By Hiroshi Matsubara, Asahi Weekly
日本オリンピック 委員会（JOC）のスポーツ指導者海外研修員として2年間のイギリス留学中の井上康生さんと妻の亜希さん。5月には長女が生まれ、益々充実した日々を送っています。柔道が世界的なスポーツになった現在、「異文化に触れることは、指導者になる上で必ず役に立つ」との意気込みで、英語学習や柔道の指導に励んでいます。
For Kosei Inoue, life on the sidelines became much tougher than when he ruled the mat, when he made his debut as a coach for Japan's national team at the World Judo Championships in Rotterdam, Netherlands, in August.
For the first time in nearly a half century, Japan's men's team failed to win a single gold medal, leaving much grumbling in his homeland.
But when the former judo Olympic gold medalist and three-time world champion returned to his current home in Edinburgh, Scotland, his friends lifted his spirits. They told Inoue that Japan's defeat should be seen as a positive sign of the sport's rapid globalization.
"Just as my friends in Edinburgh say, judo is now a global sports and the past great leaders of our sport, such as the founder of modern judo, Jigoro Kano, might be happy to see that it is now participated by players from 200 countries," said Inoue, who has been residing in Edinburgh with his wife, Aki, since February. The couple gave birth to a daughter in May.
Indeed, Inoue himself, who is studying English and teaching judo, is a living example of how the sport that originated in Japan is becoming a goodwill ambassador around the world. Inoue, 31, is on a two-year program sponsored by the Japan Olympic Committee to study English in Britain. To share his experiences in the political, religious and educational center of Scotland, Inoue recently invited an Asahi Weekly reporter to Edinburgh.
On a magnificently sunny mid-September afternoon in the Scottish capital, Inoue, Aki, and their 5-month-old daughter picked me up in their black Jeep in the city's downtown area.
To start the tour, Inoue took me to their regular Sunday dinner with his "father in Edinburgh," George Kerr, president of the British Judo Association, the driving force behind Inoue's study program in Scotland.
"George-sensei is my adopted father, or grandfather, in Edinburgh who introduced me to his various friends to teach me the way of life here," Inoue said, introducing the 72-year-old former European judo champion.
"They have taken the responsibility to teach me each of the traditional Scottish sports and culture, including golf, shooting and salmon fishing, and treat us like their family."
Inoue said Kerr invites him and Aki every Sunday even-ing to wine and dine with him at his high-end condominium, which offers a breathtaking view of the old city. The only cost, Kerr insists, for his scrumptious home-cooked meals is a ban on speaking any Japanese.
Kerr said that Inoue is a "great ambassador from Japan," adding that "British judo can learn a lot from Kosei."
When Inoue expressed regrets for his coaching debut in Rotterdam, Kerr said that he should take it as a "compliment," because it proves that judo has developed into a global sport. He added he devoted his life to popularizing judo in Britain since he returned from four years of studying at Nihon University in Tokyo in the late 1950s.
"The four years in Japan were the best moments of my life, which set the course of my entire life, and I wanted Kosei to experience the same," said Kerr, who arranged Inoue's stay in Edinburgh.
"I invited him to Edinburgh, because its size and friendly people make it an ideal place to experience the different culture and make friends outside judo."
マットの上で培われた友情
A few days later, Judo Scotland, Scotland's governing body for the sport, invited Inoue to participate in a special practice session.
As dusk fell, more than 50 selected judoka, from teenage girls to seniors, gathered at a suburban gymnasium to prepare for an upcoming international competition only a few days away.
Participants, including the members of the British national team, all eagerly looked forward to the randori, a freestyle sparring session with the Olympic gold medalist.
"It is an absolute joy to have such a great man in the dojo. He displays everything you want as an example of how a champion behaves," said Billy Cusack, 43, a British team coach.
"It's great to have such a superstar who doesn't behave like such a superstar. He behaves like the most humble guy in the dojo, so he is a great example for kids in Scotland."
On the practice mat, Inoue seemed more relaxed and confident, chatting and joking with the participants during breaks.
"His English, and street English, has both improved equally well, and now he is starting to understand humor, which is the toughest thing to get," Cusack said. "So, he now enjoys many of our English lessons in the school and in the pub."
Inoue said, "The beauty of judo is that once you grasp each other, you just know each other like old friends.
"It is also true when you flip the opponent, you just realize the pain of others just like yours.
"And I love talking to Scottish people who remind me of the Osaka people with their strong love for jokes and of their homeland."
周囲に支えられての出産、子育て
While Inoue is away from home for judo training or English lessons at a local language school, Aki, a 26-year-old model-turned sportscaster, stays busy taking care of their infant daughter and running the household in their posh condominium, which overlooks the Firth of Forth, near the North Sea.
In the morning, Aki prepares a surprisingly genuine Japanese-style breakfast of salted salmon, natto and miso soup with aburaage fried tofu and wakame seaweed.
"People in Edinburgh expect Inoue to eat like a champion, and I mainly cook Japanese food at home to keep him on a good diet," she said, adding that Edinburgh offers groceries from all over the world, including Japanese staples such as natto and aburaage.
"I meet my fellow Japanese mama-tomos (friends with babies) here to discuss how we can cook menus close to Japanese cuisine using totally foreign ingredients," Aki said. "It is also a great relief to talk to mama-tomos like ‘Desperate Housewives,' she quipped, referring to the popular U.S. TV comedy-drama series.
Aki also has her "mother in Edinburgh," Jang Mee Sun, a South Korean woman who works at a local Presbyterian organization, who frequently invites them for genuine Korean cooking.
While I stayed with the Inoues, Jang invited us for lunch, which turned out to be a meal that easily bested local restaurant fare both in flavor and quantity.
A table covered with Korean barbecue, jeon and other traditional Korean delicacies was offered up, and quickly gobbled down by the judo champion and two hungry Korean college students who were guests for the feast.
Jang said she first approached the Japanese couple "because Aki is very beautiful, not knowing they are both famous in Japan." "Since then, my apartment has become a free Korean restaurant for Kosei," Jang quipped.
On the way home, Aki said, "Being helped by many warm people, we managed to accomplish our first feat -- giving birth to our daughter -- in a foreign country."
一期一会の出会いから学ぶ
Along with attending four 90-minute sessions at a language school each day, Inoue also takes golf, shooting and fishing lessons from a local circle of judo friends.
Every Wednesday, Graham Campbell, a 49-year-old stock analyst and also a judoka, gives Inoue a golf lesson. The Campbell family then invites the Inoues to their home for dinner in what they call a "happy Wednesday" banquet.
Upon our arrival, Campbell escorted us to a bathroom to show three mounted framed pictures of Inoue throwing Nicolas Gill of Canada to the mat at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
"Happy Wednesday" is a part of our life. It is a mid-week break, and great to see Kosei and Aki and me sit down, relax and have dinner, and we learn about Japan and Japanese society and hopefully they learn something from us," Campbell said.
"It is also a wonderful alibi for me to escape with Kosei and walk over the hills and play some golf. It has been a pleasure for us all and our children to have them here."
Spending four days with Inoue, it was apparent this quiet, serious champion and his charming, cheerful wife and pretty little daughter have become a popular addition to the Edinburgh community. And they are also benefitting from the experience as well.
On the ride home from the "happy Wednesday," Inoue said he is learning much more from Campbell than a golf swing.
"Their lifestyle seems very modern, but their family seems to maintain very strong kin ties that Japanese are apparently losing, and there is a precious lesson that I need to learn to become a good father and teacher," Inoue said.
"Throughout my judo career, I have been very lucky to meet many great teachers who guided my way to becoming a judo player, such as (Yasuhiro) Yamashita-sensei, and I think I still am encountering many role models in Scotland.
"I am still not sure what type of coach I will ever make, but my experience here and encounters with these people have certainly expanded my horizons," he added.
