瀬田松先生が大塚初代宗家の話をする時はいつも笑顔でした。その笑顔を見ると私は「大塚初代宗家も瀬田松先生も直弟子の方々も、皆んな毎日が楽しくて充実してたんだろうな。師匠の大塚初代宗家が和道流という素晴らしい武道を生み、より良くしようと創意工夫を重ねる姿を瀬田松先生も直弟子の方々はそばで見ていて、『自分たちも協力したい！力になりたい！お役に立ちたい！』って思っていたんだろうなあ。」と想像し、一緒になって楽しく嬉しい気持ちでいっぱいでした。
瀬田松先生は2017年11月14日に天に召され、私は師匠に会うことも話すことも出来ません。しかし、不思議なことに言葉が降りてくる感覚を何度も持ったことがあります。武道が大好きな方々同様に、私も四六時中和道流のことを稽えています。歩いてる時も、食事中も、テレビを見ていたり、本を読んでいても、『基本が何に繋がり、何を生み出せるか』と稽えていると、突然、閃く瞬間が訪れたり、夢の中に大塚初代宗家や瀬田松先生が現れて、私に稽古をつけてくれることがあるのです。
時が何年経っても、お姿は見えなくなっても、先人たちは私たちに伝えたいことがあるに違いありません。私はその想いに触れたいし、理解したいし、実現したいと思っています。
『武の道はただ荒事とな思ひそ 和の道究め和を求む道』
In September 1988, at the age of ten, I was accepted into the world of karate and began studying under Master Hiromasa Setamatsu, whom I would come to revere as my lifelong mentor. Master Setamatsu’s own teacher was Hironori Otsuka, the First Soke and founder of Wado-ryu; he often shared stories about the founder with me. He told me about visiting the First Soke in his early twenties—just after the war—and being warmly welcomed and coached with such passion that the experience became unforgettable. He spoke of inviting the First Soke to his hometown of Hakodate for training sessions; of leaving home in his early thirties to move to Tokyo, where he joined the Wado-ryu Karate-do and Jujutsu Kenpo headquarters dojo, became a direct disciple, and devoted himself to training; and of how the First Soke always delighted in the Japanese sweets he brought when visiting his home. He recounted how the First Soke’s direct disciples were formidable martial artists—so much so that challengers who came to the headquarters dojo to test their skills would leave with completely different attitudes and physical conditions. He also shared a story about a day when, after staying up all night training to ensure they wouldn’t forget a single one of the First Soke’s teachings, the master told them, “Forget what I taught you yesterday. I’ve come up with something better, so we’re changing it. Learn this instead”—prompting all the direct disciples to scramble to learn the new method.
Master Setamatsu always smiled when he spoke of the First Soke. Seeing that smile, I would imagine the lives they led: “The First Soke, Master Setamatsu, and all the direct disciples must have found every day joyful and fulfilling. Watching their master—the First Soke—create the magnificent martial art of Wado-ryu and constantly innovate to refine it, they must have felt a burning desire to cooperate, to lend their strength, and to be of service.” Imagining this filled me with a sense of shared joy and happiness. Master Setamatsu was called to heaven on November 14, 2017; I can no longer meet or speak with my mentor. Yet, strangely enough, I have often experienced moments where insights—words of wisdom—seem to descend upon me. Like all true lovers of martial arts, I contemplate Wado-ryu constantly. Whether I am walking, eating, watching television, or reading a book, if I am pondering the nature of the fundamentals—what they connect to and what they can create—sudden flashes of inspiration occur. At times, the First Grandmaster Otsuka or Master Setamatsu even appear in my dreams to instruct me.
No matter how many years pass or how their physical forms fade from sight, our predecessors surely have things they wish to convey to us. I desire to touch upon those sentiments, to understand them, and to bring them to fruition.
“Do not mistake the martial path for mere violence; it is a path of seeking harmony through the mastery of the Way of Harmony.”