^{A Warrior Moves On
In Loving memory of Soke Yuki Koda}

Nearly a thousand mourners came to pay their respects at the memorial service for Soke Yuki Koda, Director of the U.S. Yoshukai Karate Association. Soke Koda, a dynamic and highly respected leader in the martial arts world, enjoyed perfect health until November of 1996, when he was diagnosed with metastatic pancreatic cancer. In four short months, the same insidious disease which killed film star Michael Landon, consumed the karate star, and he passed away early in the morning of March 14, 1997.

From the age of seventeen, when he first began to study karate, Soke Koda knew that he would devote his life to the martial arts. His skill at kata and weaponry was phenomenal and Grand Master Yamamoto, founder of Yoshukai, chose him to spread Yoshukai to the United States. In 1969, Soke Koda began teaching in Florida. In 1970, he married Gwen Lisk of Illinois, and by 1971 had started a family. Although he was forced to hold down a full time job to support his family, karate was never relegated to a sideline. A journeyman iron worker, he moved from job to job and state to state. Wherever he settled, he looked for a site for a dojo even before he looked for a home. By the time he was ready to move on, he would leave his dojo in the care of his highest ranking Black Belt and start all over again in his new location. On weekends and holidays, instead of relaxing and enjoying his time off, he traveled to the dojos he had left behind to train the students and advise the instructors.

For the past ten years, Sensei Koda had been able to devote his full time to karate. He was dedicated to the growth of Yoshukai and, under his expert tutelage and patient encouragement, more and more Black Belts opened their own schools. The success rate of these new businesses is very high. More than ninety percent of the locations established are still going strong, some for more than twenty years. Nine of the schools he opened are still in operation under branch instructors and with its successful branching out, the organization he founded now encompasses more than sixty schools in nine states, with a student membership exceeding three thousand.

A formidable tournament competitor in his early years, Soke Koda has trained champions; Cheryl Wheeler, World Kick boxing champion and famous Hollywood stunt woman. Cheryl is now an expert on nutrition and writes a regular column called The Winning Edge for Black Belt magazine. Although her busy schedule has kept her out of the Yoshukai mainstream, she remains fiercely loyal to Yoshukai and credits Soke Koda's teachings for the foundation upon which she built her successful career. In a recent letter to the editor of the Yoshukai Newsletter, Cheryl said, " Soke Koda and Sensei Gerry Blanck   have made me what I am today. I owe all my success, both in kickboxing, martial arts, and even my professional stunt career to Yoshukai and these three men. They shaped me, molded me, made me tough and gave me the confidence and ability to believe in myself. In some of the toughest moments in life, I used to think about Soke Koda breaking those unbelievably thick blocks of ice years ago. The concentration, tenacity and perseverance he showed that night has helped me through many a tough time. He was always a role model to me, and I respect and admire him deeply." Another Yoshukai champion is Soke Koda's son, Hiro Koda, who was musical kata champion on the NASKA circuit as well as the NBL. Hiro is now a successful Hollywood stuntman and credits his father's firm, but loving guidance for his own success.

It was mastery of the traditional martial arts weapons which contributed the most to Soke Koda's success as a teacher. Nunchaku, bo, sai, kama, tonfa and samurai sword were his specialties. Not only did he teach the basic movements and weapons katas, but he taught his students how to use each of these weapons against other weapons. A lightning-fast performance of bo against the sai, usually performed with one of his sons, was always the highlight of any Yoshukai demonstration. Because of his patience and generous giving of his time, many Yoshukai Black Belts have been able to duplicate Soke Koda's spectacular achievements in this martial art. The first time he broke a baseball bat across his shin, students and spectators were amazed. Today, Yoshukai Black Belts routinely break two or three bats at a time and even bend metal bats with their shins at demonstrations and competitions. Soke Koda always stayed one step ahead of the pack, however, and was always trying out new and formidable performances to blaze a trail for his students to follow. Some have been difficult acts to follow, such as breaking 650 pounds of ice with his forehead and using the nunchaku to smash apples held in the mouths and hands of student volunteers. Soke Koda and his son Hiro were featured on the cover of the January 1992 issue of Black Belt Magazine illustrating the formidable weapons techniques of Yoshukai Karate. Fate decreed that his work was done and at the age of 52, Soke Koda was still a young man when it became time to move on again. As was his habit through the years, he had trained a successor and his oldest son, David, has assumed the directorship of this highly successful and dedicated organization. One of the greatest tributes to this man's abilities as a martial artist, a teacher and a leader, is the fact that he trained Yoshukai students so well that they are able to carry on without him. He inspired such dedication and loyalty in his followers that there was none of the animosities or power struggles that ripped apart other organizations at the death of their founder. Trainer of champions and leader of men, Soke Yuki Koda has left an irrevocable legacy. The. U.S. Yoshukai Karate System is an everlasting monument to his dream as he takes his place among those who belong to the ages.