Live as a man, die as a man, become a man : way of the modern day Samurai : a true story about living according to the Samurai Code of Honor in the modern world

223 Pages·2014·0.77 MB·English

by  Inoue, Enson

Way of the Modern Day Samurai

A true story about living according to the Samurai Code
of Honor in the modern world by Enson Inoue.
A special message from Fighter to Fighter "I don't really look up to a whole
lot of fighters, but Enson had a big impact on me. A lot of guys fight just to win,
fight and not get hurt. But those guys, they would rather die than give up.

Igor Vovchanchyn was a killer back when Enson fought him. He was in his
prime, murdering people... and Enson stood his ground and didn’t give up. I was
amazed by his perseverance; how he kept going like he didn’t have a care in the
world. He was just out there, fighting -- the way I think MMA should be. We’re
different from boxing. He has a true warrior spirit and not every fighter has that.
Even some champions don’t have a true warrior spirit, but Enson does.

Some people only want to fight people they know they can beat. It’s not a
challenge if you know you can beat them. Some fighters know they’re getting
beat and they just turtle up or they just tap out right away. And honestly, I don’t
look up to guys like that. Why should I?

It’s not about a record. Just because some fighter is undefeated, doesn’t mean he
has the best fighting spirit. Maybe he’s a good athlete. Maybe he’s got a game
plan for everybody. That doesn’t mean he has samurai spirit – that’s what I call
it.

A lot of warriors came out of Enson’s day. He was one of the founders of the
sport, fighting over in Japan when it was the biggest show on the planet. This
was before the UFC rose. I don’t know if a lot of new fans understand that back
then, PRIDE, in Japan -- that was the show. That was the "Mecca." They had the
toughest fighters on the planet, and Enson was one of them. There were a couple
of other killers out there, but only a few I look up to."

– Quinton Ramone “Rampage” Jackson Dedicated to my Mother,
Father, and Brother Egan, and to my Yamatodamashii Ichizoku for whom I
would die today if I had the chance.

“A Samurai that goes into battle with the will to die, Will surely live.
While the Samurai who goes into battle to survive Will surely die.
Where the body may die,
The spirit will rise.”
Acknowledgements

I would like to thank my Mother and Father for raising me and for the sacrifices
they made to give me all a child could ask for. They taught me the values and
beliefs I would willingly die for.

Thank you Egan, my brother, for being the role model I needed in my younger
days and being the reason why I don’t smoke cigarettes or drink alcohol to this
day.

I am grateful for having the best friend in the world, Darren Suzuki. He has
been with me in thick and thin and I wouldn’t be here today if he wasn’t by my
side.

I would also thank Tommy Hackett, Lanning Lee, Eamer “Beaver”, and Burton
Richardson for their contributions to the book.

Thank you to Hody Jae Huh, Yamatodamashii Ichizoku’s official photographer,
for the photos throughout the years.

Also much aloha to my sister Alice Leary Inoue for her guidance, support, and
wisdom. She helped me step-by-step to make this book a reality…

I’d like to thank my Tarling, SJ McCann for putting all the finishing touches
together. Without her help this book would still be stuck in my computer.
…and to my beloved boy, Shooto who left me for Doggy Heaven 4 years ago.
He was an American Red-nosed Pitbull. He was a pup from Egan’s dogs and
was born in Hawaii. At three months I brought him over to Japan and he was
with me for the next 14 years, with me practically 90% of the time. He was a
companion, brother and best friend all in one and I miss him dearly. Rest in
peace and be nice to the other doggies in Doggy Heaven.

Last but not at all least, I would like to give a shout out to my Yamatodamashii
Ichizoku that spreads all over the world.
Table of Contents

Foreword
Introduction
Chapter 1: The Beginning
Chapter 2: Guided to the right road... A good change Chapter 3: New venture –
Racquetball
Chapter 4: Egan my Role Model
Chapter 5: National Amateur Racquetball Championships – Riot Chapter 6: First
Big Move Away From Home
Chapter 7: Road to Jiu-Jitsu... My next love.
Chapter 8: Street Fight in Seattle
Chapter 9: Japan – The Beginning of My Life
Chapter 10: Scared and confused – Renewing my Visa
Chapter 11: Culture Shock – I'm NOT Japanese???
Chapter 12: A Man’s Dying Wish
Chapter 13: Controlling the Fire Within
Chapter 14: My Debut into MMA – Shigeta Shingo
Chapter 15: Bad Rules – Rene Rooze
Chapter 16: Arm bar, I’ll break it – Ed De Kruijf
Chapter 17: Wow I might actually be good at this – Andre Manard