▁October ▁ 2 8 , ▁ 1 9 3 8 , ▁in ▁the ▁town ▁of ▁I y oshi , ▁E h ime ▁Pref ect ure ▁( on ▁the ▁island ▁of ▁Sh ik oku ), ▁Japan . ▁A be ' s ▁ancest ors ▁included ▁sam ur ai ; ▁he ▁has ▁told ▁of ▁an ▁incident ▁from ▁the ▁past ▁where ▁two ▁th ieves ▁had ▁entered ▁his ▁family ▁home , ▁saying , ▁" My ▁family ▁killed ▁them ; ▁the ▁two ▁gra ves ▁are ▁still ▁standing ▁near ▁my ▁house ." ▁In ▁ 1 9 5 3 , ▁aged ▁ 1 5 ▁years , ▁he ▁began ▁training ▁in ▁the ▁mart ial ▁arts ▁of ▁kar ate ▁and ▁j udo . ▁He ▁initially ▁began ▁studying ▁the ▁Sh ito - ry u ▁style ▁of ▁kar ate . ▁ ▁In ▁ 1 9 5 6 , ▁A be ▁entered ▁the ▁N ih on ▁University ▁in ▁Tokyo , ▁studying ▁engineering , ▁and ▁graduated ▁four ▁years ▁later . ▁He ▁began ▁training ▁at ▁the ▁hon bu ▁do jo ▁( head quarters ▁training ▁hall ) ▁of ▁the ▁Japan ▁Kar ate ▁Association ▁( J K A ) ▁in ▁ 1 9 5 8 ▁under ▁Mas atos hi ▁Nak ay ama . ▁In ▁an ▁interview ▁in ▁ 2 0 0 0 , ▁he ▁said , ▁" N ak ay ama ▁S ense i ▁was ▁very ▁serious . ▁He ▁trained ▁us ▁very ▁hard ▁and ▁always ▁encourag ed ▁us ▁to ▁not ▁only ▁train ▁hard , ▁but ▁to ▁intellect ually ▁study ▁what ▁we ▁were ▁training . ▁He ▁str essed ▁understanding ▁ourselves ▁and