Flowers need water and shade;
Bamboo needs the moon shade;
A beautiful woman looks best through the shade of a screen.
(signed) Yushin* Hakudo
* Short for Yushinkan, the name of Hakudo's dojo. The phrase Yushin Hakudo means "Hakudo of the Yushinkan dojo."
Nakayama Hakudo was one of the premier martial artists of the twentieth century. He held master teaching licenses in kendo, iaido, and jodo. Hakudo trained in jujutsu as a youth and then entered the famed Yushinkan kendo dojo when he was nineteen. Although short and thin, Hakudo was a demon for training and he flourished under the harsh discipline of the Yushinkan. (Kendo contests there were never timed; a match would continue until one of the combatants conceded.)
Hakudo eventually received a teaching license of the Shinto Muso Ryu, and took over as head of the Yushinkan. He rose at 4:00 a.m. each morning to do his personal training in secret. Hakudo was a close friend and confidant of Morihei Ueshiba, the founder of aikido.
About the Artist
Nakayama Hakudo was one of the premier martial artists of the twentieth century. He held master teaching licenses in kendo, iaido, and jodo. Hakudo trained in jujutsu as a youth and then entered the famed Yushinkan kendo dojo when he was nineteen. Although short and thin, Hakudo was a demon for training and he flourished under the harsh discipline of the Yushinkan. (Kendo contests there were never timed; a match would continue until one of the combatants conceded.)
Hakudo eventually received a teaching license of the Shinto Muso Ryu, and took over as head of the Yushinkan. He rose at 4:00 AM each morning to do his personal training in secret. Hakudo was a close friend and confidant of Morihei Ueshiba, the founder of aikido.
