Western world. He was always very approachable during his training; both beginners and advanced students could always count on his complete attention. Although with his willful attitude Hatakeyama sensei had placed himself outside of the main Katori Shinto lines, his unceasing efforts have endeared him to large groups of practitioners and have left their mark in postwar Katori Shinto.
Goro Hatakeyama was 81 years old.