Grandmaster Robert Hill Soke Hill first became interested in karate when his brother showed him some techniques of Tae Known Do that he learned in the army while in Korea. Soke Hill spent the next two years practicing what he learned and studying from books he found about karate. Then in September 1961, he went to Olympic College, where Master Nakachi was also a student. Master Nakachi was asked to teach karate at the college and it was through this class that Soke Hill really got into karate. The style was still called Shin-Pu-Ren at the time. Soke Hill began with two days a week workout but quickly changed to four days with lots of outside practice. Master Nakachi was also teaching karate in Seattle at this time and Soke Hill went over and worked out with that group about every other week. In June 1963, Sensei Robert Hill received his Shodan (1st degree Black Belt) from Master Nakachi. Shihan Hill then went back east with a brown belt (Ed Mehus) to Boston, MA. In February, 1964, upon returning after a period of 9 months, Soke Hill found that Master Nakachi had changed the katas, changed the crest, and changed the name of the Okinawan-style Shinpu-ren to Butokukan, reflecting the softer, faster style of Kenpo karate. Soke Hill had some catching up to do. He began at once working out with Master Nakachi twice a week and also started teaching in his parents garage. This continued through January, 1965, when he went to work at Keyport Naval Torpedo Station. After going to work there he was asked to teach at the gym on the base. Soke Hill discontinued the garage dojo and taught at the Keyport three nights a week for the next 14 months. It was during this time that Sensei Ted Kozikowski and Sensei Harry Turnbull started as white belts. In 1965 Shihan Nakachi had to return back to Japan, leaving the reins of the style in the hands of Sensei Hill (at this time a Nidan, 2nd degree black belt). After Shihan Nakachi had left, other schools in the area, like Goju Ryu and others, tried to take over the school. Shihan Hill had a meeting with the other schools, and told them who we are, and that we would not be leaving or changing our school. From that point on, the other schools respected his wish. Shihan Hill has continued teaching, and has also supplemented the basic karate core of techniques he has learned with some Wing Chun Kung Fu, Aikido, and other styles, to enrich the abilities of Butokukan. In February, 1966, Soke Hill opened a dojo in downtown Bremerton, and has maintained a public dojo ever since. In April, 1965 Soke Hill entered his first tournament. Soke Hill competed in almost every tournament in the northwest through 1968. One notable tournament was the 1968 Tacoma Tournament, where he took 1st in Black Belt Kata and 1st in Black Belt Heavyweight Kumite and went on to win Kumite Grand Championship. Soke Hill At the end of 1968, Soke Hill decided to concentrate on teaching and developing his up and coming black belts and students. Since that time Soke Hill has fought in one more tournament. In 1971, his students talked him into trying his hand at the Seattle Open Tournament (the largest in the Northwest). After walking through the elimination rounds with only one point being scored on him, he met Junki Chung in the finals. That fight is still talked about to this day. It was a three 2 minute round fight. Soke Hill lost the match with a final score of 12 to 11. The score would have been 20 to 3 in favor of Soke Hill but he gave up 9 points for light contact. Everyone in the building knew the best fighter in the place going to be watching the Grand Championship fight instead of winning it. Of all the tournament fights, Soke Hill liked best the elimination round match with Tom Greenley in that same 1971 Seattle Open. Greenley had won three Grand Championships that year and was considered the man to beat. Soke took him out in less than 30 seconds with three straight points. Soke Hill has stressed tournaments for their self development and confidence building experiences. He has said, "when you compete in a tournament and can fight as well as you would in your own dojo, then you have mastered your own emotions and have gained the true value of a tournament." In November, 1966, Soke Hill along with his wife Sharon, went to Japan to visit Master Nakachi for three weeks. Master Nakachi was in Tenri, Japan but met Soke Hill in Tokyo. They met Master Nakachi's relatives in Tokyo and were given a chauffeur driven tour of the city. Following this they went to Tenri and stayed at the guest house of the Tenri-ko religion. While in Tenri, Soke Hill workout with Master Nakachi and learned new kata. From Tenri, Master Nakachi took them to Kushimoto to visit with his parents and see where he grew up. While in Kushimoto, Soke Hill worked out with twelve of Master Nakachi's black belts. They were all young men of 16 to 18 years old. After Kushimoto, it was back to Tokyo and visit to Mas Oyama's Dojo, A visit to JKA (Shotokan) Headquarter and visit to Kotokan. Soke Hill's most fond memories of his trip are of working out with Master Nakachi on the beach of Kushimoto. Around 1973, Soke Hill made a decision that was to effect the Association. Don Williams, a Butokukan Black Belt under Master Nakachi, had established himself in the Seattle area and also started group in Vancouver, Canada. He promoted six people to Black Belt between the time Master Nakachi left (1965) and 1973. In 1973, various senseis and students began to bring various news to Soke Hill's attention concerning Sensei William's conduct. Soke Hill and Sensei Ra Rasun had a talk with Williams. Things changed for a little while and went back to same no good again. Soke Hill has done considerable teaching, even going into teaching full time for four and a half years. He has taught self-defense police and reservation police throughout Washington State. He taught self-defense class at Olympic College for four years before turning it over to one of his black belts. He also taught self-defense at the Alternative High School and has maintained juniors, beginning and advanced classes and his Bremerton Dojo for the past 14 years. Throughout his years in training, Soke Hill has maintained his one goal in karate "Continuous Self Improvement". Having little instruction from Master Nakachi since 1965, Soke Hill has kept learning and improving by doing, students attending tournaments and reading on the martial art (he has over 100 martial arts books and 400 magazines). Also, in 1976, he started private training in Wing Chun Kung Fu for one and a half years and added what he learned into his training and teaching. Soke Hill is married and had three boys. His wife Sharon has been a big help in encouraging him both as a competitor and an instructor. A feature article about Soke Hill is in the May, 1976 Vol. 7 #4 issue of Karate Illustrated Magazine. Shihan Hill, at the beginning of 1997, was elevated to KYU DAN (9th degree black belt) and in June of 2003, Shihan Hill was elevated to JU DAN (10th degree black belt) or SOKE, and has also been given the title of Grandmaster of Butokukan, the only living Grand Master of Butokukan now that Grand Master Nakachi has passed on. Reflections: "Over the many years I've been a student of Shihan Hill, the one thing about his personality which impressed me most of all was his ability to be humble. On numerous occasions I've seen Shihan Hill doing Kumite with less capable Black Belts and I've never seen him maliciously take advantage of a less able student of the art. The Shihan Hill has always allowed the slower students an opportunity to show they can be competitive. I could easily go into a much more lengthy detail of the many challenges I've seen Shihan Hill confronted with and which he easily overcame. On one occasion, I became some what arrogant with Shihan Hill during kumite. I was lucky to get a Yoko-Geri into his rib cage. The lesson he taught me during that sparring session is still remembered to this day." Sensei Ted Kozikowski "The Shihan Hill is the picture of all a good karate-ka could possibly be. He does not carry his ego into the art as others in his position in this country have come to do. His is the most humble Karate-Ka I have ever known. He shows concern for students of all ranks, race and sex. He is also the most patient instructor I have ever known. Above all, he has always set the example for which I have patterned my karate after. He commands respect by the honesty and sincerity that he puts into the art. He can be gentle when need to be, tough if he has to be but always concerned and sensitive to what's happening around him at all times. He is the perfect Master; the only master people who know and love him have no trouble and are glad to follow." Sensei Robert Long “Being a master of a style doesn't mean you're above any other people; it only means you have studied the style sufficiently to be able to master the style. |
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