JSKA-PORTUGAL CHIEF INSTRUCTOR — VILAÇA PINTO
Sensei Vilaça Pinto began Karate in Lisbon, in 1966, Budo Academy. Between 1969/72 he had periods of training with JKA senseis like: Kanazawa, Miyazaki, Enoeda, Tomita, Kato, etc.. Aware the technical difficulties of the Karate in Portugal, he traveled to Japan/JKA in 1972. Upon is arrival in Japan he was welcomed by Master Nakayama and was accepted as member of his Dojo Hoitsugan (nº A000001) where he trained and resided until 1976 becoming his disciple.
“It’s very difficult to find a person like shihan Nakayama, much more difficult is to forget him”.
Apart from the daily training at Hoitsugan/Ebisu headed by the great Master, sensei Vilaça Pinto trained daily also in the JKA-Honbu, in Suidobashi and in Ebisu (1974) near the Hoitsugan; additionally with sensei Kanazawa in his Dojo/Yotsuya three times a week. The JKA-Honbu at that time was the model for Shotokan, with best Karate instructors in world. Apart of the Shihan Nakayama lessons, there would be present senseis like: Kanazawa, Yano, Soji, Abe, Hayakawa, Takahashi, Assai, Oishi, Isaka, Tanaka, Osaka, Yahara, Kawasoe, Sato and, the young ones, Kasuya and Mori.
Never in the history of Karate has any other school gathered so many high caliber instructors like the old JKA during the 70’s. The disciple starts before entering the Dojo; no one would dare enter the Dojo after the initial greeting, and if for any reason someone was late, would be preferable not even climb the stairs. For that reason all students would arrive half an hour early. But those minutes were extremely painful…. The senior instructors would call the students for jyu-kumite, ritual repeated after the class; if a novice rushed to the shower would be called for a session of jyu-kumite…. It was very hard. I asked myself why the methodology at Honbu was so different from master Nakayama classes.
During this golden period, 65 countries were represented 10 million members; the JKA was present in almost all of the countries in the world. Nevertheless, this enormous “ship” became too large and heavy! No one would have foreseen that in a few years time it would fall apart. Even today, 22 years after the death of Master Nakayama (1987), many karatecas would ask themselves why the master did not nominate a successor, in the same way Funakoshi had done 30 years earlier. The answer lies with the gods. “Personally I think that it was a deliberately decision based on the analysis of the situation at JKA in the last years of his life. I do not believe that a teacher like Nakayama would be caught unaware of his impending death, without thinking of the best solution for the future of Karate Shotokan. Let us analyze the present situation as far as Karate goes in world terms…. Could it be possible for Karate Shotokan to be in a better position? Effectively, the highly practiced Karate Shotokan continues to be the most used model in the world, not only under a unique organization but many. All of them headed by the best senseis formed at the Nakayama School. The largest organizations are not necessarily the ones that better serve the interest of the students. In the global organizations the bases interest comes second in relation to the administrative interest.
The dismemberment of the JKA in 1999 allowed the “old senseis” previously under the shelter of Master Nakayama, to construct their own organizations. JSKA, headed by shihan Abe Keigo is one of them. Facing this new reality, and being Abe Keigo the most loyal disciple of Mazatoshi Nakayama, sense Vilaça Pinto found the model for his school in Portugal. This way would give continuity to the Karate professed by Funakoshi: Mazatoshi Nakayama, Abe Keigo and Vilaça Pinto. Facing this responsibility sensei Vilaça Pinto decided to formalize his connexion to JSKA, adopting the same name – JSKA-Portugal. JSKA-Portugal, in spite of its recent constitution, has the oldest Portuguese Karatecas, having as Chief Instructor sensei Vilaça Pinto 7º Dan, member of Shihankai JSKA one of the pioneers of Karate in Portugal. Relations with sensei Abe Keigo in Japan relate to the 70’s whilst there. Returning to Portugal in 1976, founded the Hoitsugan Dojo, later becoming a national association – Hoitsugan KarateDo Portugal (HKP). The creation of JSKA was in its early stages, when sensei Vilaça Pinto recouped the contact with sensei Abe. He has kept regular contact since then, organizing several courses and competitions in Portugal, as well as abroad with groups connected to sensei Abe. Sensei Vilaça Pinto has a long career in international competitions: Belgian and Japan between 1972 and 1976, where he came first place in kata and kumite.
In Portugal and until 1985, he has regularly participated in competitions within ESKA and WUKO, initially as a competitor and lately as the National Coach. The vast experienced acquired has kept him in good stead with the official tutorship, recommended for the position of National Director of Refereeing, position fulfilled until 1989. He is presently 7º Dan Shotokan, member of JSKA Shihankai and National Karate Trainer level III (the highest national qualification of the federation). JSKA international trusted him for the organization of the 5º World Karate Championships, which will take place in Portugal, Portimão-Algarve, in October 2010.
