Quiet, yet strong, Masao "Mas" Yamashita influenced the lives of thousands of young judo students in his 68 years as a sensei, according to his friends and family.
"He was a great teacher. He was able to pass on his values to do things properly," Ted Yamashita, of Gainesville, Va., said of his father.
Mas, a Caldwell resident, died Jan. 9 at age 92.
Born in Kent, Wash., Mas made his way to Idaho in the late 1930s after his parents returned to Japan.
Mas married Rina Yamamoto on Dec. 18, 1940, and the couple had three children together.
Daughter Carol Inouye recalled many family trips to the drive-in theater, the children often pajama-clad. She also recalled her father singing lullabies to her as she fell asleep.
"He was a very reserved, traditionally-minded Japanese-American," Carol said of her father.
Influenced by meeting some of the founding fathers of judo as a young boy, Mas, along with other local judo enthusiasts, founded the Boise Valley Judo Club in 1939 in Nampa.
His son Ted went on to attend the United States Military Academy at West Point and, influenced by his father, started a judo club there in 1960.
Mas helped start the College of Idaho judo curriculum in 1964 and brought many students from Keio University in Tokyo to the college to help with the class.
Mas represented the Amateur Athletic Union on the U.S. Olympic Committee for eight years.
Val Brisbin, of Melba, was one of Mas' students and later served as an instructor with him.
"Mas was very formal, but he was a great mentor. He was fantastic about getting young students to come in, and his whole life was about promoting the sport of judo. He was constantly talking about the finesse and softness of judo," Val said.
Mas often offered free lessons to young judo students.
"There's no dollars involved (teaching judo), and you really have to be dedicated to passing down the sport. There's really no financial reward," former student John Koyama, of Sacramento, Calif., recalled. John's father, George Koyama, instructed judo alongside Mas.
"O-kage-sama-de ... (because of you) is a phrase that comes to mind as I think of how Mas influenced my life and others," John said in a letter to Rina. "Without the shadow he cast, I wouldn't be who I am today."
Mas was inducted in the United States Judo Hall of Fame in 1994 and promoted to Hachidan (eighth degree blackbelt) in 2005.
Kristi Coffman: 672-6742
In Remembrance is a weekly profile on a Treasure Valley resident who has recently passed away. To recommend a friend or loved one for an In Remembrance, e-mail ourtowns@idahostatesman.com.
