Full Metal Jacket… A Japanese style Rite of Passage!

In October 2003, I was spending a beautiful, yet somewhat surreal, Thursday afternoon in Tokyo relaxing in the sun. I had been living in Japan for some time now and was preparing to test for my third degree black belt. I had been invited by my Sensei to go to something called Ichikukai - a rite of passage of sorts that a select few Japanese men get to experience as they leave their primary education and prepare for the "real" world. Not being Japanese, I felt privileged to have been invited. A friend named Nobuyoshi Sasaki picked me up in his minivan and took me out for dinner. He treated me to katsukare, a deep fried pork curry dish. "Eat hardy," he said. "You'll need your strength this weekend at Ichikukai."

I questioned Nobuyoshi about Ichikukai throughout dinner, but he was being noticeably vague and evasive in answering me. I wasn't sure if he was not supposed to tell more or if he was just screwing around with me. He said that the name Ichikukai is made up of the characters for the numbers one, nine and the term "association," and thusly creating the phrase "19th association." The organization was named such simply because it begins on the 19th day of each month. When translated into English, "19th Association" doesn't really sound menacing, but trust me, in Japan, this is a well known and in many respects a well-feared organization. Of course, I didn't know why at the time.

Nobuyoshi is the son of Masando Sasaki, my Sensei in the Japanese martial art of Aikido. Sasaki Sensei is also a Shinto priest and in many respects, he could be considered the Japanese equivalent to Deepak Chopra. Sasaki Sensei is now in his 80s and heads the Yamakage Shinto Kamifukuoka shrine in Fujiminou City, Saitama Prefecture. One day, Nobuyoshi will be expected to take over both his father's Shinto shrine and Aikido dojo.

Upon finishing dinner, Nobuyoshi and I climbed back into the minivan and began our long drive to the Ichikukai "dojo" or training hall. Leaving the big city lights of Tokyo we headed west to the extremely rural parts of Tokyo. During the drive I again attempted to get more information from Nobuyoshi about Ichikukai, but he just smiled and said, "Be patient, Jefu-san." Eventually, we arrived at the Ichikukai dojo...
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