by Charlotte Omoto (Editor), Rod Omoto (Author)
Surrounded by the total devastation in Hiroshima in August 1945, Lieutenant Nobuto Omoto asked his ragtag group of recruits-young boys and infirm old men-if they had a home. "Hai! Hai! Hai!" they all replied, so he told them to go home. Then he was alone. How did a happy-go-lucky kid born in Wahiawa in the Territory of Hawaii in 1918 land in this predicament? My Life in Kendo is the story of that kid. After graduating from high school in Hawaii, Roderick Nobuto Omoto traveled to Kyoto in 1938 to attend the premier martial arts school, commonly known as Busen. While in Japan, he studied Japanese language and calligraphy and practiced tirelessly to improve his kendo. What he learned at Busen served him well when he was drafted into the Japanese Army in 1942. After the War, he worked for the Occupation Forces, married, and had two daughters. In 1960, the family emigrated to the Pacific Northwest and eventually settled in Tacoma, Washington, where he was active in promoting and practicing kendo. In his teaching and practice of this martial art, he was guided by the concept of Katsu Jin Ken (the Sword that Gives Life), the belief that the sole purpose for studying kendo is to become a better human being.