As the 2nd anniversary of Dai-Soke Yoshinobu Takahashi's death on September 16, 2010 grows nearer, I run through a myriad of emotions; none more greater than another.

This great man was many wonderful things to the entire student body, but nothing greater than this...he was our Sensei...he was my friend. He was Sensei of 10,871+ students; the active totality of our entire student body. The '+' is for those inactive students that are no longer involved with Shindokan for whatever reason(s), which is a mere 258.

However, Soke Fuyuhiko Saitou only had one student during his entire fruitful MA journey...Dai-Soke Yoshinobu Takahashi. Dai-Soke became Soke's one and only student in the summer of 1940, and at the tender age of eight years old, Dai-Soke became Soke's Uchi Deshi, live-in student.

Many, many years later, the two of them traveled to the USA, unknowing what was in store for them, Soke opened the Shindokan Hombu in 1961 in Canoga Park, California. Right from the very beginning of the Hombu, Dai-Soke, then Kaicho/Chief Instructor, at Godan, Soke unselfishly turned over every Shindokan student to him; past, present, and future.

Does the mean that Soke was only on the floor to teach Dai-Soke? Does that mean that Soke only had a vested interest in Dai-Soke? Does that mean that Soke didn't care for the student body? Does that mean that Soke didn't want to have anything to do with the student body?

NO!

Soke was on the floor everyday and at every class teaching and nurturing each and every student alongside of Dai-Soke. The same can be said of Soke concerning every testing cycle, both the quarterly and annual cycles; Soke was center at the testing table with Dai-Soke on his right.

Soke was always large and in charge, and in that, he knew very well what his role, duties, and responsibilities where. Soke was the ultimate taskmaster but the unyielding love he had for every MA student, especially any Shindokan student, had no equal.

As part of the student body, I'm not sad for soke because that was his choice as well as his decision to bestow every student to Dai-Soke. No, I'm not sad, I'm comforted by Soke's solemn gesture to his one and only student and his friend.

It's not the quantity of students, but it's the quality of students that was most important to Soke; Dai-Soke echoed those same sentiments wholeheartedly and without any reservations.

So, when your MA school is either packed wall to wall with students or with only a few, remember this, my Soke only had one student.

I welcome any and all comments in order to have a discussion.