Toshiya Masuda
2024/01/01
(Last update: 2024/01/01)
Students are seriously devoting themselves to competitions during their limited time at university. I want to be close to them and the dramas they create as much as possible. With this in mind, “4years.” was born on October 25, 2018. This year, as a special project to celebrate our 5th anniversary, we asked Toshiya Masuda, author of the autobiographical youth novel “Seven Emperors Judoki”, which is set in Hokkaido University’s judo club, to write a contribution on the theme of university sports.
“Seven Emperors Judoki” which was not considered as an opponent at first
I once had trouble because all the editors in charge at various companies kicked me. That’s when she approached me to publish a personal novel called “Seven Emperors Judoki,” which was based on life in the Hokkaido University judo club.
What is Seven Emperors Judo? Seven former imperial universities (Hokkaido University, Tohoku University, Tokyo University, Nagoya University, Kyoto University, Osaka University, Kyushu University) scattered across the country gather once a year to compete in the Seven Emperors Tournament. It is about judo.
This tournament differs from regular judo events such as the Olympics and All-Japan Championships, in that it follows the so-called prewar technical college judo rules. There are only ippon wins, no point wins, no out-of-place matches, and no “mate” (ground game stalemate). It’s a deathmatch rule with a complete conclusion. This is a long game with as many players as a ball game, 15 players against 15 players, and it takes two hours to complete one game.
There is another big feature. It means that “drawing” to ground training is allowed. Hikini means to intentionally lie down on your own and invite a person to perform a ground game without using a throwing technique. That’s why only the new techniques have developed to an extraordinary degree. However, since this is different from the general official rules, the results are not published in newspapers or even judo magazines.
So the editors at all the companies just laughed and didn’t even read the draft.
“You can’t write such a minor story in a book. In the first place, only Mr. Masuda and his friends will appear in it, right? Who is going to read it?”
It was an editor at KADOKAWA (formerly Kadokawa Shoten) who reached out to me when I was depressed after being told this all over the place. I gave him the draft with a glimmer of hope, as he has experience in sports, and the next day he said, “I read it all in one night. I’ve never read such an amazing novel. I cried the whole time I was reading it.” We had a great time and laughed. Let’s have it at our house!” I received an excited phone call.
Those with experience understand this. On hot summer days, I spend my days drenched in sweat practicing while watching regular students spend their time in air-conditioned rooms. On days when it was pouring with rain, I was tired of starting practice as usual, hoping that the captain would suddenly say, “Today is a day off from practice.”
Author: Toshiya Masuda (Photography: Miho Ando)
The university athletic club that is the most out of cost performance
I wonder when it began. We have become a world where people only talk about cost performance. Belonging to an athletic club at a university is the life that deviates most from this cost performance. When I was still active, I thought, “Why did I choose this kind of life?” “I won’t get anywhere by doing this.” “How much money will I earn in four years if I work part-time during this training time?” With this in mind, I continued to spend my days practicing.
Many of my classmates who joined the Hokkaido University judo club left the club before the summer of their first year. At universities that do not offer sports recommendations, it is up to one’s own will whether to quit or continue.
Those who left the club gave various reasons such as “I can’t study” or “I want to work part-time.” I joined the club knowing that it would take up a lot of my time, so that shouldn’t really be a reason. To begin with, there are many alumni of Hokkaido University’s judo club who graduated at the top of their undergraduate departments. Even during training camp, they open up specialized books and study. Many club members continue to join the club while working part-time. Some alumni woke up early in the morning before 3 a.m. to deliver newspapers and then participated in morning training starting at 6 a.m. Therefore, all reasons for leaving are excuses.
However, there is no way you can say, “It’s because practice is hard.” Those who quit later have to come up with new reasons because their colleagues won’t accept them for the same reason. One of my classmates who asked to leave the club in the fall after many first-year students had quit, was confused by the reason and said, “I’m going to apply to another university’s medical school.”
“I guess you just made up a reason to quit the club.”
When we pointed this out to him, he promised, “No. If I don’t pass this year, I will return to the club.” However, my classmates laughed and said, “We have no choice but to return to the club by the end of March.” Because he was a liberal arts student. He only has six months left until the spring entrance exam, but there’s no way he’ll be able to pass calculus, physics, chemistry, etc. But to his surprise, he passed. That’s how much he wanted to escape from practice.
Masuda during his time in the Hokkaido University judo club. In front of Shichitokudo, University of Tokyo (provided by the person)
Even anonymous people always have drama.
It’s just the athletic club of a local national university. But the practice was really tough. It’s extended practice every day. During second-part training and training camps, players practice new techniques from morning until night. Anyway, I only do ground training. This is a rule that no one in the world knows about, and no one except those involved will come to watch the game. Why were we able to put so much effort into aiming for such a tournament?
Kotaro Sawaki has a work called “Mumei”. He faced his father as he neared his death, traced his life as his son, and put it into print as a writer. The title “Anonymous” is, as its name suggests, a tribute to the life of his father, who was a nobody and an indifferent person. But even unknown people always have their own little dramas. The same goes for the athletic department. There are dramas not only in strong teams, but also in any small, rural sports club. There is also drama among club members who were always substitutes in middle school, high school, and college.
Extended practice day after day. Anyway, I was only working on ground training (provided by the person)
My retirement match at Hokkaido University was in July 1989, 34 years ago. On the night we lost in the Battle of the Seven Emperors, our former members had a drink with us. One by one, we fourth-year students were asked to say our retirement greetings in front of alumni and juniors. I still remember what I said then. I was happy when the director said to me afterwards, “Masuda’s greeting was the most emotional.” That’s what I said.
“I never thought my last day would come in this judo club. I thought it would last forever.”
I said this one by one, choking with tears.
There may have been some relief at finally being freed from practice. However, he also wanted to continue living this life with his friends. There were days when I was just worried. There were times when I wanted to run away from practice that was too hard, times when I couldn’t get the results I wanted due to repeated injuries, and times when I was severely scolded by my former teammates. After all, we spent our club life in a quagmire of being at the bottom of the Seven Emperors Tournament for five consecutive years.
“I admired their lives.”
After entering the workforce, I often talked to my colleagues about my time in the Hokkaido University judo club. “I went through such a painful experience,” “I experienced something so moving,” and “I had such wonderful seniors and juniors.” We talked about this both at work and at drinks.
When I was younger, my co-workers looked at me with confusion and said, “It’s just the same old thing again.” However, as I got older in my 30s and 40s, those same coworkers said to me, “You’re great. You had a college life that you can be proud of. Now I don’t have anything left,” he said, feeling envious.
His personal novel, “Seven Emperors Judoki,” which chronicles his days in the Hokkaido University judo club, sold like hotcakes and became a bestseller, receiving feedback from many readers. What is interesting is that the editors from companies other than KADOKAWA who published the book, who flatly refused, saying, “I can’t publish such a minor story,” said, “I read it. It was too dazzling.” ) I couldn’t stop crying. I also wanted to live a university life like this.” I was especially happy that my message was conveyed to people who were not part of the sports club.
The cover of “Seven Emperors Judoki” (left), published by Kadokawa Shoten in 2013, features real judo uniforms collected by asking former rivals.The novel is an original from Shogakukan’s Big Comic, and was made into a manga by female manga artist Ichimaru, and has been published as a 7-volume book (right), including a side story.
Another editor told me this:
“Ever since I was in junior high and high school, I hated those athletic club members who came into the classroom covered in dirt and sand. I hated them even more when they gathered with their friends at recess and talked with smiles. Now that I’ve read this book, it’s clear to me that I admired their lives.”
Is there a better word? Current students from all over the country. Don’t get lost. Rush through the four years. There is definitely meaning to that club life.
Toshiya Masuda
◆4years. will be publishing articles by Mr. Masuda covering various university athletic clubs from time to time. We will continue to promote student sports this year with the belief that “both winners and losers have stories.”
2023-12-31 23:15:52
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