The day, after the Celebration of Life, the Aikido cummunity gathered for a special Hokuryukai class held at the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre. Our deep gratitude goes to Adrian Iliescu and the other members of JCCC Aikikai, who graciously permitted us to use their dojo for this special class during their regular times on Sunday morning.
Guests came from the USA, across Canada and local dojos, especially Aikido Tendokai, Yumi-sensei’s primary dojo.
We were incredibly honoured that Osawa-shihan, the technical director of the Canadian Aikido Federation, made a special trip from Japan just to join us for these events. He taught the memorial class on Sunday.
It was a weekend that was very fitting to honouring Yumi-sensei’s memory and also one that she would have enjoyed.
We are very grateful to everyone who joined us in remembering Yumi.
Stories about Yumi
The memorial class on the Sunday after the Celebration of Life gave many of Yumi‘s friends and students an opportunity to express their thoughts and feelings about her.
These reminiscences were heartfelt and quite meaningful to us.
One of her early instructors, Rumi Hoshina-sensei, sent in some remarks on Yumi’s training as a white belt at Osaka Aikikai that I read at the class.
She wrote:
“When Yumi first came to Chomyoji-Temple where the dojo was, there were only a few women who practiced Aikido.
Yumi was so tough. She repeated uke and nage like a piston, without resting her body.
I remember her once asking me, panting and shaking her shoulders and clenching her hands, “I’m having trouble breathing during training. How can I keep breathing?”
Another amazing thing about Yumi is the story of when someone from another dojo broke her upper arm during training and she was unable to move it.
I found out later on that the doctor at the hospital where she worked told her that it would probably never recover fully.
Without knowing this, I had Yumi hold a bokken and encouraged her to swing it.
She came to the dojo every day, desperately holding and swinging the bokken with her immobilized arm.
Finally, one day, Yumi said, “I can move my arm and hand again.”
If you believe and keep going without giving up, your dreams will come true.”
Interview
A very interesting interview in which Nakamura-sensei describes her early training was published on the Big Rock Aikikai website some time ago.
https://bigrock-aikikai.com/ferocious-and-female/interview-yumi-nakamura,-7th-dan,-shihan.html