Leslee Kufferath posted tonight on my Facebook page in response to a link to a new page I posted on Sensei James Mitose. I posted it in response to questions I was getting about him and why I had avoided revealing much about stories I had heard about him. She posted the following:
"My father knew James Mitose personally. I have his original book that he signed and gave it to my father. He was a great man."
Her father was one of our greatest jujitsu masters, Professor Sig Kufferath, one of my favorite people on the planet, and one of our USNKA Living Martial Arts Treasures. I wanted to pass on the perceptions of one who actually knew him. As I told her, I had always heard only negative things about Sensei Mitose. Yet he taught many who became great martial artists. So I always felt there had to be more to his story - or at least hoped there was.
I think our society tends to be too quick to focus on the negative side of people. I think it makes them feel better about themselves, even superior, thinking or knowing one who achieved great things was worse than they are in some aspect. I always tried to focus on people's positive sides and use their example to elevate myself, rather than focus on the opposite and try to bring them down to my level. While they help me become better, others end up exactly where they've always been.
My thanks to Leslee Kufferath for her input. I prefer to hold her father's image of Sensei Mitose in my mind than what was there before. Just my 2 cents.
I never really pay much attention to negative things said about others,, especially when they have no way to defend themselves.. so Im pretty ignorant of the negative things said about Mitose. I have heard there have been negative things said about him,,but have no Idea what they are. So,,I suppose in this matter ignorance is bliss. I find the training under Mitose pretty similar as to what I went through in the Philippines back in the 60's. My teacher then,, Marcello Umipeg,, was of Hawaian extraction but lived in the Phil.. he talked often of his teacher Brown Sensei,, I wonder if it could be the same person in your blog?? But he never mentioned too much about Mitose..
ReplyDeleteMy curiosity is now aroused as to whom Mitose trained under.
I had another Sensei/Friend, in the Phil Rafel Reston,, who trained Kenpo on Okinawa while stationed on Okinawa during the Battle of Okinawa and he stayed on Okinawa untill the early 50s while training there. Your Blog is very interesting and informative.
Thanks for reading and your contributions. I greatly appreciate both. It could be the same person. There wasn't a lot of martial artists in the States at that time and I haven't run across any other Browns associated with Hawaiian arts. But it's such a common name, it could be someone different. Who Mitose trained with has also been a bit of a question mark. No one's been able to nail that down as accuately as they'd like. But the proof is in the pudding, as they say. He had great deal of knowledge and skill. He either picked it up from someone or was extremely brilliant... or both. Please pass on what you're able to discover on him.
ReplyDeleteTo err is human.
ReplyDeleteJohn said it best. We should not judge people because when we do people judge us and I believe at the end we all will be judged when it counts. If we all remember the good the person did this would be a better world
ReplyDeleteYes. "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone" might also apply here.
ReplyDeleteI agree Hanshi! =) Thanks Senseifb.
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