The Household in Magome: Life with Master Shigeru Egami

One of the most moving aspects of Kimikagesō is the vast distance between Shigeru Egami at home and Shigeru Egami in the dojo. In domestic matters, Egami was completely detached. Confronted with household bills, scarce groceries, or family dilemmas, he would calmly answer: "I haven't heard anything about that" or "I forgot" (Chapter 66).

Faced with Chiyoko's desperation, he brushed off decisions with a dry "Manage it yourself", leaving her entirely responsible for feeding and raising three children through the harsh postwar years. When Chiyoko suffered a high fever during her first pregnancy, Egami dropped her at the hospital doors and continued to his office, until an enraged doctor telephoned him to reprimand him for abandoning his wife.

Yet the moment a karate student knocked on their modest front door in Magome (Ota-ku, Tokyo), that tired, forgetful man vanished. His posture straightened, his eyes lit up, and his memory returned completely. He would sit on the tatami until two or three in the morning, demonstrating wrist turns, explaining hip mechanics, and recounting old stories of the masters with boundless patience.

Welcoming Disciples: The Extended Household

Egami adamantly refused to turn Karate-do into a commercial enterprise or profitable commodity. He never charged commercial tuition fees nor accepted sponsorships that would compromise the sincerity of his art. Consequently, the economic strain fell squarely on Chiyoko.

Despite tight resources, their home in Magome embraced devoted disciples like family. Several students lived in the Egami household as uchideshi (live-in disciples), including Hiroyuki Aoki during his university years, and later Isao Ariga and Masayuki Nakano, who resided in the house during Egami's final five years (with Nakano staying on for another five years following the master's passing). Other close disciples, including Chuo University captain Yoshinori Takita, Tomoji Miyamoto, Fumito Sugimoto, and a young Atsuo Hiruma, always found in Chiyoko a warm matriarchal presence who served tea, washed keikogis, and listened to their personal hopes.

Kimikagesō proves that Shotokai was not forged solely by technique on the dojo floor, but through the quiet dedication and sacrifice of a remarkable woman.