Soke Yoichi Nakachi
In 1944, Yoichi Nakachi at the age of 12, started studying karate under Yon Pon Gun.
In 1948, when the ban on martial arts was lifted, the open practice of Shinpu-ren resumed. By this time, at the age of 16, Nakachi had his 2nd degree black belt . Because of business, Gun often visited the small fishing village of Kushimoto, Nakachi's home town. This was during the ban on Japanese budo (martial arts), enacted by the American military government under General MacArthur (1945 - 1948). In spite of this ban, Nakachi and his schoolmates continued to study martial arts in secret under the instruction of Yon Pon Gun and several other Koreans in the Kushimoto area. Due to the economic hardships of the post-war period, the practice of the martial arts took place outdoors, either in the surrounding mountains, in open fields, or on the beaches near the Kushimoto area, since a "dojo" was a luxury that people could not afford. This meant that training was often interrupted by rain or darkness. The small group of students with which Nakachi trained, and in 1950 came to lead, was made up of a small group of high school students. These seven or eight students would get together after school to practice what Yon Pon Gun had shown them on his last visit to Kushimoto. The outdoor classes were usually done in their school uniforms and consisted of kumite and kicking drills, as well as some weapons training. In 1950, Yon Pon Gun and the other Koreans stopped going to Kushimoto, and since Yon Pon Gun had left for Korea, Nakachi took over the group, as he was "sempai" (senior student).
In 1959, Sensei Nakachi came to the United States (age 27), to study at the University of Washington, under a college scholarship in philosophy, supported by the Tenri-ko religion. He started to teach karate in the University District, when he found there was more of a desire to learn it than judo ( which he also knew ).
In 1961, Nakachi switched studies to Olympic College in Bremerton, and started to teach at the "Y" in downtown Seattle (5 nights a week). He taught at a health club in the downtown area as well. Olympic College asked him to teach classes for 4 days a week. Master Nakachi studied during the day, taught at Olympic College 4 times a week, and taught at night at the YMCA 5 times a week. Master Nakachi quit school and did this whole routine for 2 years, before teaching at night only. It was during this time Master Nakachi met Bruce Lee (1962), and they shared and exchanged many ideas about the martial arts. It was Master Nakachi that suggested to Lee that he try the nunchaku, since it was less cumbersome than the three-sectional staff.
In 1963, Shihan Yoichi Nakachi changed the name, crest and katas from Shinpu-ren to Butokukan. The new crest shows the white fist coming head-on, with the red master ring around it. For more information on the crest, Click Here. The older Shinpu-ren crest originally showed an upright fist, similar to a Goju-ryu crest.
From 1963-64, the school was still small. In April of 1965, Shihan Nakachi staged the first open Butokukan tournament, which also encompassed Armstrong's Isshin-Ryu, and Bill Ruter's Goju-Ryu.
In May of 1965, Shihan Nakachi had to leave to return to Japan. Before he left, he made Sensei Robert Hill Nidan ( 2nd degree Black Belt ), and gave over the reins for Butokukan in North America. In 1967, Shihan Hill re-established the classes at Olympic college, and they are still being taught there by his students.
Soke Nakachi , on his return to Japan in 1965 found that his Shinpu-ren black belts from before he left Japan had dispersed and were inactive. He began to teach and ascended some students to Shodan, but after he moved to Tokyo, they too, went 
inactive. Master Nakachi was working six days a week, eight hours a day teaching swimming , and was working on adapting karate techniques to accommodate older people.
Soke Nakachi passed away in 1998, almost a year after his dear beloved wife died from an prolonged illness. It was well known by Shihan Hill and other high ranking Butokukan black belts that he would not venture over to North America to visit the fruits of Butokukan, simply because he needed to go each day to the Japanese cemetery where his wife's grave lay, to visit her. This was just a reflection of the dedication that our master had, and had exhibited in the study of karate.
Reflection:
I have seen him throw a round house kick straight up over his head.
He has an ability to read a person, to know what will motivate that person to work his hardest.
He would like to have stayed in the U.S.A.
He pushed you as a student to think.
He can teach Japanese better than the Americans because of the language and customs.
He is a character, a lots of fun and you know he knows what he is doing.
Master Nakachi is about 5' 7" and about 140 pounds.
He was a Ni Dan in Judo before coming to the U.S.A.
I hope this helps you know my instructor, Master Yoichi Nakachi.
