HIGH ACHIEVERS: June Takahashi was heartbeat of family’s martial arts dojo

By Martin Cleary

When June (Hayami) Takahashi was growing up in Vancouver in the 1930s and 1940s, sports wasn’t on her list of things to keep her busy.

“She talked about skating, but she wasn’t a real sporty person,” explained daughter Tina Takahashi in a phone interview Wednesday. “I couldn’t see her playing catch or running around outside. She wasn’t the athletic type.”

But when she met, dated and married Masao Takahashi as a young adult, sport suddenly became a high priority.

The martial art of judo, where athletes grapple with, throw and pin their opponents, became the foundation of her life. June and Masao made sure their four children benefited from the multitude of values and rewards from judo.

Watching Masao become a successful judoka during his prime, June was drawn into judo, which is an important part of the Japanese culture. She embraced judo, which was introduced into the Summer Olympic Games in 1964, and experienced it in many different ways.

June, a diminutive and thoughtful woman with a bright-light presence, was an instructor (sensei), a referee, a coach/manager, an author, a Judo Ontario and Judo Canada employee and the heartbeat of the day-to-day operations of the Takahashi Dojo on Melrose Avenue.

But she also had another side to her life, which was focused on her Japanese roots and culture. She shared that with her Japanese community and quite often at the Takahashi Dojo.

The mother of Allyn, Phil, Ray and Tina, who turned their hours of dedicated training into notable international careers as judokas, also served as a travel consultant and was a key member and tireless worker on the Japanese Canadian Redress Secretariat to seek an apology and financial compensation from the Canadian government over its unfair treatment of Japanese Canadians during World War Two.

Takahashi, whose family was forced to leave Vancouver and was interned in Farnham, PQ, passed away peacefully on May 2. She was 92.

When Takahashi discovered judo, she accepted it with open arms, became an instructor in the martial art in the late 1950s and co-founded the Takahashi Dojo with Masao in 1969.

Masao was introduced to judo at age eight and continued training through his early teenage years, when his family was relocated to Raymond, AB, as Japanese Canadians were deemed enemy aliens during that war.

During his days in the RCAF engineering department, he was an accomplished judoka and an instructor within the Air Force, including stints in Montreal, Toronto and Baden-Soellingen, Germany. He also established a club at the Uplands Air Force Base.

After 22 years of service in the RCAF, Masao and June opened Takahashi Dojo, which turns 57 years old this October. They were front and centre on a daily basis, teaching technical skills, discipline, dedication and humility.

For June, the best part of judo was the discipline of kata, where athletes perform a variety of detailed patterns of movements, while attempting to maintain perfect form. In a way, it’s judo’s version of a routine in artistic gymnastics.

June, who was the first Canadian female to earn a black belt and then progressed to the highest ranking in the country at the 7th Dan level, became an expert instructor in kata. She also was a continental referee in kata.

“She was mainly an instructor and she loved to referee,” Tina continued. “She liked to go to tournaments and was very social. Kata was the big thing for her. We’d travel the world for kata clinics.”

One year, June and Tina travelled to San Francisco to attend a clinic by Keiki Fukuda, the highest-ranked female in judoka history with a 10th Dan ranking from USA Judo. Fukuda was June’s role model.

Instructing from her wheelchair while in her 90s, Fukuda had a major impact on June, who also loved to attend week-long kata clinics with a full day of instructing each day.

June also enjoyed attending international competitions to serve as a personal coach or just a parent supporter for her children. In 1981, she was the coach/manager for Team Ontario, which included Tina, at the Dutch Open.

After the competition, June and Tina travelled to Maastricht, The Netherlands to see son/brother Phil win a men’s -60-kilogram class bronze medal at the world men’s judo championships.

June also worked with Masao and her children to co-author a comprehensive guide to the philosophy, history and techniques of the martial art called Mastering Judo. While working at Judo Canada, she wrote a book on the history of judo in the country.

After the passing of Masao, June oversaw some major renovations to the Takahashi Dojo with new training surfaces installed on the two-level club for judo and other martial arts like kendo and iaido.

June is a member of the Judo Ontario Hall of Fame, was presented a lifetime membership by the provincial sport governing body and was honoured by the province in 1990 with a Special Achievement Award.

“June was a pillar of our judo community – her lifelong dedication and leadership shaped generations of judokas,” Judo Ontario wrote in a tribute. “Her legacy will continue to live on through the many lives she touched.”

In 2020, June and her family were presented the Mayor’s Cup at the Ottawa Sports Awards Dinner for their multiple contributions to the Ottawa sports scene.

While June spent thousands of hours training young judokas, she also looked forward to bringing Japanese culture into the club.

Ottawa artist Mitsugi Kikuchi once staged an art show there with his Japanese water-colour paintings. The Japanese community also gathered for calligraphy and ink painting classes and the dojo was a venue for the Ottawa Go Club on Sunday afternoons.

June’s connection and dedication to Ottawa’s Japanese community didn’t go unnoticed as she was presented the Ambassador’s Award two years ago by Yamanouchi Kanji.

She received the certificate of commendation for her “enduring commitment to the advancement of Japanese Canadians and dedication in promoting Japanese culture and friendship between Japan and Canada through judo.”

A posting on the House of Bushido Instagram account praised June for her “unwavering dedication, kindness, discipline and commitment to the values of judo that left a profound and lasting impact on countless lives.

“Her influence extended far beyond competition and coaching. June helped foster a culture of respect, humility, perseverance and family within the dojo, creating a welcoming environment that shaped generations of athletes and community members alike.”

June stayed connected with Takahashi Dojo until the very end. In the weeks and months before her passing, she would be brought to the dojo on Saturday mornings in her wheelchair. She wanted to watch the young judokas going through their paces.

She was inspired seeing them in her dojo. They were inspired seeing her in their presence.