Matsumoto Hanshi first came to Australia in 1966 as a pearling technician and marine biologist working on Thursday Island.
He moved to Cairns and opened a dojo there in 1976. He operated that dojo for over forty years until his passing, teaching Shukokai Shito-ryu Karate and Iaido.
Collett Shihan first met Sensei through their shared membership of the Dai Nippon Butokukai (DNBK) and travelled with him to Kyoto in 2012 for the 4-yearly DNBK gathering there.
His skill and devotion to his art, his friendly manner and welcoming outlook will be greatly missed.
Boy was a senior member of Tino CEBERANO Hanshi’s FEW (Filipino Elusive Warrior,) Filipino Martial Arts organisation.
He was a highly skilled practitioner of those arts, he was also a somewhat famous actor in Filipino motion pictures, a very “cheaky” but reliable good friend.
Sadly missed.
Gurasami Rajathurai (Raj) Shihan was a long time student of Professor Kam Hock HOE, Indeed when Professor Lea started training with Professor Hoe Raj was already an “old hand” having started with Soshi in 1963.
He was a skilled practitioner and became Professor Lea's training and grading partner. He was graded Master Dan (Menkyo Kaiden) and Kuatsu Senmonka by Soshi. At the time of his passing on October 19th, 2010 he identified himself as Rokudan however, by the directions that Soshi gave some years before he passed away Raj should, by the standards of the Kokusai Jujutsu Kenkyukai, be at a minimum, Menkyo Kaiden, Kuatsu Senmonka.
When Soshi moved the Kuala Lumpur in 1982 Raj took on management of Professor Lea's old dojo at the Butterworh Airforce Base. With the help of his close friend Aridas SELVARAJ Shihan, he continued to run that dojo until he passed away.
With direction from Soshi Raj formed the International Jujutsu Foundation. Through the foundation Raj has many students in Malaysia and Australia that carry on his legacy now under the guidance of Selvaraj Shihan.
On April 8th 2010, after a long and tenacious battle with cancer, we lost our beloved friend Peter Sheils Shihan.
Peter Sheils, Loving husband and father, passionate jazzman, karate man and lawyer, rarely will we see his like again.
Professionally, Peter rose from humble beginnings to the top of his profession. He was a barrister and later Queens Counsel who was known in the legal fraternity to be a strong believer in and passionate advocate for the rights and innocence of his clients. Peter was known for never taking a backward step with his opponents or the bench. Those of us that knew him well were not surprised by his tenacious battle against the cancers that finally took him from us.
But Peter was more than that, Peter was a dedicated and loving father and husband. Indeed Peter also adopted two children from overseas orphanages to double the number of children under his and Leslie’s loving care and protection.
Peter was also passionate about music, trad-jazz in particular, it was said by some that Peter was a gifted jazz trumpeter,. It was a joy to see his old band, the legendary “The Fortified Few” come out of retirement to play at his memorial service.
Peter also had a great love of traditional Goju-ryu karate and was a loyal supporter of Ceberano Hanshi's karate for many, many years. It is arguable whether or not IGK Karate would still be operational in Canberra today without Peter's ongoing, never wavering support for Hanshi's karate vision.
Indeed, loyalty, devotion and honour are by-words that definitely apply to Peter. If you had Peter's trust, he was with you to the end. As his unofficial son, Alex Alt Shihan was want to say, “if you wanted a definition of 'giri' (the Japanese expression for duty; sense of duty; honour; decency; courtesy; debt of gratitude; social obligation,) that definition would be Peter Sheils!
Kim was one of what seemed like a sea of young kids that created havoc at the old Darwin PCYC junior judo club. As he got older he began training in jujutsu as well and excelled at it.
After Cyclone Tracey Kim completed his matriculation studies at the Darwin High School on Bullocky Point then moved to Townsville where he completed studies in accountancy at James Cook University.
Kim's love of jujutsu was proven to all when he joined John Collet Shihan in dodging golf balls under the trees along Gardens Road to get in a little extra training in while on breaks from university.
On returning to Darwing Kim worked for a time as an accountant before joining the Northern Territory Police Force. Kim was married with two childern.
At the time of his passing Kim held a modern Godan or fifth degree black belt grading as well as a traditional Kuatsu Senmonka or Kuatsu Specialist menkyo.
Professor Kan Hock HOE or "Panther Hoe" as he was known from his wrestling days was a man possessed of remarkable skills in traditional Japanese martial arts and in traditional Japanese healing methods, what he collectively called “Kuatsu.”
In his younger days he travelled extensively throughout Asia wrestling and learning jujutsu from the masters of the day.
In 1935 he was graded to a senior level and given permission to start his own school, which he did in modern day Malaysia.
Professor Hoe’s senior student Raymond LEA went on to the form the Kokusai Jujutsu Kenkyukai or the International Jujutsu Research Society which has the express aim of preserving the Professor’s Jujutsu and Kuatsu legacy.
He was famous in his day as an unbeatable wrestler and a Jujutsu master of almost unbelievable skill. It is unlikely we will see his like again.
He continued to teach right up to the time of his passing, he is survived by his wife and his many children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Robert Caputo was born in the U.S.A. in 1950. At the age of 10 he began his martial arts journey firstly studying Judo and then Japanese Karate before beginning his study of Tang Soo Do.
Master Caputo would train with anyone from any style and would travel great distances in order to find other dedicated martial artists. Traveling to Korea he trained under the founder of Tang Soo Do, Master HWANG Kee and in Japan he met and trained with a number of great masters including YAMAGUCHI Gogen Hanshi of the Yamaguchi-ha Gojukai and TOHEI Koichi Sensei of Tohei Aikido refining his skills, practicing yoga and practicing and studying meditation.
His travels then took him to Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia, studying and training before eventually arriving in Darwin Australia in 1974.
Professor Lea and Collett Shihan met Robert (“Bob”) Captuo on the day he arrived in darwin with his travelling buddy Deiter Spielkamp, now a 5th Dan in Tang Soo Do! Caputo Sah Bum Nim became a close friend of our dojo and often visited to train and share insights with Professor Lea and the other dojo members. Collett Shihan trained with Caputo Sah Bum Nim from time to time before cyclone Tracy at the old Darwin YMCA and after at Tracy Village.
Caputo Sah Bum Nim's Tang Soo Do skill was breath taking, his Aikibudo, particularly his Aikijo likewise and his Goju-ryu wasn't half bad! His only shortcoming was an persistent desire to get people out of bed way too early in the morning for training.
He was a good man, sadly, Caputo Sah Bum Nim died in a car accident in 1985.
His students, a number of them from his original Darwin Dojang continue in his legacy.
Chas died as a result of injuries he received during Cyclone Tracey, Darwin, NT Australia, Christmas Day 1974.
Chas was a popular up and coming jujutsuan, he was was well liked, and his loss was a great shock to all of the members of the society.
In his time outside the dojo Chas ran a busy pharmacy at Parap, a suburb of Darwin, he was married with no children.
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