The Judo Incident

After splurging on a new Judo Gi for $90 that I don't have to spare (file under: I have to do something or I will sit here and rot) I got up at 7:20 on Tuesday and packed off to judo club. When I arrived, everyone was siiting around in their P.E. clothes. I went looking for Suwa-Sensei, the Judo teacher, and found the club president standing in the hallway outside the principles office. "Are you waiting for Suwa-Sensei?" "Yes." He answered quietly. "Are we not using the Dogi today?" "I don't know." He whispered. I went to the teachers office and couldn't find Suwa. I walked back. "He's not in there." "He's in the principal's office." He said, looking down. I thought maybe me coming to Judo club during summer break had created some kind of problem. I went back to the Budo room and waited outside the door. After about 10 minutes Suwa-Sensei appered with the club president in tow. He mumbled something like, "No Judo today. Student...injured...sorry." I couldn't tell if he was telling me I couldn't come to judo club because a kid might get injured. "I'll explain later." He said. I went into the room with him. SOmething was clearly going on. I sat in the office just off the Budo room as Suwa-sensei called someone's house and spoke to their grandmother about their condition and said he would be by in the morning to take him to the hospital. As he was talking he was drawing a map on a piece of paper.
After Suwa-Sensei got off the phone he went into the main room and said, "Everyone, get where you were when it happened." If you have never been spoken to by a mid-50's, alcoholic, shop-teacher/Judo coach from Osaka then you probably don't understand the level of fear in the room. The kids all ran to their places. To were standing out towards the middle of the room. Two first year boys were in the boys dressing room. All of the girls were in the girl's dressing room. The club president stood in front of the door. One 3rd year black belt slunk up and whispered, "I wasn't here. I had to go turn in a test." What followed was 30 minutes of reenactments, whispers, screaming, changing of stories, bows, more yelling, more bowing, confessions and crying. Apparently, after practice on Friday, the club president had told two of the boys to trip one of the younger boys by running up behind him each holding one end of a belt. I couldn't quiet catch what the motive was. It kept changing. The kids were as vague and
indirect as they are when I talk to them in class. Apparently the kid they tripped hurt his head and no one said anything. They confessed it was because they were scared of the older students that they didn't report anything. Suwa-Sensei told them that there would be no more practice this week (bye-bye $90 Dogi) and that they were out of the Osaka tournament for August. At this point, as everyone started crying he pointed and yelled that it was all the club president's fault. I agree. Then it is both black belt's fault. I can't believe they would fuck around with a belt like that. That's kind of insulting. Then it is all of the 3rd year's faults. Suwa-Sensei explained to them what I was thinking, that it wasn't that they were joking around and someone got hurt, it was that no one said anything and the kid could have had a serious head injury. That the chance when they could have gotten him a CT scan had come and gone. Moreover it made them look dishonest. This story is much longer, more elaborate, scary and revealing, I this forum isn't really broad enough. Anyway, with all the talk about bullying in Japan, I think it is good to go over the top on this stuff before it gets started. I was very proud of the Japanese education system this week. As critical as I am of the club system, it gives kids a chance to try to manage a social structure on their own and rewards them when they succeed and punishes them when they fail. Fairly in this case.
I am not sure what the exact resolution was. Some people may have been kicked out. I chose to leave the room when the real yelling started as I didn't want to stress the kids out to much with having to cry in font of me. We just did weight-lifting for practice. The kids technique is so terrible. So, so terrible. That is Suwa-Sensei's fault, unfortunately. When he benches, he doesn't even bring the bar down halfway-a big problem in Japan. Junior high is great because the girls are way more diesel than the boys. I taught them how to bench and do dead-lifts and military presses. They were great. The boys are hopeless.