Takayuki Kubota

[Boaz]

My former karate instructor Takayuki Kubota passed away two days ago. He ran away from home when he was thirteen.... was apprehended by the Tokyo police and ended up becoming their hand to hand instructor. He fought the yakuza. During this time he developed his style, Gosoku-ryu... the Hard and Fast style. In 1964, he was invited by Ed Parker to the First International Karate Tournament/Exposition... where Hollywood first viewed Bruce Lee. Hollywood gobbled up Lee, but the LA police hired Kubota to be their instructor. He also performed in numerous films and television shows. He was named a national treasure of Japan.

The reason I've included him is that he appeared in Heroes, many Power Ranger flicks, and some other sci-fi B movies. Notably, he was in Pearl Harbor and Rising Sun, but his biggest role was in The Hunted with Christopher Lambert.

Tak Kubota

If Kubota does not measure up to the criteria, please remove this thread. Thanks.

 

[Cat's Cradle]

What a life. How wonderful that you, and so many others, were able to learn from him, CC

 

[THX1138]

I learned basic Kubaton usage and applications from one of his students who was a retired member of the Tokyo police.
Nothing much, but he did tell us about Sensei Kubota.

 

[paranoid marvin]

Thanks for sharing Boaz.

RIP Tak.

 

[Ursa major]

If Kubota does not measure up to the criteria

As the criteria are that the subject has to have died and (to quote the text of the subforum) "Obituaries for those involved not just in science fiction and fantasy genre works, but also the wider creative industries", I'm pretty sure that he does.


Besides, we don't want you practising the karate skills you learnt from him on us....