田所勇二×増田俊也
古賀稔彦と吉田秀彦を極めた男
かつて柔道界には、紛うことなき〝怪物〞がいた。特に80年代後半から90年代にかけて、彼らの歩く道の後ろには同階級の強豪選手たちの屍が累々と積み重なっていた。その上をのし歩いた怪物の名は、古賀稔彦と吉田秀彦。しかし、この古賀と吉田の腕を極め、破壊した男がいる。田所勇二だ。寝技師・柏崎克彦の弟子として、師匠直伝の関節技で次々と猛者たちを極めていったベテランは、トップクラスの実力を持ちながら、脚光を浴びることがなかった。柔の、修羅の道を進んだ、田所の終わらない夏をたどった。
───増田俊也さんがロンドン五輪後に本誌で発表したノンフィクション、堀越英範が古賀稔彦を背負い投げで破るまでの軌跡を追った『超二流と呼ばれた柔道家』（『ＶＴＪ前夜の中井祐樹』所蔵）が大変話題になりました。
その作品のなかで、やはり打倒古賀にかける大ベテランの寝技師・田所勇二選手が腕挫ぎ十字固めで古賀の右ヒジを破壊して、反則をとられながらも一瞬の光を放ったシーンが読者の話題になり、ぜひ田所選手のことをもっと知りたいという要望が多かったため、今回はこの田所先生（東海大学出身、現在茨城県立上郷高教員）を招いて対談していただくことになりました。
田所先生は高校時代からの柏崎克彦先生の直接の愛弟子で、師匠ゆずりの寝技で活躍されました。
柔道引退後はボディビルに転向し日本一を目指して全国大会で活躍、さらにボディビル引退後に今度はサーフィンの全国大会で活躍し続け、一流アスリートとして〝終わらない夏〞を戦い続けています。先生、今日は遠い所ありがとうございました。どうぞよろしくお願いします。
田所 こちらこそよろしくお願いします。
増田 よろしくお願いします。（田所が古賀に腕十字を極めた写真を見ながら）勝負に「もし」はないですけど、これ「待て」がかからなかったら完全に──。
田所 折れてますね。バリバリ音しましたから。
増田 古賀は次の試合で戦えなかったんで。古賀の肩も、これ抜けそうですもん。ぶら下がると肩に負担かかるんですよね。柔道では十字をかけられてよく肩をこういう形で脱臼します。
田所 古賀も執念でしょうね。この状態でよく持ち上げたなっていう。ラテラルレイズ（ボディビルでダンベルを片手で持って横へ持ち上げ、肩の三角筋を鍛える種目）で80㎏のダンベル持ち上げるようなもんですから。常識で考えて無理です。人間の限界を超えた火事場のパワーなんでしょう。
増田 よく見てください、この写真。古賀稔彦に持ち上げられながら田所さんの眼は下を見て畳との距離を測ってるんですよ。古賀は眼を閉じて必死に持ち上げてる。一流選手同士の、立技で一世を風靡してる古賀と、寝技の鬼の田所さんの、一瞬の交錯。これをみんなまわりで、柏崎克彦先生も佐藤宣践先生も山下泰裕先生もみんな見ているわけです。斉藤仁先生もいたり、酒井英幸さんもいたり。小川直也とか吉田秀彦とか、みんないたんでしょうね。その会場すべての視線、そしてプレス席の記者のカメラも全部向けられているなかで、ガーンと入って。古賀は意地でも手を叩いて参ったしないでしょうから折るしかない。
田所 そうなんです。だからこそ抑えたり関節とるしかない。はっきり白黒つけないとだめですよね。
増田 当然、五輪が頭に。
田所 そうですね。タイミングが合えば、食ってやろうと。
増田 ちょうど講道学舎（１９７５年に設立された６年一貫の柔道私塾。塾生たちは弦巻中学・世田谷学園高の生徒として大会に出場。現在は閉塾）、つまり世田谷学園高が台頭してきたころで、いろんなスターが出てきて、古賀だ、吉田だっていう、そういうのを食ってやろうっていう……。
田所 一番のモチベーションでした。間違いないですよ。それこそ古賀の兄貴の古賀元博から始まって、持田達人、吉田秀彦と。
増田 いまはこうして田所さんも穏やかな感じですが、現役時代はかなりピリピリしてたと思うんですけれど、試合に臨むときはどんな心境だったんですか？
田所 自分では全然意識してないんですけど、まわりから見ると「狂ってる」って言う。集中して。自分で全然そういうのはないですよ。先輩とか後輩とか「田所みたいに狂えない」って。次の試合に対しての練習の取組みとか、私は普通に、自分がそうしたいからしてるだけなんですけども、それがまわりから見ると異様な取り組み方っていうか集中の仕方だったんでしょうね。
増田 柏崎克彦先生は後に国際武道大学の学生たちに氷の張った冬のプールに飛び込めって言って、躊躇なく飛び込めるやつじゃないと強くなれないと仰ってたそうです。木村政彦先生のお弟子さんも拓大時代に氷張ってるプールに飛び込めって泳がされたとか言ってましたけど。一流は、ある意味発火点というか、スイッチがバンって入る部分があるんでしょうか。生まれつきのスイッチみたいのがあるんですかね。
田所 そうなんですかね。人から言われてできるもんではないし。
増田 まずはこの対古賀戦をじっくりとお聞かせください。古賀と戦ったあの大会、試合前から１回戦で古賀と当たることは事前にわかっていたんですよね。
田所 ええ。トーナメント表は大会の何日か前に発表されます。ですから古賀と１回戦で当たるというのは試合前からわかっていて、このとき私は32歳ですから、期するものがありました。
増田 柔道家の競技者としてのピークは20歳代半ばです。他の一流選手が26歳とか27歳には引退していくなかで、32歳で現役を続けていたのは、凄まじい執念です。
田所 この大会の古賀との一回戦で負ければ私は強化選手を外されるのがわかっていましたから、最後の試合になるかもしれないという覚悟がありました。
増田 引退をかけた試合だと。
田所 はい。
増田 五輪代表を狙うには強化選手であり続けなくてはいけません。強化選手から外されると、この講道館杯や選抜体重別などの代表選考会の大会に出られなくなりますから実質引退です。でもこの大会で古賀に勝てば一気にマスコミに注目されますし、まだ五輪代表の目もある。逆に負ければ強化選手を外されて引退する、二つに一つの大勝負です。腕挫ぎ十字固めを狙っていくことは試合前から頭にあったんですか？
田所 得意技のひとつですから。
増田 古賀が71㎏級から78㎏級に上げてきた時点で、古賀を倒さない限り世界選手権も五輪も当然出られないわけですから練習のときからずっと古賀対策をシミュレートしてこられたと思います。寝技に引きずり込んで絶対に取ってやると。下から十字固めを取ることも想定して。
田所 得意技なんで、たしかに狙ってはいましたけども、どのタイミングでっていうのはありました。どういう形からでもかかるものでもないですから。出稽古で最終調整をしていた筑波大学では「ちょっとやってくるからよ」なんてみんなに言いながら士気を高めて練習に取組んでました。岡田弘隆（エッセン世界選手権78㎏級金・バルセロナ世界選手権86㎏級金など。現在は筑波大監督）とか筑波大の連中も、みんな「やってくださいよ、これ一発で」って。
増田 これは引き込み十字だったんですか？ 巴十字だったんですか？
田所 厳密に言うと巴投げではないんですけども、普通に言う巴十字ですね。
増田 巴で投げる気はない巴十字。
田所 そうですね。
増田 柏崎先生の巴とかそういうのは？
田所 基本は教わったものなんですけども、自分なりにアレンジして、もう選手生活も長いんで、徐々に微妙にポイントをずらしながら完成させたものです。
増田 振り子巴なんですか？
田所 ではないですね。あくまでも完全に十字固めに入るための入り方なので。柏崎先生とか普通の人が巴十字やる場合には、当然普通に、私が投げる巴投げは左足なんですよ、右利きですけど、左足の巴投げなんですけども、この巴に入るときには右足を、しかも腹にはかけないんですよ。ヒザのちょっと上、このへんを。
増田 蹴って流すんですか、相手の足を。
田所 ええ。相手がパッと四つん這いになるような形をつくらせると。
増田 このときは古賀の足は流れたんですか？ 蹴ったとき。
田所 完全に流れてますね。１回跪くような感じにはなってますからね。そこから古賀が必死に持ち上げた。
増田 田所さんの頭が畳から離れる前に腕は極まってたんですか。
田所 同時ぐらいですね。古賀が持ち上げるときにバキバキッと。
増田 「いった！」っていう感覚はあったんですか。
田所 私は取るつもりで入ってますから。
増田 『近代柔道』の写真説明は《腕挫ぎ十字固めにきた田所を古賀は持ち上げて「待て」がかかるが、審判の声が聞こえなかった田所が技を継続して反則負け》とありますが、本当に主審の声は聞こえなかったんですか？
田所 このときは会場が下品な応援でほんとうるさくて聞こえなかった。９割ぐらいは古賀の応援だったと思うんですけど、大騒ぎになって。お互い興奮してますから、あとはもう主審が２人の間に入らない限りは外さないんで。
増田 主審が両者の背中を叩いて「待て」と、技を解くように促すシーンは柔道の試合ではよく見られます。
田所 『近代柔道』の記事は私が反則負けになったと書いてありますけど、これ警告もらっただけなんですよね。警告もらってそのまま続行してるんです、試合を。１分ぐらいたぶん残りやってるんですよ。
増田 じゃあ優勢負けなんですね。
田所 そうなんですよ。
増田 でも田所さんの体が一瞬だけ上がっても、たとえば１秒で落とすと。
田所 ええ。落ちる可能性があるんですよ。上げそうでも潰れる場合もあるんで。でもここは俺サイドから言っちゃうと、ここまでとられる古賀がお粗末なんですよ。俺と対戦するとわかって、長年強化合宿なんかも一緒にやってて。
───古賀選手も当然知ってるわけですね。
田所 当然知ってます。
増田 試合はどんな展開からこの十字に？ 最初から覚えていらっしゃいますか？
田所 組み手争いがメインで、ほとんどお互い技をかけない状態で、当然ポイントも何もない状態でした。
増田 古賀はやっぱり寝技を警戒して。
田所 そうですね、はい。
増田 田所さんはこれは対古賀ですけど、いつもの試合の展開としては、古賀じゃなくても、柔道ですから当然相手は立技得意な人ですけども、どんな感じで試合を組立てられてたんですか？ 相手の頭を下げさせて帯取り返しとかでしょうか。
田所 対戦相手にもよるんですけども、私は絶対相四つにはならないんですよ。相手が右組みのときには私が左組みになり、相手が左組みなら私は意識的に右に組みます。必ず体が開くような状態で試合を進めます。
増田 じゃあとくに右組み左組みっていうのはない。ないというか、相手に合わせて。立技に関しては右があるけれども。
田所 そうですね。組手に関しては必ず体を開くという状態をつくります。常にもう開いて、自分の攻め以外は開いて、相手の立技を受けないようにしています。
増田 決めるときは寝技で決めるという。
田所 そうですね。たまに立技で転んでくれる選手もいましたけれども。
増田 田所さんの立技にはどんな技が？
田所 ポイント取れるのは巴投げとか背負い投げとかになりますね。あと二段小外です。この二段小外では吉田秀彦からもポイントとってるし、岡田弘隆からもポイントとってる。
増田 古賀とはこの試合が初めての顔合わせですか。
田所 乱取りは何度か合宿でやってます。でも階級が違ったから実戦では初めてです。この試合から78㎏級に上げてきた。組み手争いがどういう状況になるか、ある程度はわかるんですけども、実際そのとおりいくかどうかわからなかった。たぶん彼も、こう組んできますからね。右利きだけども、反対で。例の一本背負いは左組のように組んで右で担ぐから。考えて動いたわけではなくて私の体が一瞬で反応して技に入ったから、たぶん巴十字にいける状況になったんですよ。たまたま私がこっち側をとれたんですよ。落としたんです。じゃないといかないですから。
───落としたというのは相手の。
田所 釣り手を。
増田 これはじゃあ持ったまま巴いくんじゃなくて、落として巴なんですね。
田所 両方あります。あんまり無理しては落とさないで、落ちれば落として突っ張ったままここからいくんですけども。持っててもらったほうがいい場合もあるんですよ。
増田 ベテランの最後の執念、気迫っていうんですか、それは凄いですね。まわりの盛り上がりもすごいですし。
田所 あんまり言いたくないが、好きじゃなかったんですよ、俺。古賀とか吉田とか講道学舎の連中は。かっこよすぎるから。
増田 かっこよすぎるというのは、身なりもあれですけど。
田所 スター選手ですからね。
増田 野村克也ふうにいえば「古賀は太平洋に咲くひまわり、俺は日本海に咲く月見草」というわけですね。野村克也も田所さんも、長嶋茂雄や古賀稔彦に実力で劣っているわけではない。でも古賀の背負いだとずっと派手な系譜があって判定になれば古賀が有利。逆に田所さんのほうは佐藤宣践（柏崎克彦や山下泰裕の師匠、一九七四全日本選手権優勝、ローザンヌ世界選手権93㎏級金など）先生、柏崎克彦（田所の師匠。モスクワ五輪幻の代表、マーストリヒト世界選手権65㎏級金など）先生、そして田所さんっていう寝技の系譜があって、佐藤先生にしても柏崎先生にしても、やっぱり寝技師だから、ずっと不利を蒙ってきたはずですよね。判定になれば不利ですから。そういう中で、いかに一本をとっていくかっていう苦労の系譜があって。古賀はいわゆる〝古賀背負い〞で高い位置で大きく相手を回転させて投げて、決まれば女性のファンからもキャーキャー言われる。それに対するいぶし銀の寝技師としての意地ですね。あの試合でのイメージトレーニングでは巴十字っていうのはやっぱりファーストチョイスにあったんですね。
田所 そうですね。その形、自分がいけるっていう形になればもう絶対いきますね。ただ他の技と違って普段の乱取りで巴十字なんかいつも使ってるわけではない。
増田 いわゆる奇襲ですからね。乱取りで同じ大学の人にはだんだんかからなくなるし。ほんとに奇襲、飛び道具ですよね。
田所 そうなんです。試合前に技術を確認してやるわけなんですよ。打ち込みみたく毎日何十本何百本やってる技ではない。でも型にはまれば面白い。この前の年かな、２年ぐらい前になるのかな。鏑木とか。
増田 足立学園高から日体大の鏑木文隆（ブルガリア国際78級優勝・フィンランド国際78㎏優勝など。現在慶応高校教員）ですね。いい選手でした。
田所 はい。あと、持田達人（世田谷学園高から日大卒。フランス国際78㎏級優勝・ロシア国際78㎏級優勝など。現在警視庁指導者）とか、トーナメントであそこ全部３連続ぐらい、全部すべて巴十字で取ったことがある。（当時の雑誌のコピーを指さしながら）この試合か。これ東京武道館かどっかですかね。
増田 ああ、あの試合。僕たちファンの伝説になってますけど、十字で全部バンバン極めて─── 。
田所 持田を極め、その前に、鏑木もいい選手だったんで、そこもやっつけ、３連続ぐらい。あと誰でしたっけ、講道学舎出身の……思い出せないけど３連発みんな同じ技でいって決勝まで上がったんですよ。
増田 これほんと、決まったときの沸き方がすごいんですよね。飛び道具だから、わーってなる。田所さんの得意技だとわかっていて警戒されてて一流どころを３人ならべて極めてったんですからすごい。
田所 これはここまで入らせた古賀がお粗末なんですよ、こんなの。対戦相手わかっててこれしかねぇっていうのが。
増田 いや、でも鏑木文隆とか持田達人とか一流を３人、目の前でトーナメント見てた３人を全部同じ技で極めたわけですから、田所さんのこの技の洗練度、完成度というのがかなり高かったんじゃないでしょうか。
田所 そうかもしれないですね。
増田 田所さんが取り組んでいた本格的なボディビルについてはあとで詳しくお聞きしますが、やはりヘビーウェイトで取り組んでいたボディビルで培ったパワーの差が出たんだと思うんです。スポーツ選手が一般にやってるウェイトトレーニングの範疇におさまらないボディビル的なトレーニングを長年やったパワー。ボディビルって大きな筋肉だけじゃなくて前腕とか胸筋まわりとか太腿の内転筋とかいろんな細かい筋肉も鍛えるじゃないですか。ガチッと極めるパワーっていうのがそうとう付いてたっていうのがありますよね。
田所 それはありますよね、当然ね。
増田 古賀としては日体大でやってた先輩で巴十字がうまい人たちと比べると、やっぱりガーンッてくるときのパワーが二桁くらい違ったと思うんです。
田所 パワーには自信あった。誰にも組み負けしたことないから、俺。組み合って古賀の立技なんか全然かかる気しなかったですもん。グッと組んで古賀の頭を下げさせた。吉田秀彦とは３回ぐらい試合やってますけど、１回も内股やられてないですもん。内股警戒しすぎて足払われて有効かなんかとられたことはありますけど、やっぱり頭下げさせた。
増田 ボディビルでのヘビーウェイトのトレーニングが効いてますね。
田所 そうですね。型にはまればいつでも抑えたり十字をとったりする自信はありましたね（91年の講道館杯の吉田秀彦戦の写真を指さしながら）。このとき足が抜ければっていうところまでいってるんです。
増田 腕縛って、足首まで抜いたんですか。
田所 はい。あのとき吉田は、亀になってるとき、たぶん帯ほどいたんですよね、下で（笑）。腕くくったときに帯と道衣が（両手を広げて）こんなになってたんですよね。わかるでしょう（笑）。昔は今より全然寝技の時間がとれたんで、帯とって、帯取り返しの俵返しでひっくり返して腕くくったけども、そのときにこうなってた。亀んとき下でほどいたんじゃねえかなんて。そのときの動画を見ましたよ。家で撮っててくれて。あのとき吉村（和郎＝講道学舎の元指導者。ローザンヌ世界選手権71㎏級銅。元全柔連強化委員長）さんとかの表情が映ってましたよ、助かったみたいな（笑）。
増田 そのときもものすごい声援とか。
田所 東海大対講道学舎出身者の試合ですから両方から。
増田 田所さんといえば、マスコミが〝柏崎克彦のコピー〞と名付けたくらい師匠である柏崎先生の影響を受けてその寝技を受け継いだといわれています。柏崎先生は東海大学で佐藤宣践先生に師事して寝技を磨き、東海大卒業後は茨城県の高校教員をしながら世界を目指していました。県立多賀高校時代に、田所さんが入学して出会うわけですが。
田所 私が通ってた小中高ってくっついてるんですよ、３つ。私の家もそこから歩いて５分ぐらいのところなんで。
増田 柏崎先生が走ってたりするのを見てたってことですか。
田所 はい。私は小学校２年生で柔道を始めて中学でも柔道部に入部するんですが、その中学の頃、登校するときにちょうど柏崎先生がロードワークから戻ってくるくらいの時間で、何度も見てましたんで。
増田 それで憧れて多賀高を目指したと。
田所 はい。そうです。
増田 公立高校ですから特待生として入試免除とかはないですよね。
田所 ないです。普通にペーパーテストの入試を受けて入学しました。
増田 多賀高に入学したときは、もう柏崎先生は世界チャンピオンのときですか？
田所 そのときはまだ獲ってないです。モスクワ五輪は、私が高校２年か３年のときでしたっけ。マーストリヒト世界選手権が私が東海大学１年のときです。
増田 ずっとなぞるというか、柏崎先生の軌跡、世界出たりとか、寝技技術であるとか、やっぱり憧れの尊敬する先生をいろいろ吸収しようというのはあったんですか。
田所 そうですね。当然基本となるものは先生がやってこられた技ですので。ただ65㎏級と78㎏級ということで、背丈も違うし筋力も違う。反応も変わってくるんで。自分なりにアレンジしながらっていうふうにやってきました。
増田 田所さんが多賀高にいるときは、柏崎先生は世界を目指すために一人で工夫した練習を重ねていた。柏崎先生の普段の多賀高校での練習はどんなものでしたか。
田所 とにかく走ってました。私もずっと入学時から朝練一緒にやってたんですけども、授業が始まるのが８時半ぐらいなんで、７時前には２人で合流して走りました。だいたい10kmぐらい、ガンガン走りました。
増田 それはスピードトレーニング？
田所 長い距離を走る場合もあるし、スピード重視のダッシュだったり。もうほんとに陸上の長距離選手並みに走ってましたね。
増田 部員のなかで田所さんだけが特別に一緒に参加してたんですか？
田所 もともとは柏崎先生が一人でされてた朝練なんですけども、入学してすぐのころ私が朝練を一人でグラウンドで、ほんの何日かやっていたら、それが先生の目に留まって「どうせ来てるんだから一緒にやろうぜ」って言われて。２人の練習が始まったんです。
増田 ２人だけの濃密な時間ですね。柏崎先生の寝技指導っていうのは、当時の昔の柔道の寝技だとあんまり他の先生方って理論立てて段階を踏んでというのは無かったと思いますが、理論派の柏崎先生はやはりひとつずつ、たとえば縦返しとかそういうものに関しても、きちっと理論的に……。
田所 そうですね。今でこそ当たり前のように寝技の打ち込みとか反復練習とか研究とかっていう名前でどこの高校でも大学でもやってますけど、あの当時って寝技の入り方を何回も何十回も反復する練習法っていうのは定着してないような時代でした。柏崎先生の教え方は、その時代にもう、それがメインなんだよっていう。
増田 立技のように打ち込みをやるってことですね。
田所 はい。我々は研究とか反復練習っていう形で言ってたんですけど。じっくり時間をかけて。
増田 当時多賀高ですと、公立ですからとくに団体でインターハイとかいうことはなかったのでしょうか。
田所 インターハイは行けませんでしたね。最高は県大会２位でした。土浦日大高という強いところがあったんで。
増田 でも２位って、公立がそこまでっていうのはすごいですよね。
田所 そうですね。土浦日大は関東大会優勝したチームですからね。東海大相模と決勝やって相模に勝ったチームですから。
───総合格闘技をやっている小見川道大選手や桜井〝マッハ〞速人選手も土浦日大の柔道部出身です。
増田 その点、多賀高は公立ですから高校から始めた選手も何人もいるんですね
田所 そうですね。はい。
増田 その中で、柏崎先生の理論立てた教え方でみんな寝技が得意だったんですか？
田所 そうですね。関節技が得意な人もいれば、抑えが得意な先輩なんかもいて。
増田 他校からはやっぱり寝技の多賀高みたいなふうに思われる。
田所 私の現役時代と同じなんですけど、相手からすればできればやりたくないタイプだったと思います。
増田 田所さん個人ではインターハイは？
田所 インターハイは３年生のときに行きました。
増田 全国ではどんな感じでしたか。
田所 インターハイはベスト８かベスト16だったですかね。
増田 県予選でもそうだし本戦でも寝技を駆使して？
田所 はい。もうそれしかなかったんで。
増田 高校時代も得意は十字っていうのはあったんですか？
田所 当然ありました。大学時代や教員時代ほどは使わなかったんですが、やっぱりチャンスがあればとりましたね。
増田 この十字の原形は柏崎先生のやり方。
田所 そうですね。いくつかパターンをもって。古賀とやったときは立技からのですけども、寝技でも上からのも下からのもあります。
増田 そういえば後に１９８８年の講道館杯で吉田秀彦を寝技で下から十字固めに極めてヒジを破壊したこともありました。吉田が先に立技でポイント取ってましたから試合は田所さんの負けでしたが、吉田はヒジの怪我で次戦以降を棄権しました。
田所 ありましたね。
増田 田所さんは十字固めで古賀と吉田の腕を２本破壊した世界唯一の柔道家ですね（笑）。
田所 いやあ……（笑）。
増田 これは寝技師の勲章ですよ。話を戻しますが、多賀高を出てから東海大学へ進学しますが、東海大を選んだのも柏崎先生の影響が？
田所 もちろんそうです。高校３年生のときにＣ級強化選手（当時ジュニア強化選手はこう呼ばれた）に入ったので、一番強い大学でやってみたいっていう気持ちはありました。インターハイはほんとに優勝するつもりで臨んだんですけども、負けてがっくりきたんです。ああ、こんな強い選手がいるんだなって、もう柔道やめようかなぐらいの気持ちでもいたんですけども、夏が終わってから出た国体で茨城が団体優勝して、そのあと全日本ジュニアで３位になって、全日本のＣ級強化選手に入ったんです。
増田 当時の東海大学には他にも柏崎先生みたいになりたいということで寝技を中心にしてる選手というのはいましたか？
田所 先生前後の階級、60㎏級、65㎏級、71㎏級、78㎏級ぐらいまでの選手が集まって、よく大学の練習とは別に柏崎グループとして一緒にトレーニングをしたり寝技の研究をしたりしてました。
増田 東海大の同期にはどんな方がいましたか。
田所 キャプテンは数年前に亡くなった松島享一郎。他に世界選手権獲った須貝等とか斉藤和男。一期上は滝吉直樹さんや田代光恭さん。一期下が樋川純とか三好明広、二期下に村田正夫とか。
増田 錚々たる顔ぶれですね。東海大学は全国の強豪高校から集められた部員が１００人以上いますし、多賀高と比べたら、本当に猛者ばかり。
田所 柔道をやる上での環境としては世界一ですけども、はっきり言ってしまうと、世界一の練習をしてたかって言ったらまた別で。私は社会人になってから現役の内の９年間を筑波大でお世話になったり、出稽古で岡野功先生の流通経済大に顔を出したりしたんですが、学生時代は全然わかんなかったんですけども、そういう部員が少ない、20人か30人しかいない大学から見ると全然違うんですよね。たしかに環境としては部員はね、全国トップクラスのやつが１学年20名以上集まってきて全部員で１００人もいて、しょっちゅう国内外からいろんな海外のナショナルチームが来て、練習相手、環境としては間違いなく世界一だと思うんですけども、そこまで追い込んだ練習をやってるかって言ったらまた別です。
増田 かえってみんな恵まれすぎちゃってということですか。
田所 そうなんです。もうその環境にいることに。当然誰でも試合前は練習やるんですけども、それ以外の部分で普段から追い込んだ練習をしてるかって言ったら、他の大学行ったら全然違いました。
増田 掛かり稽古とかで疲れさせ、追い込むっていうには、20人から30人、あるいは40人が適性というところ？
田所 私もそのぐらいが適当かなと。勘弁してくれっていうぐらい、１本１本が試合のような練習をするんですよ、筑波も流通経済も日大も。
増田 それが１００人を超えると……。
田所 なかなか難しいですよね。
増田 なるほど。意識の差もちょっとずつ出てくるし、よく言われるんですが、進学校でも、灘高校とか開成高校とか行って、できる子ばかり集まっても、その中でやっぱり差ができちゃって。
田所 当然中にはそうではない、自分で目的をもって毎日の練習に取組んでる学生もいると思いますけども、ほとんどがたぶん、東海大柔道部で練習してるっていうとこに満足しちゃって、どこかしら甘えが出ちゃってる部分も、私が学生時代も感じたことなんですけども。
増田 大学を出るころにはかなり力をつけ、就職してからさらに一気に頭角を現してきます。１９８７年（昭和62年）には78㎏級３位に。先ほどの吉田秀彦の腕を縛って抑え込みかけた試合です。ここまでどう技が練り上がっていったのか、あるいは意識が変わっていったのでしょうか。
田所 基本的にはテクニックどうこうの変化っていうのはあんまりないですね。社会人になった時点で。たぶんもうこの当時は、年間50日ぐらいしか柔道衣着た練習やってなかったんですよ。強化合宿も出なくなった。そこまで必要性を感じなくなってたんで。さっき言ったように、テクニック的には固まっていたんで、それよりも別な部分で伸ばそうと。
増田 フィジカルの徹底した強化ですね。
田所 はい。最初は教員になって、練習計画も自分で全部決められますからね。大学生のように練習時間から何から全部上に決められるっていうわけじゃなくて、自分で組立てられるので試合でのスタミナを作ろうと思ってかなり走り込みました。それこそマラソン大会目指してみたり。
───柏崎先生が教員をやりながら一人で強くなっていったような、そういう姿をご自身に重ね合わせることもありましたか。
田所 当然あります。
増田 50日ぐらいしか道衣を着なかったっていうのに驚く読者もいるかもしれませんが、これは現在の欧米のトップスポーツ選手だと案外当たり前なんですよね。いかに効率的に試合に向けてパフォーマンスを上げていき、試合の５分間に集中させるかっていう考え方が。当時、どのスポーツも柔道もそうですけど、くたくたのボロ雑巾になるまで疲れる実戦練習っていうのが主流でした。でもそこまで疲れちゃったら１本１本の乱取りの精度が下がる。
田所 そうなんです。そのへんをいろいろ考えながら。
増田 昔の柔道部員って、残りの乱取り本数を無意識に数えながらちょっとスタミナ残しとこうみたいなのが、そうは思わなくてもやっちゃうところがある。
田所 ほんとに必要なのは、何時間やったかじゃなくて、１回の練習でどんだけいい１本があったかだと思うんです。そのへんは外国人選手はうまいんですよね。
増田 恐らく練習環境が日本より悪いから。
田所 そうなんでしょうね。だから１本１本を必死にいくんですよ。試合練習なんです。それを最初から、もと立ち６分10本を２セット３セットって、全力出せないですよね。国によっては１本乱取り入ったら１本休んでっていうようなシステムをとってるところもある。その代わり内容はほぼ試合のように必死で集中して。
増田 田所さんはやはり当時東海大学に来てた外国の一流選手を見ていて……。
田所 ２時間半、３時間やる練習でも、前半１時間ぐらいやったら、はい終了って下行ってウェイトやってるチームもあったし。
増田 まわりの年輩の先生から見ると「田所君、もっと乱取りにびっしり全部参加してくれよ」みたいに言われることは？
田所 あの当時はそうですよね。でもそのころから直感的に思ってたんで。やるときにガーッとやって、あとは壁に突っ立ってましたもん。冬の稽古だともうほんとに寒くて我慢できないぐらい身体冷えちゃうぐらい、最初のもと立ちで全部出し切るだけ出しちゃって、あとは見てるだけという感じでした。
増田 当時としては新しい考え方ですから、田所さんはいろんなところで反発を受けただろうと思います。今の海外では当たり前なんですけど。どんなに長くても試合は５分以上にならないわけですからね。今ならちょっと延長がありますけど、せいぜい７〜８分。それが日本では２時間も３時間も乱取りしてる。合宿になると朝晩で５時間とか６時間やってるところもある。乱取りを続けてやるスタミナはつきますけど。
田所 今でも記憶にあるんですけども、生涯一番いい練習をやったなと思うのは、筑波大へ出稽古に行っている時代。ドイツのナショナルチーム、代表が全階級来てたんですけど。そのとき、その78㎏級、86㎏級、95㎏級の３選手と１本おきに３本やって、その日の練習終了してさっさと帰ってきたっていうのがあるんですけど、後にも先にもこの練習が一番、よかったですね。
───それはイメージどおりというか、その３本だけにものすごく集中してできた。
田所 それこそ１本やると控室行って大の字になって動けずに、全力で試合で出し切ったような感じで、もう放心状態。そういう思い出もあります。だから、東海大学が結構先端をいっててウェイトはやる時間はあったんですけど、大学時代は私はそれほど真剣には取組んでなかったです。やれる時間は与えられてたんですけども、適当に流してたっていうか、柔道の稽古でいっぱいいっぱいの状態っていうのもあったんで。
増田 本格的にボディビルに取組まれたのはどういうきっかけだったんですか？
田所 教員になって、さらに上を目指していくのに柔道以外に何か試合にプラスになるものはないか。まずスタミナだなと。がんがん走り込んで、でも目的なくただ走るのはつまらないからマラソン大会目指してっていうふうにやったんですが、いくら走るタイムが縮んでも、結局柔道やると疲れるんです。
増田 柔道のスタミナって、ハイパワーでヘビーウェイトのスタミナなんですよね。
田所 そうなんでしょうね。力をマックス使いながら動き回る。だから違うんですよ、ランニングのスタミナとは。そういうのが教員になって２〜３年あったんですかね。長距離走るのは速くなったんだけど、いまいち活かされてないなって。日本人がいつも嫌うのはどういうタイプなのか、いつもソ連の選手とやって、今ソ連はロシアですか、ロシア系の選手とやったり、ヨーロッパ系のフランスの選手とやったりすると、「あいつ力強え、やりづれえ」って必ず言うんですよね。負けて帰ってきたり、勝つには勝っても苦戦したり。じゃあ俺はそういうタイプになってやろうと。職場近くのそういうジムに行って、少しずつ習いながらやりました。24〜25歳ですかね。ランニングからヘビーウェイトでのボディビルトレーニングに中心を移行したのは。その時代はまだ若かったんで、柔道の練習も結構頻度は高めでやってましたけど。
増田 もちろん高校や大学でも、ある程度ベンチプレスとかスクワットとかデッドリフトとかはやってたんですよね。
田所 そうですね。
増田 そこからボディビルトレーニングを本格的にやったと。
田所 はい。それで少しずつですけども、組み手が安定したりっていうのが実感できました。
増田 まだどっか伸びるところがあるはずだと。よくある五角形の図があるじゃないですか。スピード、パワー、スタミナ、メンタル、テクニックとか。その筋力の部分をできるだけ大きく伸ばしてやろうと。
田所 そうなんですよ。伸びるならば、なるべく伸びしろのある部分に時間を費やした方がいい。ボディビルは本当にいい経験でした。栄養学から生理学から何から、ちょっとでもかじった人はボディビルの素晴らしさがわかると思いますけど、スポーツの中では一番科学的。ドーピングじゃなくナチュラルで少しでも大きくしようと思ってる人は、ほんとに考えてやってます。今でこそ他のスポーツでもサプリメントとか使うのは当たり前ですけども、我々が柔道やってたころはサプリメントなんて……。
増田 まだ練習中に水飲むな、なんて言う人がいたぐらいですから。
田所 強化選手でも水飲むなと言われた。俺は平気で飲んでたんですよ、もう晩年は。若い選手はみんな隠れて便所の水飲んだりしてた。
───中には揶揄する人がいるじゃないですか。ボディビルは使えない筋肉だとか。
増田 いやいや、使えますよ。木村政彦先生の発言を聞いていると、これはスポーツ選手のウェイトトレではなくてボディビル的だなと感じることが多い。それは木村先生はもともと若木竹丸の『怪力法並に肉体改造体力増進法』を教科書にしてやってたから。若木竹丸はボディビルダーですから。だからボディビルが使えない筋肉なんてありえないです。
田所 全柔連のコーチがウェイトはよくないよ、身体固くなっちゃうよって言ってくるんですから。それで「どうしたら力強くなるんですか？」って聞いたら、「大きい人とやってください」って。じゃあ重量級はどうやってやればいいんですかって。東海大にはいろんな外国選手が来るんですよ。そうすると柔道の練習を半分にしてまでトレーニングやってる。世界制したサイゼンバッハ（オーストリア）とかあのへんが来て、ウェイトやるわけなんですよ。そこで影響されたっていうのがありますよね。
増田 他国に来てまでウェイトを欠かさないというのは。
田所 わざわざ柔道修行に来てまでやんなくていいじゃねえかと思うんですけども、やるんですよ。
増田 中何日っていうのを決めてるからバルクとパワーを落としたくないんでしょう。
田所 そうなんでしょうね。
───本格的にボディビルに取組むことによって奥深さを知ったと。栄養学や生理学も。
田所 はい。一番影響を受けたのがボディビルの減量法です。今までの減量はなんだったのっていうぐらい。
増田 筋量を落とさないように。
田所 そうですね。時間をかけてゆっくりという。極端な急激なウェイトコントロールをしないっていうこと。当時の柔道家がやってたのは単なる脱水なんですよね。３〜４㎏の場合はそれで十分コントロールできてしまうんですけど、10㎏近いとか、それはもう絶対脂肪を落としていかないと。
増田 東海大学自体ももともと新しい大学であり、いろんな考え方の人が練習できる環境にあった。
田所 はい。ですからさまざまな出会いに恵まれてました。
増田 ボディビルではとくにどんな種目が役に立ちますかね、柔道に。
田所 攻撃においては引っ張るトレーニングですよね。
増田 ケーブル系の。
田所 ええ。こういう引きつける動作だと思いますよ。ボディビルやって本当によかったと思います。減量によるダメージっていうのも最小限に抑えられたし、少しずつパワーがついてきて、柔道生活の後半は力負けしたっていうのはほとんどない。吉田（秀彦）とやったときも吉田の頭、ここにありましたから（組み合う動作をして自分の胸のあたりを指さす）。とにかく力負けしたことはなかった。篠原（信一）とやったときも頭下げさせましたから。
増田 そして柔道を32歳で引退されてからボディビルに本格的に取組むようになりました。
田所 はい。すでに柔道現役時代から補助的ウェイトトレーニングというよりもボディビルに近いトレーニングをしていましたから、トレーニング仲間たちの励ましもあって。ただ古賀とのあの戦いの次の年に、もう強化選手ではなかったのですが、一度は無差別の全日本選手権に挑戦しようと出場し、その後はボディビルに完全に。
増田 ネット上に公開されてる動画で田所さんのポージングを拝見したんですけど、凄いバルク（筋肉量）とディフィニッション（皮下脂肪を絞った筋肉の切れ）です。どういうきっかけからここまでのめりこんだのですか。
田所 それこそ柔道をこのぐらいに取組んでたらオリンピック３回ぐらい行ってたよな、というぐらい追い込んでやってたんですよ、実は（笑）。
増田 ずっと柔道でのピーク、トップを目指して、こちらもトップを目指してっていうのは。
田所 そうですね。やるからにはいい加減にはできないんで。
増田 日本一を目指して。
───田所先生の中では、いつまでも勝負の中にいたいというお気持ちもあったんですか？
増田 ひりひりするような、トップでしのぎを削る。
田所 どうなんでしょうね。自分でもわかんないんですよ。どうなんでしょう。
増田 好きなんでしょうね。
田所 好きなんでしょうね（笑）。どっぷりはまっちゃったんです。最初に茨城の大会（１９９５年）に出て、１発目で優勝しちゃったんですよ。ぶっちぎって。
増田 柔道時代からヘビーウェイトを扱ってたから筋量が大きかった？
田所 たぶんね、地方レベルの筋量ではなかったっていう。自分では３年ぐらいかけて優勝できればいいやぐらいに思ってたんですけど、それでますます気をよくしちゃったんでしょうね。次の日から関東大会目指して、全日本目指してと、どんどんレベルを上げてって。でももう完全に７年前にスパッとそれもやめちゃいまして。これ70歳、80歳まで続けるんだと思ってましたけども、スパッとやめちゃいました。
増田 何かきっかけはあったんですか？ 今サーフィンをされてますが。
田所 サーフィンもとことん上を目指してやってるんですけども。日立に住んでますから、どこでもできる。
増田 サーフィンは何歳から始められたんですか？
田所 初めてやったのは大学時代なんですよ。これは遊びで、ですけどね。大学から大磯海岸があって。そのときちょこっとかじって、その面白さは知ってたんですけど。就職してすぐが筑波でしたから、海まで遠いんで、そんなには行ってなくて。就職して10年目にやっと生まれ故郷の日立に戻ってきて、今から20年ぐらい前からちょこちょこ遊びでやるようになって。ただ、当時は柔道がメインだったし、そのあとボディビルをやったし。
───スパッとやめられたのは？
田所 ボディビルと同時にサーフィンの大会も出始めたんですよ。これもはまっちゃったんです、がっつり。ただ、両立はなかなか難しくて。ボディビルは15年ぐらいやったんですかね。大会出始めてから15年ぐらい。それと同時に、サーフィンの大会も出るようになって、燃え尽きちゃったんですね、両方の大会出るのに。それが一番の原因です。朝出勤前にサーフィンやって、退勤後に帰りにジム行ってバーベル持ってやってたんですけど、それがあまりにもオーバーワークだったんでしょうね。あとはもうナチュラルではボディビルこれ以上無理だよっていう。自分の中に限界みたいなのをちょうど感じてたときなんで、スパッとやめちゃったんですよ。トレーニング一切やらなくなったんですよね。
増田 今はもう全然、ベンチもやらないんですか？
田所 やらないです。もうサーフボードより重いものは持たないですね（笑）。アマ全日本トップを目指してます。まあ当然年齢別にありますんで、今私がやってるロングボード、これは45歳を境にメインクラスとマスタークラスっていうのがありまして。そのマスタークラスのほうで頑張ってます。
増田 とにかくトップを取って。
田所 取れればいいかなっていうところです。
増田 表彰台に昇るとき、そういうところに昇って立ったときの、柔道もボディビルもそうだし、サーフィンもそうですけど、その喜びって言うんですか、またあそこに立ちたいという気持ちがあるんですか。
田所 微妙なところなんですけども、その順番ではないんですよね。自分の目標というか、自分のこだわりが破れたかどうかみたいな、達成できたかみたいなところに。
増田 一つひとつ自分に勝ってくプロセスで、結果としてここに立つっていうことなんですね。自分との戦いみたいなところが。そこまで何をしてきたかっていう。
田所 もう自分の中がそういうふうに中途半端にはしておけないと。やるんだったらばとことんやってやろうかなと。ただ基本になってるのは間違いなく柔道です。柔道を通してボディビルやサーフィンも考えてしまいます。それは必ずありますね。
増田 ある意味次の目標ができるトップ選手って、幸せですよね。けっこうみんなプツッとやめて、目標をなくしてしまう人もいるんですよね。
田所 やりすぎちゃったんだと思うんですよ……、俺は、柔道を。長かったですからね。たまに結構やる人もいますけども、私は高校３年からナショナルチームに入って、32歳までいましたんで。
増田 でもある意味で、古賀や吉田というスターがいたから、まわりも盛り上がったし田所さんもモチベーションを保てた。
田所 それはありますよね。もしかしたらもうとっくに現役退いてたかもしれないですね、彼らがいなかったら。
増田 お互いに輝かせる存在なんですよね。古賀がいたから盛り上がるし。それを追う田所さんや堀越さんたち、一流の選手たちが鎬を削って。（古賀に十字を極める写真を手にして）この写真はかっこいいですよ。このときに一緒の時代にトップでやったっていうのは幸せだったんじゃないですか。
田所 はい。ほんとに。
増田 こんな花形がいるからこそ自分も輝けるし。
田所 もう、そのとおりですよ。
増田 これが古賀がいなくて、ただここに田所先生が表彰台の一番上に立ってるだけの写真だったら、みんなそこまで感動しないと思います。でもここに古賀っていう怪物が立ってて、それを追って一流たちが鎬を削る、そこに人間ドラマがあるし、出場選手全員のバックボーンに何万本という乱取りがある
わけじゃないですか。雨の日もカッパ着て走り、小っちゃいときからずっと積み重ねた時間が、わずか数秒の主審の判断で「待て」がかかるか見てる、その一瞬に、畳の方向見ながら十字を極め続ける。
田所 （しみじみと見ながら）いい写真ですよね。
増田 いい写真です……。
田所 頭上がってなければよかった……。うちの亡くなった父親も、「これはいい写真だ」って言って『近代柔道』にお願いしてパネルを。今でも実家にあるんですよ。
───柔道ではこうして下から関節技をかけている相手を畳から持ち上げると主審から「待て」がかかりますが、ブラジリアン柔術やＭＭＡでは簡単には「待て」がかからないので一本勝ちです。
増田 そうですね。柔術的にいったら完勝だったんですよね……。
田所 はい……。
───いまサーフィンをしていて動きとか、あるいはバランス感覚とかが、柔道に通ずるものがあると感じることも？
田所 バランスというか、抑えの部分で通常のサーファーにはない脚力は活きます。当然それは柔道やってきたのもあるし、ボディビルで重いスクワット担いでたのもあるだろうし。
───抑えるっていうのは脚力でボードを抑えるということですか？
田所 ええ。ボトムターンっていう、下りてから１発目に曲がる技があるんですけども。そのターンは、「他の人ではできない技だね」ということは専門家の人から。
増田 それはやっぱり柔道とかボディビルで鍛えた、踏ん張りですよね。
田所 古賀君ぐらいだったらもっとうまいボトムターンができますよ。あの脚力だったら。
増田 田所先生は柔道をやってきてよかったなって改めて思うことってどんなことでしょう。
田所 柔道やってなかったら今はなかったとはっきり言えますよね。
───自分のすべてをつくった原点のようなものですか。
田所 はい。もう断言できます。ほんとうに柔道には感謝しています。吉田が一時、格闘技のＰＲＩＤＥに上がってたでしょう。ＴＶ放映とかされてるから、柔道とか知らない人も見るでしょう。「田所、お前やれよ」って、私の現役時代を知る先輩なんかは。
増田 言われましたか。どう思いました？ もうちょっと若かったら出たかったですか。
田所 そうですね。
増田 たとえば吉田vsホイス・グレイシーとか見て、俺もやってみたいと。
田所 公務員じゃなかったらやっちゃったかもしれないですね。
増田 証明したいですよね、自分の寝技のほうが上だとか。とくにやっぱり、みんな寝技中心のスタイルだから、田所さんみたいにトップで寝技師としてやられた人は、ギリギリまだ当時だったら四十歳前後ですか。ＰＲＩＤＥ全盛の頃は柔道ファンが集まるとよく先生の名前が出てましたから。ヒクソンと田所先生とやったら、どうなるだろうかって。いや、今だってヒクソンと歳が近いから実現できるかもしれません。いまヒクソンとやってみたいですか？
田所 私が？ どうでしょうね（笑）。
増田 僕たちファンからすると、ちょうど年齢も身長も体重も同じぐらいだし、いま道衣着てヒクソンと田所先生がデスマッチで寝技をやったらどうなるんだろうって。
田所 やってみたいっていう気持ちはあっても、それを実現するにはやっぱりいろんなハードルが高すぎちゃって。公務員ですし、まず練習環境が整わなければ、こればっかりは一人ではできないでしょうから。公務員じゃなくなって、今でも準備期間１年ぐらいいただけるんならば。
───勝負師の魂がふつふつと。
増田 いま教えてる柔道部の生徒たちは、先生がこうやって、若いころ五輪を目指して古賀や吉田と死闘してたのは知ってるんですか？
田所 知らないんじゃないですか。私も言わないですもん。
増田 柔道部以外の生徒とか先生方はもっと知らない？
田所 私は直接は言わないですけど、他の授業の先生が「お前らの担任が昔どんな活躍してたのか知ってんのか」みたいな感じで言うときはあるかもしれないんですけど、それが柔道部の生徒に伝わってるかどうかはわからないです。公立ですから、うちに来て柔道部へ入るけども、そこまで上は目指してないという生徒らが多いんで、なかなか難しいです。私は「軟式柔道部」と冗談で言ってますけど、私も楽しみながらやってます。
───こんな先生に柔道を教えてもらえる生徒たちが羨ましいです。教え子には優しくて自分には厳しくて、自分は一流アスリートとしてさまざまな競技に挑戦し続ける。その背中を見て生徒たちも勉強やスポーツで頑張っていけると思います。
増田 今回お会いする前に、僕も編集部も、田所先生のことを『エンドレス・サマー』（終わらない夏）というアメリカのサーフィンのドキュメンタリー映画をかぶらせてイメージしてましたが、まさにイメージ通りの方でした。柔道で、ボディビルで、サーフィンで、ずっと夏の盛りを求めて生きるその姿は、きっと格闘技に取り組む現役選手たちの目標と希望になるでしょう。先生、今日はどうもありがとうございました。
田所 こちらこそありがとうございました。
--------------------------
Yuji Tadokoro 1962年、茨城県出身。小学2年で多賀道場に入門。中総体ベスト8。多賀高校で柏崎克彦に師事し、東海大卒業後、上郷高校教員に。1981～82年、全日本新人体重別78kg級優勝。84年、正力杯国際学生優勝。87年、講道館杯3位。91年、講道館杯2位。87、91年、全日本選抜体重別3位。91年、太平洋選手権優勝。95年、ボディビルで茨城選手権初出場優勝。東大柔道部コーチも務め「柴山縦」の原型を伝えた。サーフィン歴は15年以上に及ぶ。179cm。
（ゴング格闘技、掲載対談記事）
なかったので、柔道の物語を描く最後の大将が、大将決戦で柔道人気回復のために出てきてくださった。今回の連載が新しく始まるっていう第一報のときも、ＳＮＳで柔道関係者の反響がものすごかったんですよ。
厚い本を見た瞬間、あちゃーと思ったの。さらに開いたら二段組みになってるし（笑）。読み切れるのかなと思ったけど、全然あっという間に読み終わった。聞いたら、編集部でもみんな読んでるって。
あると。おそらくどこかで始まったものが、合同合宿を繰り返すたびに、少しずつ形を変えて伝わっていったんじゃないかって。北大も昔、某実業団柔道部に合同合宿に行ったときにそこの柔道部員たちから受けて、「これは俺たちも後輩にやらねば気がすまない」と言って受け継いだらしいです（笑）。それぞれアレンジされたものが、全国の歴史ある高校や大学に伝わっている。
書いてある。え？ あの古賀？ みたいに驚いて。
が、小林先生も僕も、雲の上の人たちを書くって敬意が、例えば三五がインターハイで活躍するシーンひとつとってもすごいリアリティーを持って感じられる。当時、あらゆるスポーツ漫画でここまでリアルな練習量とか、打ち込みや投げ技の細部や迫力を描いた作品って無かった。
て。ウチへ帰ってじっくり見直してたら、何かがおかしい。引き手の左手が胴体の横にあるわけ。動きが速いからブレてるけど、これ手だよな？ と思いながら。左手が何でここにあんだろう、と思ってもう１回ビデオを回して見たら、どうもこれ片手でやってるぞと。たしかその日のうちに本人に電話してるの。あれ片手だったみたいだけど？ って聞いたら、ああ気付きましたか、なんて感じで。実はあれ練習してたんですって言うんだ。テレビのインタビューでは、咄嗟に出ましたって答えてたけどね（笑）。これ漫画で描きたいって言ったら、描いてくださいと。
くなる選手っているんですよね。それまでおちゃらけだった部員が本気で強くなろうって思うと、この年頃の子って半年見ないと大化けする。元々、吹奏楽部出身の三五がほんとにリアルに大きくなる。この第１巻では細い体が今のそれこそベイカー茉秋みたいな体に、打ち込みやウェイトで変わっていく。
くったけど、敵はつくってない。それが頭の中に宿題みたいな感じで残っていて……そういうほんとうの敵をつくるというのは、この西野が出てくるまでは描いてないんですよ。
前で派手な技、跳びつき腕十字とかオモプラッタとかをがんがん極めたんです。そうしたら俄然、目の
ル五輪61㎏級銅メダル）さんによく会うんだけど、２人はもう俺の漫画についてすごく尊敬してくれてるんですよ、ありがたいことに。でも俺は同じ才能があるんなら柔道がよかった。
も編集者がああしろこうしろなんて指図したら全部突っぱねてた。俺も表紙でこんな構図でこんなふうに描いてくださいって言われたのを見てね、もうド新人だったけど、つまんねえなって、全然違うのを描いて、はい、って渡してた。ド新人がそれをやれてた。
る集中力がすごいなと。気持ちを切らさずそこに持っていくわけだから。
ど、梶原先生は力もなきゃ駄目なんだっていうのを付け加えてくるわけじゃない。それは子ども心にも残るよね。こっちも読むときの集中力が違う。単行本を買う金はないから俺『、あしたのジョー』なんて『少年マガジン』の連載でしか読んでないんですよ。１回しか読んでない。でもほぼ暗記してる。集中して読んでるから。
主役のモデル、恵本裕子さんが偶然、近くに住んでおられたと。
練習量が聞いてて信じられないぐらい長いし多い。それなのにあんまり体育会系、柔道部っぽくない。あの時代にしてはそうとうあか抜けているんです。中野政美先生の指導と……きっかけをつくったのは、やっぱり恵本裕子なんですよ。あの人がまず育った、そこの空気をつくっちゃった。だって、あの練習量で楽しくてしょうがなかったって言うんですよ。
でも、健康のために何かやろうかなって見ると、合気道とかはあるのに、柔道クラスはない。“Yuki Nakai on the eve of Vale Tudo Japan Open 1995. ”
【written by Toshinari MASUDA】
It was noon on April 21st, 1995.
I was at a Zen temple of the Soto sect in Tokyo for the ceremony of Kanyuu Yoshida’s first death anniversary.
Yes, it was the day after I watched the legendary Vale Tudo Japan Open 95 at the Nippon Budokan.
I thought that Yuki Nakai would be there, but there was no sign of him.
Looking back, he had woken up in the morning and realized he couldn't see out of his right eye, so he went to the hospital and was shocked to hear that he was going blind.
In addition to manager Makoto Iwai and the coaches, dozens of young alumni of the Hokkaido University Judo Club from all over Japan, including Sapporo, Osaka, and Fukuoka, gathered at the ceremony and those of us who watched the match were bombarded with questions.
“What was it like against Gordeau?”
"How did Nakai fight? ”
“Is Rickson that strong?”
The monk must have been listening bitterly behind his back as we talked during the sutra reading. But I spoke politely, thinking that Kanyuu Yoshida would want to know the details of the game.
The other alumni must have felt the same way.
At first, they were reserved and whispered, but eventually they got excited and became louder than the sutra reading.
I think Yoshida was the one who wanted to see this match the most, and Nakai wanted to show it to him the most.
That's why I wanted to let Yoshida hear it. Nakai's courageous battle. Nakai really did his best…
On that day, Yuki Nakai was in the ring with the souls of the two men on his back.
＊ ＊
Nakai immediately dropped out of Hokkaido University after finishing the final Nanatei-Judo tournament in his fourth year and proceeded to professional shooting (later known as “professional shooto”) . This was in the summer 
of 1992. Three years later, he participated in the Vale Tudo Japan Open 95, and in those three years, he lost two important men.They were Nakai's rival, Taisuke Kai (captain of Kyushu University) and Nakai's close friend, Kanyuu Yoshida (captain of Hokkaido University).
Nakai, who was vice-captain of Hokkaido University, was with them at the height of the Seven-Imperial Universitiy judo(Nanatei-Judo) era.
Taisuke Kai of Kyushu University was an incredibly strong man. He was probably one of the best ground fighters in the Japanese weight class at the time.
No one could stop him because he was 110 kilograms but he fought on the ground like a lightweight. Nanatei-judo is a 15 vs 15 team elimination tournament where the winner of the round stays to fight the next opponent. Therefore, Kyushu University would place the weakest player in the club as the 15th player and have Kai would be the 14th. Then, he would bring victory to Kyushu University by annihilating all of the players left on the opponent’s team, whether there were 5 or 6 of them left. Yuki Nakai was the only one in the seven universities who could stop him for sure.
Kosen judo(the predecessor of nanatei-judo) before the war also produced many famous players such as Masaru Hayakawa, Chikao Nogami, Masahiko Kimura, and Mitsuo Kimura, but Kai may have been the strongest player in postwar Nanatei-Judo history. Niwa Gompei (former president of the Kyoto University Judo Club), who coached the Kyoto University Judo Club for a long time and has written a major book on the history of Nanatei-Judo, also said "I think Kai is the strongest in history.”
Kanyuu Yoshida, on the other hand, was small but a man full of fighting spirit. He was behind Yuki Nakai in the precision of his ground fighting, but was superior in terms of his overall strength, including his throwing techniques. However, when he took off his judo-gi, he was a good looking man with a bold smile.
When he first entered the club, Yoshida was opposed to the club's policy of focusing on ground fighting, but he was inspired by the tears his seniors would show at each of the Nanatei-Judo matches, and by the time he became captain, he had grown into a man who seemed to be the epitome of the spirit of the Hokkaido University Judo Club.
When Yoshida passed away, I visited his home a few days late to pay my respects and offer incense. I remember how painful it was for me to hear his mother say, "I feel as if the Hokkaido University Judo Club has taken Kanyuu from me…” That is how much he was absorbed in the Hokkaido University Judo Club.
I am three years above Yuki Nakai, Kanyuu Yoshida, and Taisuke Kai. In other words, I was in my fourth year when they were in their first year. At the time, Kyoto University was on a winning streak. Hokkaido University, on the other hand, was in the worst possible situation, having been in last place for five consecutive years.
Our desperate efforts to strengthen the club over a long period of time finally bore fruit, and during our year, we got third place, the following year also took third place, and when Nakai and his club were in their third year, they finally defeated Kyoto University, which had won ten consecutive titles in the semifinals. However, Kyushu University, with their monster Taisuke Kai, was waiting for us in the finals.
The fight could not be decided in both captains’ decisive match, and it lead to a representative match.
Kyushu University, of course, would bring out Kai. Hokkaido University brought out fourth-year vice-captain Yasutomo Goto, a huge man of 128 kilograms who had stopped Kai in the second round. Goto was at a disadvantage standing up, so he pulled Kai into ground fighting and worked on his legs from underneath, but Kai soon got one leg over him. Goto was defending himself with a half guard, but Kai choked him out by changing the posture to a cross choke.
In 1992, Yuki Nakai, Kanyuu Yoshida, and others who had become the most senior students, took countermeasures for a year under the slogan of "defeating Kai”. They battled Kyushu University in the first round of the Nanatei-Judo tournament and Nakai defeated Kai as planned, leading to victory with one man left behind. They met again in the finals after Kyushu University won the repechage bracket and defeated them again to regain the championship banner for the first time in twelve years.
Taisuke Kai had been practicing hard for his fifth year against the Tournament to get his revenge against Hokkaido University, but died of acute pancreatitis at the short age of 22. Kanyuu Yoshida followed him and passed away at the age of 24.
Young passion collided on the stage of the Nanatei-Judo war, and then burst apart. ......
I was a member of the editorial board of the "History of the Hokkaido University Judo Club" 
published in 2010 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the club, so I was able to read Yuki Nakai's contribution at home when it was in the manuscript stage.
As I read it, I couldn't hold back the tears that welled up in my eyes.
The reason is that the memories of Kanyuu Yoshida were written in Nakai's typical gentle and unhurried style.
<<I'm remembering something from the spring of 1991. Or was it early summer?
On that day, I was alone with my classmate Kanyuu Yoshida after practice (for the first and last time) at a public bath (for some reason, I actually rarely go out alone with someone).
I was in my third year at the time, and I was frustrated. Nishioka-san and the other senior members who were in their fourth year also seemed to be in pain. I was proud that I was taking over a traditional club (Masuda's note: the club won the Kosen-Judo Tournament in 1934) that had once won the national championship. However, even if we wanted to, the reality was that we couldn't make it happen again because we lacked the strength. Everything seemed so far away.
Soaking in the bathtub, we talked endlessly about what we should do. Yoshida seemed to be a little surprised. Perhaps he thought I was not very pessimistic about the current situation. No, it wasn't pessimism, it was just a desire to cry. Yoshida accepted me positively, as I had been thinking of betting on this club until the seventh game of my fourth year. I was so relieved that I turned off my negative thoughts.
As a result, I finished as the runner-up that year, which was as close to victory as possible. Nishioka's seoi-nage is still burned into my mind. In the fall, I played in the individual tournament as a backup for Yoshida, and unexpectedly got a ticket to the Shoriki Cup. The next year we succeeded in winning the cup back. Then I left Hokkaido University.
More than 15 years have passed since then, but I am still asking myself the same question. Stand-up or ground fighting. Martial arts or sports. To live or to die. It has become my life's work to 
ask the world what they enjoy about fighting and its meaning. Even now, my time at Hokkaido University is a good memory for me." (History of the Hokkaido University Judo Club in Commemoration of the Club's 100th Anniversary)>>
As the text says, "I was thinking of betting on this club until the seventh game of my fourth year ......," Nakai had probably already made up his mind to go to shooting in his third year.
I first met Yuki Nakai in early April of 1989.
As a fourth-year vice-captain, I was struggling with my clubmates to find a way to avoid being last place for five years in a row.
At that time, there was no trace of the Hokkaido University who was always listed as one of the candidates to win the Nanatei-Judo Tournament with a lineup of heavyweights coming from national level high schools, and when they were able to compete on equal terms with the top universities in Japan in the Kodokan Rules championships. (a seven-man tournament to determine the best college player in Japan)
Legend has it that an alumnus of the University of Tokyo wrote the following when Hokkaido University was strong.
“Hokaido University is a university with a low admission difficulty level, where even judo idiots who've been doing nothing but judo since high school can enter, so it's no surprise that they won.”
I looked for this text in the club room several times when I was an active member, but I couldn't find it after all, so I don't know if it actually existed. However, the fact that such a legend exists shows how strong Hokkaido University used to be.
In order to get out of the rut of being in last place, the club leaders each year continued to devise various ways to improve and even increased the amount of practice to the utmost limit, but they just couldn't win and continued to be in last place.
It was a vicious cycle.
The most important thing was to increase the number of club members anyway, but no matter how many they brought in, new students quit because of how difficult the practice was.
The Battle of the Tournament, a battle of fifteen men, is a war of combined power. Number is power. The club’s strength would not improve unless the competition for the starting members became fierce. At any rate, we had to bring in new members one way or another, even if it meant deceiving them to enter and have them train.
During our time, it was impossible to even think about defeating the invincible Kyoto University and suddenly winning the championship.
The first thing we had to do was to get out of the bottom of the standings. Then, in order to realize our dream of winning the championship for the future, we needed to increase the number of members in the club and find a man to be our core and entrust this dream.
It would be a man with a strong will to win, not because of his achievements in high school or his physique.
In the Nanatei-Judo, which is centered on the art of ground fighting, it is impossible for a competitor's ranking to remain unchanged from his first year until his fourth year.
You will nver know who will grow until they actually try.
That may be the most fascinating aspect of Nanatei-Judo.
I don't think there is anything more exciting ...... where you don't know who will be stronger in four years, a heavyweight athlete who won a top prize at an all-national high school tournament or a thin white belt boy with no athletic experience until high school.
That day, we were gloomily engaged in a prolonged ground fighting brawl, as usual.
All of us were injured in some way, but we couldn't just sit around and watch.
The Battle of the Tournament was coming up in three months. We had to train the players who could become our weak point.
As I was holding down one of our younger players and giving him a pep talk, I met eyes with Hiromasa Tatsuzawa, the captain of the club, who was also holding down someone next to me and yelling, "Pretend this is the actual match and break loose!”
Then, Tatsuzawa pointed with his chin as if to say, "Look over there.”
It was in the direction of the dojo entrance.
I twisted my head to look and saw one of the first year observers sitting on the workout bench.
But that was not what Tatsuzawa wanted to point out.
Next to the first year observer, Takahiro Naga, a first year who had just joined the club, crossed his arms and was giving a lecture. Naga was the captain of the judo club at Sapporo Kita High School, so he had often come to Hokkaido University for training since his high school days. So, even though he was a first-year student, he seemed to be explaining the club to the visitors as if he were a senior.
I looked into Tatsuzawa's eyes and nodded.
I knew what Tatsuzawa wanted from me. That's what it's like to be a comrade after four years of hard work.
I released my hold when the signal was given for the "randori change," gave my opponent a final bow, and immediately went to Naga.
"Naga, is this a first year?
I asked knowingly, wiping sweat from my face.
"Yes. This guy was my classmate at Kita High School, and he was the captain of the wrestling team.”
The first-year visitor stood up with crisp movements and bowed his head, "My name is Yuki Nakai.”
When I held out my right hand and said, "I'm Masuda, fourth year," Nakai grasped it firmly in return. He didn't break eye contact. He was a strong man, and I knew I wanted him in the club.
"As you can see, we don't do normal judo. It's all about ground fighting. Players with a wrestling background will grow. When I was a freshman, there was a fifth-year senior who started as a white belt in wrestling and ended up being the strongest. Have you decided to join yet?
“No, it's …” Nakai said and scratched his head.
I later learned that Nakai was planning to join the Kyokushin Karate Hokkaido branch dojo, which was located in front of the main gate of Hokkaido University at the time.
He had heard that the judo club was a special kind of club that was all about ground fighting, so he just came to take a peek. Since he had done kumite in high school, he wanted to learn striking in college. He already had mixed martial arts (MMA) in his mind. In his mind, the idea of mixed martial arts (MMA stands for mixed martial arts, which allows throwing and sleeping techniques such as judo and wrestling, as well as striking techniques such as karate and boxing) had already sprouted.
“I see. Well, watch us practice.”
With that, I decided to start with what Tatsuzawa was asking me to do.
"Good. Naga, Let’s practice.”
"What? Me?”
Naga bowed his head happily, saying, "Yes please”. He seemed to be proud that he had been asked by name to do a randori with a fourth year in front of his high school classmate.
Normally, I would move to the middle of the dojo before starting the randori, but I started grappling with Naga right in front of Nakai. I then gave him a pretty hard flying armbar. Naga screamed and slapped my hands. I quickly let go.
When Naga stood up, he tilted his head and crossed his arms. When he was training with us as a high school student, I was going easy against him, so he had been held down by me but never been submitted. As soon as I had one hand on him, I gave him a near-illegal armpit hold this time. Naga again shouted, "Ouch!” and slapped the tatami.
Nakai leaned forward to watch. The eighteen-year-old's eyes shined with curiosity.
From that point on, I didn't let Naga stand and continued to use locking techniques. I used as many 
flashy techniques as I could to attract Nakai's attention, such as ude-juji, ude-garami, triangle to ude-gatame, and even omoplattas, which I didn't know at the time had a name on the other side of the world.
At the end of the six minutes, the signal was given to switch.
Naga gave a last bow, wobbling unsteadily. He sat down next to Nakai and tried to rest. But then came Tatsuzawa.
"Oh, Naga-kun. Is he a first year?
He asked the same thing I did. I smirked and looked sideways at him.
“Oh, yes. His name is Nakai, my classmate from Kita High School. He’s from the wrestling club.” Naga said, breathing hard.
"Oh, wrestling. Sounds like he’ll grow.” Tatsuzawa smiled happily.
“I'm Tatsuzawa, the captain. Nice to meet you.”
When Tatsuzawa held out his right hand, Nakai grabbed Tatsuzawa's hand back with both hands, this time with a look of obvious longing in his eyes.
When Tatsuzawa said, "Join us," his attitude became quite positive, "Yes, yes.
My eyes met Tatsuzawa's.
I said with my eyes, "We're almost there," and Tatsuzawa replied with his eyes, "Leave it to me.”
Tatsuzawa said. "So, Naga, do you want to practice with me, too?
Naga pulled away with a "What?”. He had realized our intentions. But there was no way he could run away now.
“Okay, come on. “ As soon as Tatsuzawa paired up, he pulled Naga into a ground fight and flipped him over, and from there demonstrated more techniques than I did.
He strangled Naga with a lateral triangle, then loosened the technique each time Naga tapped. He then used locking and strangulation techniques in each direction Naga tried to get away.
Tatsuzawa didn't throw him since he was still a new student but Naga kept screaming in pain and agony. Front triangles, back triangles, and all kinds of ude-garami patterns.
Nakai leaned forward so far that half of his buttocks fell off the bench, excitedly mesmerized by the array of techniques.
At the meeting after practice, Nakai declared, "I'm joining the club!”
My retirement match against the Tournament was held in the middle of July, so I overlapped Nakai's active period by only three months.
I must have done thirty or forty randori with Nakai, but I can only remember one.
At that time, we were busy training the second and third year players, who would be the thirteenth, 
fourteenth, and fifteenth members of the tournament and so a randori with a first year player was not at all important. Moreover, Nakai was still a white belt.
However, there is a reason why I remember only one randori with Nakai.
He threw me.
I can still clearly remember the scene and feeling of that moment more than 20 years later.
It was an ura-nage.
No, it wasn't an ura-nage. It was a backdrop in pro wrestling, or a back throw in amateur wrestling.
If it had been a ura-nage, I would’ve avoided it, no matter how much I let my guard down.
It was a backdrop, so my timing to avoid it was off.
Then, with a bridging backdrop, I was slammed backwards headfirst into the tatami.
I stood up, laughing in embarrassment.
That's where the problem began.
As I stood up, Nakai said, "Okay!” and Nakai was already waiting for me to grapple with him.
He was in a semi-crouching pose, with his arms firmly by his sides, and hands open like an eagle trying to catch its prey.
It was a wrestling stance.
The look on his face showed that he was wanting to throw me again.
Normally, a first year white belt would not have this attitude towards a fourth year.
Of course, there was no such thing as meaningless hazing in the Hokkaido University Judo Club, but it was still a martial arts club. You knew that if you do something, you will get it done back to you many times over.
Even if you are a very strong third year whose strength is on par with that of a fourth year, you will often become scared and mentally withdraw after winning over someone. I was the same. This was of course the case when I was a junior student, and even after I became a senior student, I tended to be scared and mentally withdraw after winning over a higher ranked player in a training session.
From the time he was a white belt, Nakai was a man who was not at all afraid of such things. He had an innate boldness that was not acquired through training.
Three months later, after the last of the Nanatei-Judo Tournament in my fourth year, I dropped out of Hokkaido University to become a newspaper reporter. I was so busy that I stopped going to the dojo.
However, by the fall of that year, I had started to hear rumors through the coaches that Nakai's ground fightingwas getting stronger and stronger. I was glad to hear it.
In his second year, he had already overtaken his seniors to become a starting member in the Nanatei-Judo Tournament, and had been playing his part as a player who would fight for a draw with the strongest of opponents.
At that time, there were about forty-five members in the club. Nakai, who started as a white belt, was able to join the fifteen-member club after only one year and three months of training, which was an amazing improvement in his ability.
In his third year, he became a full-fledged ground fighting master who could use his legs from below, and in the final match against the Tournament, he flipped an opponent who was ranked third in the national high school tournament from below and easily subdued him by binding his arms from the side triangle.
He also won the preliminary round of Hokkaido’s individual tournament under international weight rules by utilizing his ground fighting, and finished in the top 16 of the Shoriki Cup (intercollegiate tournament) by doing the same. This was the best 16 because it was under international rules, but if it had been under the Nanatei-Judo rules, where there is a pull-in and no waiting or stalling for a ground fight, he would have ranked much higher.
It was hard to believe that Nakai had started as a white belt in college, but he had grown into a monstrous ground fighting master.
Of course, compared to the current Nakai, who has become a top-notch Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner, his skills were obviously lower, but it is safe to say he definitely had the highest level of ground fighting techniques in Japan at the time when Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu had not yet entered the country.
Coach Yoichi Sasaki, who has been coaching the Hokkaido University Judo Club for a long time, once shared with me the secret of how Nakai became so strong in such a short time.
“After night practices are finished, those who are dedicated stay behind to study techniques, do a thousand push-ups, and weight training. The guys who did that all got stronger, didn’t they? If you work hard, you will naturally get stronger. But Nakai didn't do any of those things. That's why he became much stronger than those guys.”
“What was he doing?”
"Lying on his back in the middle of the dojo, stuck there for an hour, looking up at the ceiling.”
".........?
“That's how much effort he put into his randori. He never cut corners on each randori. That's why he didn't have any power left to do any research or weights. I've seen nearly 200 fighters, and Nakai was the only one who would do that.”
“How was his technique?
"He absorbs everything I teach him. And then he rearranges it to make it his own way. Then he would come back again and again, asking me to teach him more. He was very persistent. Eventually, I had nothing left to teach and he just rose to the top on his own.”
In the summer of his fourth year, Nakai won his long-held dream of winning the Nanatei-Judo Tournament, dropped out of Hokkaido University, and moved to Yokohama to get into shooting.
The older alumni were very opposed to the idea of dropping out of school to go into shooting, and I remember that Makoto Iwai, the coach at the time, and I were probably the only two people who actively supported it.
There is a club magazine called "Hokkaido University Judo" published every year by the Hokkaido University Judo Club's Old Friendship Association (Alumni Association). In addition to students, alumni and instructors contribute to the magazine, and I'll pick up the part where Coach Iwai mentioned Nakai the year he and his fellows retired.
“Nakai, the vice-captain of the club, started judo in college and has grown to become one of Hokkaido University's leading ground fighting masters. In his third year, he was the runner-up in the 71kg and under weight class, and at the All Japan Championships, he defeated a representative of the Kansai region in a ground fighting match, demonstrating that Hokkaido University's ground fighting can be used throughout Japan and under international rules.
What makes him special is his guts and energy during practice. When the windows of the dojo were open, I could hear him shouting as we approached the dojo, and when the windows were closed, I could hear him shouting 
just as I opened the dojo door, and I would feel myself tensing up.
At the departure ceremony in July, Nakai said, "I’ll take on Kai this year." I felt his loyalty and enthusiasm for the team and the Nanatei-Judo tournament in his words, and our strategy against Kyushu University, which I was slowly putting together, was solidified.
He dropped out of college in August to pursue a martial art called "Shooting”. Some may ask, "Why?” But it is a way of life, and I myself look forward to his future activities. (“Hokkaido University Judo” Published in 1992)
Nakai himself, who had a part-time job and was immersed in Shooting practice, sent us this manuscript from Yokohama titled "Don't Look Back.”
<<How are you all doing? I'm keeping myself busy with part-time work and practice. There are times when I feel like it's too much work, but I’m somehow pulling through. This is the last time I'll be writing the club magazine as an active member, so I'm a little nervous as I sit at my desk.
The reason why I can look back on my three years and four months at Hokkaido University and say that they were wonderful is because of judo. Judo, to which I devoted almost all of my days, including 
meals and sleep, and in which I became passionately devoted to; Judo, in which I learned what it means to create my own techniques and the joy of doing so; Judo (and the club), in which became the driving force (or standard, or antithesis) of my own way of thinking; and also Kodokan judo, Nanatei-Judo, I really felt that there were so many aspects of judo within me. Considering my devotion, the fact that we were able to win the Nanatei-Judo tournament meant that we had done what we had to do. That's why I'm here now.
(Omitted)
At the pep rally before the Nanatei-Judo tournament, a drunk Kabashima (Masuda's note: the next captain) told me, "I want you to do one more year (even though I know his next career path).” But I replied, "It's easy for me to stay in the judo club" (Masuda's note: Nakai had to do another year in school, so he was eligible to participate in the Nanatei-Judo Tournament in his fifth year). I don't know if he understood my intentions, but I thought it would be better for me in the long run to leave the judo club and Hokkaido University, which had been a place where I felt at peace. That was all I was thinking.
(Omitted)
Thank you very much to my seniors, my 14 peers, and my juniors. Whenever I have a hard time, I will remember your words of encouragement and try to cheer myself up.
Now, I'm off to the gym.
I won't look back on the past anymore.
Thank you. Bye.
October 3》
Nakai was starting to run forward.
However, in March 1993, just five months after Nakai wrote this article, he received the tragic news of the sudden death of Taisuke Kai of Kyushu University.
It was acute pancreatitis, he was only twenty-two years old, and it was so sudden.
The alumni of other universities also mourned the sudden death of a good man who had been practicing hard for the fifth year's game against the Tournament to defeat Hokkaido University.
In April, I received a letter from Nakai.
<<It's getting warmer around here. How is everyone doing?
It's been eight months since I started Shooting in Yokohama.
And now, on Monday, April 26th at Korakuen Hall, my debut match has been decided as the first match of the day. (Doors will open at 6:00 and the match will start at 6:30 on that day.) It is thanks to your support that I have managed to get this far. I can't thank you enough.
For me, this is the starting point, and I will continue to devote myself to achieving my goals. I look forward to your continued guidance. Best regards,>>
Normally, this is the time when one graduates from college and starts working. In that sense, his debut game was like a coming of age ceremony, a combination of graduation and new entrance ceremony.
I couldn't make it to this fight because of work, but he did get a nice win over Hironori Noritsugi in 53 seconds. Two months later, on June 24, he won again with a heel hold in 1:36 of the second round against Masakazu Kuramochi.
Three weeks later, I met Nakai at the Nanatei-Judo Tournament in Kyoto.
Of course, Nakai also came to support the students as an alumnus.
It may be hard to imagine from his current quiet vibe, but Nakai was quite excited to see the alumni at the dormitory after a long time. He seemed to be very excited.
No, to be more precise- for me, who was rooting for Nakai's entry into Shooting in the first place; he didn't look like he was full of himself, but apparently that’s what it seemed like to most of the other alumni, especially the heavyweights.
He was talkative.
He named some famous professional wrestlers and said, "If it's a serious match, I can easily win.”
Many of the alumni were snickering.
At the time, the public knew next to nothing about the realities of professional wrestlers.
I tried to lighten the mood by saying something like, "Try to put a heel hold on me to see how much it hurts.” Nakai applied it with a lot of force. I screamed.
"How is it? It hurts, doesn't it?”
Nakai smiled with a friendly expression on his face.
But I could tell the light behind his eyes was serious. Nakai wanted me to know what he was doing through pain.
I knew he was being talkative because he was trying to inspire himself. The sport of shooting itself was still a lost cause.
"Shooting? What's the point of all those little guys messing around? They'll just get twisted to pieces by wrestlers.” The wrestling fans would say and laugh.
There were still a lot of people who thought wrestling was a serious fight.
This was a time when the "wall of pro wrestling" was still that high.
At that time, there was only one professional organization fighting against the ignorance of the public, and that was Shooting.
Nakai's eloquence seemed to be an expression of anger at the ignorance.
Even the alumni of Hokkaido University, who were supposed to have been judo competitors in the past, did not know much about it. In order to convey the truth to the average fan who has never experienced martial arts, it was necessary to overcome a tremendously high hurdle.
Nakai must have felt as if he was running in the dark, even though he had left Yokohama alone to join the shooting team.
He was aware that he was getting stronger, but he couldn't see the future.
Of course, I'm not talking about financial stability or anything like that.
Nakai is not a man who cares about such things.
Rather, there was an impatience because there were no means of showing the truth to the ignorant public.
At the time, the only fair ring was in shooting.
However, there were no famous professional wrestlers who would get in that ring.
The borderline between match-fixing and serious fights was determined by the balance of the fight money pile.
However, as long as the fight money was determined by the amount of box office revenue, there was no way shooting could compete with wrestling at the time.
The only reason why professional wrestlers were later forced to get up and lose in mixed martial arts rings such as PRIDE was because of the huge reversal in fight money.
It was impossible for shooting, a serious competition, and mixed martial arts to gain public recognition and become viable on their own. There was no other way except to wait for some divine intervention.
Nakai and the other shooters at the time were frustrated with the situation of having to rely on other people's help.
After cheering at the Nanatei-Judo Tournament in Kyoto, Nakai and I took the same bullet train to go home together since we had time to spare.
Nakai calmed down as we went from a place with many people to a space where it was just the two of us, and spoke calmly. I thought it was because he was only facing me, who was cheering for him to go to Shooting.
“I heard Kanyuu Yoshida was also there for your debut.”
"Yes. With his parents. They said they really wanted to see this game, so they forced him to come along. I'm really grateful. I'm glad I was able to win in front of him.”
At this point, Nakai had a slightly complicated expression on his face.
I think I had a complicated look on my face as well.
There was a sense of regret and sadness that Yoshida, who had been a man of fighting spirit and a symbol of cheerfulness, had somehow lost his mental balance and had to take a leave of absence from university, and that he could not even go to Korakuen Hall, which was not far from his parents' home in Tokyo, without being accompanied by his parents.
There was a feeling of pain imagining the gloominess of Yoshida, who, as a close friend, or rather as the former captain, saying to himself, "I must attend Nakai's debut at any cost” in spite of his condition.
I could understand Nakai's feelings.
Tatsuzawa, the captain during my time, fell into a situation like Yoshida's, and I wondered how I would feel if I 
were in Nakai's position. The position of captain was a symbol and a source of pride for our clubmates. This feeling may be particularly strong among those who have been vice captains.
Nakai said.
“To tell you the truth, I couldn't help but think of Kai's face in the ring during my debut match.”
“Kai, do you mean Kai from Kyushu University who died the other day?”
"Yes. I've been thinking about Kai ever since I got in the ring.”
“............”
On November 25 of the same year, Nakai fought a full five rounds against senior ground fighting master Asahi Noboru and lost by decision. It is not clear whether Nakai regarded this as a good fight or a disappointing one.
However, just before this match, the shooters, including Nakai, must have started to feel the long-awaited divine intervention that could change the ignorance of the public.
On November 12th, the first UFC was held in Denver, Colorado, USA.
UFC is an abbreviation for "Ultimate Fighting Championship," but at that time it was not yet called UFC in Japan, but "Ultimate Tournament”. Fights were fought in an octagonal ring surrounded by a wire mesh, with almost no rules and no gloves. Only biting, eye poking, and groin attacks were prohibited, and anything else was allowed, literally making it the “ultimate” martial arts tournament. The press release to the media used the extreme phrase, "Two men go into a metal net and only one man comes out," but the matches really turned out to be a brawl, with many injuries.
The winner of this extreme one-day tournament of eight fighters was a skinny young Brazilian man named Royce Gracie, who was trained in a minor martial art called Gracie Jiu-Jitsu.
At that time, it was said that if a karate fighter or a heavyweight boxer punched his opponent in the face with his bare hands, his opponent would die, and it was said that it was impossible to hold a match under a near no-rules condition. Because of this illusion, karate fighters and boxers were thought to be the strongest in actual combat. However, when the fights actually began, we found out that even if you get punched or kicked, you only bled and no one died, and rather, those with a background of Kumite-type martial arts had the advantage. In particular, this Royce Gracie won the tournament single-handedly with his very technical fighting style, keeping his distance from karate fighters and boxers, tackling them, and then taking them into a ground fight for strangulation and locking techniques.
The martial arts media was all over the place, reporting on the details of the fight, writing about the authenticity of the fights (there was even a rumor of match fixing) and the behind-the-scenes details.
In retrospect, the dawn of mixed martial arts around the world was just about to begin.
After the new year, Kaiki Ichihara of Daido Juku participated in the third UFC event on March 11, 1994, and was completely defeated by a kata ha jime by Royce.
The Japanese martial arts media was now thrown into utter confusion.
Kanyuu Yoshida passed away the following month, in April. He was twenty-four years old.
“Why Yoshida, along with Kai…?
The people involved were shocked.
Perhaps Yoshida lost his mental balance because he was burned out from the tournament and lost sight of his goal.
Or perhaps the sudden death of his rival, Kai of Kyushu University, may have been one of the triggers.
But then, why couldn't we, as seniors, take care of him?
I felt such shame continuously rising in my heart as well.
However, it must have been Nakai, his best friend, who was the most shocked.
It was during this time that Shooting invited Rickson Gracie, the brother of Royce Gracie, to participate in a one-day tournament called "Vale Tudo Japan Open 94".
It was the 29th of July.
Rickson, who is considered the strongest of the Gracie clan, was the strongest in the tournament. It proved what Royce had said, about his brother Rickson being ten times stronger than him.
But even more shocking was the fact that the two shooting aces, Kenji Kawaguchi and Kazuhiro Kusayanagi, were beaten full of blood by a striker.
I heard a rumor that Nakai had been appealing directly to Satoshi Sayama before this fight, saying "Please let me fight!” I can't say for sure since I haven't talked to him about it, but it was quite possible in his state of mind at that time.
Satoshi Sayama must have begun to realize that he would have to rely on Nakai's ground fighting after these disastrous defeats of Kawaguchi and Kusayanagi.
That's why he put together a match between Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Artu Kacha (a direct pupil of Royler Gracie) and Yuki Nakai at the September tournament, which was the first time it was held under the title of "Vale Tudo Access" and used the Vale Tudo Japan Open rules.
Nakai fought through 8 minutes of three rounds and took it to a draw.
This gave us a sense that “he can do it”.
Then, on November 7, he won by decision in a title match against Kazuhiro Kusayanagi, and rose to become the welterweight champion.
This set the rails for Nakai to compete in the following year's Vale Tudo Japan Open 95.
Nakai was the big gun for Shooting.
However, as soon as Nakai's participation and the cards were announced, the media called out on the danger.
His first round opponent was Gerard Gordeau, the runner-up for the first UFC.
He was 198 centimeters tall and 100 kilograms. There was a difference of 28 centimeters in height and 29 kilograms in weight between him and Nakai, who was only 170 centimeters tall and 71 kilograms.
When I heard that the opponent was Gordeau, I thought to myself, "This is a bit too much......"
A few weeks before the game, I received a phone call. It was from Tatsuzawa, who had become a dam engineer and was working at a site in Chichibu.
“Nakai is going to die in the ring.” he said.
Apparently, Nakai is saying he might die in the tournament.
Nakai must have told someone and it leaked from Makoto Iwai, the manager. Of course, I was planning to go to the tournament at the Nippon Budokan from the beginning, but this phone call made me think, "I definitely have to see him through until the end.”
His opponent was the ferocious Gordeau, who had done so much in the UFC. It's not just the size difference, he’s dangerous. I didn't think it was going to be a win or lose kind of fight at all.
On the day of the competition, I met up with two of my clubmates from the Hokkaido University Judo Club, Tatsuzawa and Matsui Takashi, and went to cheer him on.
We got our seats in the front row of the second floor.
At first, I thought I would get the best seats at ringside, but then I thought it would be easier to watch the fight from above since it would be a contest of ground fighting. The first-floor seats were packed, and the ringside area was lined with celebrities such as sumo wrestlers Konishiki and Musashimaru, President Ishii of Seidokaikan, and Kyokushin's Tatsuya Iwasaki, but the second floor seats were 60% full, not quite empty, but not quite full.
“I want to go to Nakai's locker room.” Tatsuzawa said as he brushed his bangs. It's his habit when he's getting nervous.
“You can't do that. We’re not authorized.” My heart was already beating faster, too.
“But I want to go out there and show him that we're watching, that we're with him.”
"Then let’s give him an encouragement award.”
"An encouragement award?
I explained that it was something that’s normal at boxing and other martial arts competitions, like a prize in sumo. It would be delivered directly to the players' locker room.
I immediately bought an envelope, a ballpoint pen, and glue at the store. I put a 10,000-yen bill into the envelope, with the words "Encouragement Award, Yuki Nakai" on the front and "Hokkaido University Judo Club Alumni, Hiromasa Tatsuzawa, Toshinari Masuda, and Takashi Matsui" on the back. As I was about to seal it, I suddenly thought of something.
“I wonder if I can find a piece of paper. I want to write a note.”.
"Is anything ok?”
Matsui pulled out a receipt from a convenience store or something from his pocket. I took the receipt, wrote "Don't forget the spirit of Hokkaido University Judo Club" on the back, put it in an envelope, and sealed it. I had to hurry or the match would start. I went out into the hallway and told the part-time attendant, "Make sure you hand it to him. Before the match, I mean. Please.” I reminded him. It would be meaningless if it didn't reach him before the match.
I stood up to use the bathroom again and again. The other two were also fidgety and restless.
At the opening ceremony, all the competitors were lined up in the ring, but Nakai looked terribly small and poor.
I wondered if the encouragement award had reached Nakai. We questioned each other several times. Is Nakai afraid? I was terribly nervous.
I remembered him saying, "I couldn't help but think of Kai's face in the ring during my debut fight," and I wondered if Nakai was thinking about Kanyuu Yoshida and Taisuke Kai at that moment.
Nakai vs. Gordeau was the second match of the tournament.
I didn't pay attention to the first match. All I could think about was Nakai's match.
Both men entered the ring.
<In the blue corner, the professional shooting welterweight champion, Yuki Nakai!>
An announcement was made.
Nakai responded by raising his right hand while re-chewing his mouthpiece several times. Not much cheering could be heard, even if we included ourselves.
On the other hand, when Gordeau was introduced, the crowd erupted in unison. Clearly, the crowd was expecting the brutality that Gordeau had shown in the UFC. It seemed that more than 80% of the crowd was made up of wrestling fans, as Rings’ Yoshihisa Yamamoto was also in the tournament.
The bell rang.
Nakai swings his upper body and goes for a tackle. He gets a hold.
“Good!” Tatsuzawa said.
However, Gordeau stayed back and held the top rope with his left arm to prevent being knocked down, and then held Nakai's head with his right arm. Nakai tried to put his left leg over the back of Gordeau's right knee to take him down, but he couldn't because Gordeau was holding the ropes.
“Nakai, don't let go!” I shouted out.
Immediately, the referee and the staff at ringside started talking about something. Then the referee said, "Stop! Thumbing!” The referee raised his thumb and said, "Caution!”
“The 1st caution for Gerard Gordeau” When the announcement was made, the crowd erupted.
By this time, Nakai's right eye had already been gouged out to the back of the eyeball by Gordeau's thumbnail.
But Nakai remained silent and kept holding onto Gordeau.
As we cheered from the second floor, we could see that there had been a thumbing, but we never realized that the damage was so severe that he would lose his eyesight.
Nakai's mental strength was beyond human.
The crowd's manners at the time were terrible. During this standoff, they said, "What are you doing?” or "Don't keep hugging each other, faggots!” and the other crowds would laugh.
The first round ended in the same position. Ｎａｋａi’s second cooled the area around Nakai's right eye with an ice pack during the break.
Nakai jumps out of the corner as the second round begins.
Blood was flowing from Nakai's right eye.
As Nakai went for a light front kick, Gordeau made a low right kick, and Nakai slid in to catch Gordeau's right leg and tangled both legs from underneath.
He’s going for the heel hold.
However, Gordeau grabbed the ropes with one hand again and pounded hard from above.
The place was filled with cheers.
"Gordeau! Kill him!”
Each time Gordeau's fist struck down, the back of Nakai's head hit the mat with a loud thud, and fresh blood spattered from his right eye.
The three of us kept shouting, "Nakai, run!”
But the whole place grew excited, and the crowd was filled with killing intent.
The audience around us was also repeating some horrible heckling.
"Just go ahead and kill Nakai!” A spectator behind me shouted.
"Hey, you guys, shut up.” The hot-blooded Tatsuzawa turned around and scoffed.
The group of about five people who were watching were scared into silence, but after a while, they started yelling again. I don't think they ever dreamed that we were Nakai's seniors. That's why they didn't understand why Tatsuzawa was so angry.
“Kill him!” The crowd behind me started shouting again.
“Can you guys go watch somewhere else?” I turned around and said this time.
They fell silent again.
As I turned around to face forward, we could hear them whispering to each other and finally said to us, "You're the one who's being loud.”
At that moment, Matsui, who was sitting beside me, turned around, stood up and shouted “Enough!”. His face was bright red. Tatsuzawa and I had always been quick to fight, but this was the first time we had seen Matsui get angry, so we were surprised.
The group was surprised by Matsui's ferocious behavior and finally clucked their tongues and moved to other seats as Tatsuzawa and I turned around and glared at them.
The match had been horrendous.
Another round of hard pounding by Gordeau begins.
Nakai escapes from the ropes to the apron side. Still, Gordeau kept pounding away. Unable to watch, I looked away.
“It’s ok to give up now…” Matsui murmured bitterly.
I felt the same way. All right, we get it Nakai… I got your spirit well enough… give up the fight…
The booing and heckling from the entire crowd only got worse.
"Don't move.” The referee stopped both fighters and moved them to the center of the ring.
The place was abuzz.
They think that they will be able to see the cruel scene again. But from there, Gordeau stood and put his hands on his hips and didn't attack, while Nakai lay on his back and used his hands to say, "Come on!”. It was like Inoki vs. Ali.
The heckling got worse again.
However, Nakai didn't seem to care about that and kept inviting Gordeau to get on the ground with him, saying "Come on.” Nakai's heart was not broken.
The long, long second round was over.
When he returned to his corner, Nakai's face was greatly swollen and his right eye was bleeding quite badly.
While it was being cooled with an ice pack, Nakai's left eye kept looking at Gordeau in the red corner.
Although what was in front of Nakai was fighting Gordeau; what Nakai was really trying to do was to flip over the ignorant world.
I felt like Nakai was showing his eloquence and the fire in his heart- which I felt when I saw him in Kyoto, in the ring. Now, Nakai has the opportunity to express his fire not with words, but with his body. In between rounds, we talked about how Nakai must be enjoying this fight. I felt a little better when I thought about it that way.
The match distastefully continued on and on.
The audience was beginning to get tired of the same storyline.
But we were the only ones biting our teeth and trying to share the pain with Nakai in the ring.
I was determined not to look away from the scene, no matter how cruel it was. It would be so shameful if we, the senior members of the team, turned a blind eye to Nakai's unrelenting fight.
In the ring, Nakai fought endlessly for eight minutes of unrestricted rounds.
Nakai grabs him by the tackle. Gordeau holds the ropes again.
"Nakai!” We kept screaming at Nakai, who held onto Gordeau, who was still holding the rope.
However, the ring was too far away for our voice to reach him. I knew we should have gotten a ringside seat. Thinking that, I just kept shouting "Nakai!” It was frustrating that there was nothing else I could do for him.
In the fourth round, Nakai tackled Gordeau’s both legs and pushed him into the corner.
Gordeau is working for a front choke.
It looked like it was working.
But Nakai removed it as he slowly lowered his body and tangled his own legs against Gordeau’s left leg.
The crowd was buzzing with anticipation of another brutal pounding.
But just as Gordeau was about to pound on him, Nakai applied a heel hold with all his might. I remember the scene as if it were yesterday, as Gordeau's upper body swayed and he slowly fell.
Gordeau hit the mat.
The shouts of the crowd in the Budokan turned into loud cheers.
This was the moment when Nakai flipped the world with his own power.
My mind went blank as I repeatedly shook hands with Tatsuzawa and Matsui.
The opponent for the semifinals, Craig Pittman, was also a heavyweight weighing 115 kg. In addition, he is a former champion in the 130kg class of the U.S. Amateur Wrestling Championships, so it seemed to be more troublesome than the Gordeau match, but Nakai was able to secure a ude hishigi juji gatame from the bottom.
The opponent in the finals, Rickson Gracie, fought in a way that seemed to pay homage to the smaller Nakai, who came into the finals with his face swollen severely. We were mesmerized by the two's smooth ground fighting battle.
This tournament became the pioneer of MMA in Japan in the true sense of the word.
It was indeed the Gracie family and the UFC that created the breeze.
However, breezes only create big waves, and if there are no surfers who can ride the waves, they will just crash into the shore and disappear.
It was because of Yuki Nakai, who was able to ride the huge wave created by the breeze in exchange for a death sentence of having his professional license revoked due to blindness in his right eye, that mixed martial arts was able to take root in Japan. Martial arts fans must never forget that.
This is what literary editors and critics say to me. "Why are you writing about such a niche topic? Since you've taken the trouble to become a writer, you should write more entertaining novels and aim for the big crowds.”
The niche topic is my autobiographical novel "The story of the Nanatei-Judo," which is being serialized in the martial arts magazine "Gekkan Hiden”.
I don't know what to say to convince everyone, so I'll keep my mouth shut, but here's what I really think. To be clear, this is not a niche topic.
It's a great story.
It is a requiem for Taisuke Kai, who passed away at the age of 22, and for Kanyuu Yoshida, who passed away at the age of 24, after devoting all the energy of their youth to the team sport of Nanatei-Judo.
It is also a requiem for "mixed martial artist Yuki Nakai," who lost two dear friends, pursued only strength, and disappeared after shining a brilliant light for just one day in the ring to overturn the ignorance and prejudices of the world.
Until I finish the series and hand it over to Yoshida and Kai's parents in book form, my Nanatei-Judo battles will not be over. No, I don't think I'll ever be able to finish summing up the history of martial arts in Japan without it.
If Nakai had entered Kyokushin Karate in April 1989 instead of visiting the Hokkaido Univeristy Dojo, he would not be where he is today. Even if he had moved on from Kyokushin to shooting, he would not have been able to beat Gordeau.
On that day, a rare competitive fighter named Yuki Nakai happened to visit the Hokkaido University dojo, happened to join the club, met two good men there, his best friend Yoshida and his rival Kai, and fell in love with ground fighting. There is no doubt that this was the start of a huge trend in the current mixed martial arts scene.
It's nothing short of a miracle, isn't it?
If I don't write about this miracle, who will?
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