1969 and 1971
1971. In front of Saito Sensei’s home in Iwama. Bill Witt (glasses), Saito Sensei, Shigemi Inagaki, Hirosawa and Komatsuzaki in back; Okusan and Hitohiro in front. At this time, Saito Sensei was a relative unknown and had only a few regular students.
Bill Witt provided the original photographs to me from his collection of early photos taken during the time he began coming out to Iwama from Tokyo as a very new shodan. Shigemi Inagaki and Komatsuzaki were the first deshi he met in Iwama.
Regarding the ragged, worn hakama: “Everybody was poor then and didn’t have money for new hakama just because one wore out.” A lot of suwari-waza and hard training is evident in those hakama.
Photo: Bill Witt
Morote Dori
1969. Saito Sensei works on morote-dori with two uke, including Komatsuzaki and the spectacularly worn hakama.
Jo Dori
1969. Jo-dori with Komatsuzaki
Kids Class
1969. Bill Witt with the kids class
Knee Strike
1969. Saito Sensei strikes to Bill Witt’s knee
Classic Posture
1969. Saito Sensei with Bill Witt, showing the classic Iwama hip set
High Wrist Strike
1969. Saito Sensei strikes high to Bill Witt’s wrist. On the shomen is the board with O-Sensei’s ink brushing–before it was smeared by accident by a nameless uchi-deshi.
Bokken
1969. Saito Sensei works with a bokken against Bill Witt’s bokken. Back then, the dojo wainscoting was still blonde; now it has become dark and polished by countless daily “soji o shimasu”
Bokken Vanquish
1969. Saito Sensei with bokken vanquishes Bill Witt with bokken