Loyal Love
Suzucho Karate-Do (one of the major martial arts schools in Vietnam) was founded by master Suzuki Choji (Japan) and became the founder. He was born in 1919 in Miyagiken, from the Takeno Uchi Ryu (Bamboo Branch) school of the Soto Zen sect (Cao Dong). From a young age, he studied with Zen master Kisa Boroo at Shiogama Temple, training in both martial arts and spirituality. At the age of 21, he mastered martial arts and joined the Japanese army. He came to Vietnam in 1940 as a soldier of the Imperial Army.
After Japan surrendered to the Allies (in 1945), Suzuki Choji stayed in Vietnam and joined the Viet Minh, starting to teach traditional karate techniques to soldiers and self-defense forces in Inter-zone 4, then moved to Inter-zone 5 to participate in building engineering workshops to produce medical equipment for the resistance.
The children of the founder Suzuki Choji brought a part of his remains to be placed at the memorial house in Hue.
PHOTO: PROVIDED BY MASTER LE VAN LOC
According to martial arts master Le Van Thanh (an excellent student of the Bodankumi course, currently holding the position of head of the Executive Committee of the sect in Vietnam), when he was still teaching martial arts in Hue, martial arts master Suzuki Choji once said that in 1952, in a battle with the French army in Quang Ngai, he was seriously injured, then taken to the Lien Khu 5 medical station and was taken care of by the Viet Minh female medic Nguyen Thi Minh Le (from Gia Lai - formerly Binh Dinh). Ms. Le's thoughtfulness moved Suzuki Choji, who secretly fell in love. During the long treatment process, feelings arose between the two. After recovering, he proposed to Ms. Le and they became husband and wife.
During a trip to the North under the command of the Viet Minh, the martial arts master Suzuki Choji and his wife lost contact and were stranded in Hue. The ancient and poetic capital held them back, so the couple decided to stay and live here. They tried to contact the organization but failed. They bought a house at 8 Vo Tanh to live and open a martial arts school until the country was reunified in 1975. This place became the memorial house and the ancestral hall of the Suzucho Karate-Do sect, now at 8 Nguyen Chi Thanh, Gia Hoi Ward (Hue City).
After 1975, because he taught martial arts to some students who were officers of the old regime, he had to go to re-education camp. After verifying the reason for staying in Hue and being confirmed by Prime Minister Pham Van Dong himself that he had participated in the Viet Minh, he was released. He and his wife continued to live in Hue until 1978 when they returned to Japan. In his hometown of Miyagiken, martial artist Suzuki Choji continued to develop the school. Wherever he was, he always identified himself as a Vietnamese person, considering Vietnam as his homeland. He took the Vietnamese name Phan Van Phuc and gave Vietnamese names to his son Phan Van Duc (Tokuo) and two daughters Ngoc My (Michiko) and Y (Eiji). After many events in life, martial artist Suzuki Choji and Mrs. Minh Le remained faithful to each other until the end of their lives.
Founder Suzuki Choji
PHOTO: TL
VOW TO BRING REMAINS BACK TO VIETNAM
In 1956, Mr. Suzuki Choji founded the Linh Truong Khong Thu Dao Dojo (Suzucho Karate-Do Dojo Noen) at 8 Vo Tanh, Hue City (now the main hall at 8 Nguyen Chi Thanh). With all his heart, he has built many generations of talented karate students.
The son of Master Suzui (left) is the current head of the sect, receiving a commemorative medal from the People's Committee of Hue City.
Photo: Le Van Loc
Master Suzuki Choji passed away on February 6, 1995 in Japan. Before he passed away, he instructed his children to donate his house in Hue to the state to make a temple and keep his remains (cervical vertebrae, symbolizing the spine and soul of the sect) to bring to the ancestral temple of the martial arts school in Vietnam. According to master Le Van Thanh, the reason the late founder instructed to keep a part of his remains after cremation to bring to the ancestral temple in Hue was because according to the spiritual concept of the school, the cervical vertebrae symbolizes the spine and is also the spiritual essence of the martial arts school. In 2005, a family representative returned to Vietnam to carry out the procedure to donate the house at 8 Nguyen Chi Thanh to Hue City with the condition that it would only be used as a karate memorial house, serving tourism and sports.
Portrait of Master Suzuki and his Vietnamese wife on the ancestral altar
Photo: Le Van Loc
In 2016, the Hue City People's Committee decided to invest 2.7 billion VND from the budget to build the Suzucho Karatedo Memorial House, a place to organize cultural exchange events between Japan and Hue... at the old house of martial artist Suzuki Choji. In 2017, the memorial house was completed and put into use. Right on the occasion of the inauguration ceremony of the memorial house, his son, martial artist Suzuki Tokuo (2nd generation master) and his family brought the remains of martial artist Suzuki Choji back to Hue as his last wish.
According to martial artist Le Van Thanh, Suzucho Karate-Do is currently developing not only domestically but also internationally. With more than 40,000 students across the country and over 10 international branches in the US, Australia, Canada, etc., Suzucho has even returned to develop in Japan, the homeland of karate. The school is not only prominent in its martial arts values but also serves as a cultural bridge between Vietnam and Japan, bringing a unique spirit of martial arts.
Karate is a martial art originating from Okinawa and quickly became popular in Japan. By 1940, karate became a typical and popular subject in high schools and universities in Japan. This martial art is not only used for physical training but also for spiritual development, becoming the choice of many people from teenagers to middle-aged people and women thanks to its convenience and self-defense ability. The Suzucho school has become a symbol of karate with Vietnamese identity. The spirit and technique of Suzucho Karate-Do have contributed to the achievements of Vietnamese karate in international tournaments, bringing many regional, Asian and world medals.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/tinh-hoa-vo-hoc-xu-hue-to-su-suzucho-karate-do-voi-tam-nguyen-cuoi-doi-185250630164320262.htm
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