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Noriaki "Nori" Bunasawa (樗沢憲昭, Bunasawa Noriaki; born November 3, 1947) is a Japanese and American judoka, a former USA judo coach at the 1972 Olympic games[1] and at the 1975 World Judo Championships.[2] He is also a judo and jujutsu researcher,[3] Japanese martial arts historian,[3] actor, and co-author of The Toughest Man Who Ever Lived, a novel based on the life of Mitsuyo Maeda.[3] He founded the Judo Journal newspaper which became Judo Jiujitsu Pro-fighting Journal.
| Nori Bunasawa | |
|---|---|
| Born | Noriaki Bunasawa November 3, 1947 Saitama, Japan |
| Style | Jūkkendo Judo |
| Teacher(s) | Yoshimi Osawa Masahiko Kimura |
| Rank | Jūkkendo: Founder Judo: 9th dan |
| Other information | |
| Occupation |
|
| University | Waseda University |
He is also the founder of Jūkkendo (柔拳道), a martial arts system based on the prize fighting methods of Mitsuyo Maeda.[3]
Early life and education
editNori Bunasawa was born on November 3, 1947, in Saitama, Japan. He learned judo under Yoshimi Osawa and Masahiko Kimura.[3] He was a graduate of Waseda University.[4] In 1969, he earned a silver medal in the lightweight (-70 kg) division at the All-Japan Judo Weight Category Championships by facing world champions Hiroshi Minatoya, Hirofumi Matsuda, Asian champion Yujiro Yamazaki and defeating the latter two.[5]
In August 1969, he was invited to the Japanese national training camp in the mountains of the Nagano prefecture which served as tryouts for the Japanese Judo World team. Others also present at the training camp included future Olympic gold medalist Toyokazu Nomura and world champion Yoshio Sonoda. At the end of the tryouts, the All Japan Judo Federation selected Hiroshi Minatoya and Yoshimitsu Kono as the representatives. Bunasawa and future world champion Hisashi Tsuzawa were selected as reserves for the lightweight (-70 kg) division for the 1969 World Judo Championships.[6]
His special techniques were tai-otoshi, ippon seoi-nage, osoto-gari, and tomoe-nage.[4]
Career
editIn 1972, he coached the US team that competed at the 1972 Olympic games in Munich.[1] In 1975, he was appointed as the head judo instructor of the 6 million dollar[7] (adjusted to 36 million dollars in 2024[8]) Ichiban Sports center in Arkansas, which was founded by automobile tycoon Willard Robertson.[7] According to Dale Samuels, the former vice president of the USJA, the Ichiban Sports center was the "most advanced" training facility in the US at the time.[7] In 1975, Bunasawa coached the US team that competed at the 1975 World Judo Championships.[2] In 1978, he founded Judo Journal, newspaper which covered sports judo.[9] Judo Journal eventually became Judo Jiujitsu Pro-fighting Journal, which covered combat sports such as judo, BJJ, sumo, karate, kickboxing, etc. and the final issue was published in April 2006.[10] In 2007, he co-authored The Toughest Man Who Ever Lived, a novel based on the life of Mitsuyo Maeda.[3]
In November 2024, he returned to international competition at the Judo Veterans World Championships held in Las Vegas. He competed in the M9 -60 kg division and won a bronze medal.[11]
List of Works
edit- The Toughest Man Who Ever Lived (with John Murray, 2007, ISBN 978-0-9648984-1-7)
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Martial Marshal | Gonji Tamashita | Lead role |
| 2006 | Letters from Iwo Jima | Japanese Journalist |
References
edit- ^ a b Rezell, John (March 3, 1988). "Top Judo Instructor comes to the defense of self-defense". Orange County Register.
- ^ a b "Instructor on Show". Rogers Daily News. April 1975.
- ^ a b c d e f Bunasawa, Nori; Murray, John (January 1, 2007). The Toughest Man Who Ever Lived. Innovations, Inc. and Judo Journal. ISBN 978-0-9648984-1-7.
- ^ a b "Title Techniques". Black Belt. 16 (7): 38. July 1978.
- ^ "Noriaki Bunasawa". Judoinside. Retrieved December 20, 2024.
- ^ "日本代表決まる". The Judo Shimbun. September 10, 1969.
- ^ a b c Zimmerman, Richard (1980). "Ichiban-Fourth Olympic Training Center for Judo". Black Belt. 30.
- ^ "CPI Inflation Calculator". Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved December 27, 2024.
- ^ "World Wide Leading Judo Newspaper". Judo Journal. June 1978.
- ^ "Heavyweight Battle: Pride Champ Fedor Takes on all Challengers". Judo Jiujitsu Pro-fighting Journal. Jan–Apr 2006.
- ^ Kellick, Bill (November 5, 2024). "U.S. Hits It Big in Vegas with 16 Medals on Opening Day of Veterans Worlds". USA Judo. Retrieved December 20, 2024.
External links
edit- Noriaki Bunasawa at JudoInside
- Nori Bunasawa at IMDb
- Noriaki Bunasawa at International Judo Federation (IJF)
- 樗沢憲昭 (Japanese Wikipedia)