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(by Catherine Pinch) It was both an honor and a somewhat overwhelming task to write Sensei Yaguchi’s memoirs. He has been my instructor for many years, and I’ve always known him only through the medium of karate. In order to write the book, I had to ask questions that I would never dare to ask as a mere student of karate, and he opened himself up in ways that astounded me.
Despite the fact he has been in this country for over 40 years, his English is still very limited. Because he wanted to be able to express himself fully, we used a translator for our 40 or 50 interviews. Some interviews were in restaurants over Japanese food; some were two-hour-long telephone conversations, with the translator conferenced in from Kentucky, me in Alaska, and Sensei in Denver.
I can only hope that I’ve conveyed the spirit in which Sensei Yaguchi wanted to communicate his story to the rest of the world. If there are any errors, omissions, or inaccuracies, I apologize. Sensei Yaguchi is one of the most honest people I have ever met, and any errors are most likely because of a misinterpretation on my part.
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The Book