Tempu Nakamura
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was a Japanese martial artist and founder of
Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
ese
yoga Yoga (UK: , US: ; 'yoga' ; ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines that originated with its own philosophy in ancient India, aimed at controlling body and mind to attain various salvation goals, as pra ...
. He was the first to bring yoga to Japan and founded his own art called , and taught it at Tempu-Kai that he established.


Biography


Early life and family background

Born in
Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
,
Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
, his original name was Saburō (). He was the son of Sukeoki Nakamura (中村祐興 1829-1909) of
Fukuoka Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Fukuoka Prefecture has a population of 5,109,323 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,986 Square kilometre, km2 (1,925 sq mi). Fukuoka Prefecture borders ...
and Teu Nakamura (中村テウ 1858-1928) of Tokyo, known as
Edo Edo (), also romanized as Jedo, Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of Tokyo. Edo, formerly a (castle town) centered on Edo Castle located in Musashi Province, became the '' de facto'' capital of Japan from 1603 as the seat of the Tokugawa shogu ...
at the time. His father introduced the use of paper money in Japan when he served as the bureau director of the Japanese
Ministry of Finance A ministry of finance is a ministry or other government agency in charge of government finance, fiscal policy, and financial regulation. It is headed by a finance minister, an executive or cabinet position . A ministry of finance's portfoli ...
. Tempū Nakamura later moved to
Fukuoka is the List of Japanese cities by population, sixth-largest city in Japan and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center of international commerce since ancient times. ...
(福岡市, Fukuoka
City A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...
),
Fukuoka Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Fukuoka Prefecture has a population of 5,109,323 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,986 Square kilometre, km2 (1,925 sq mi). Fukuoka Prefecture borders ...
(福岡県), to live with a relative. Once there, he took private lessons from an Englishman and enrolled in the Shūyūkan (, now Fukuoka Prefectural Shuyukan Senior High School in
Sawara-ku is one of the wards in Fukuoka-shi, Fukuoka-ken, Kyūshū, Japan. Data *Population: 213,178 people (as of January 1, 2012) *Area: 95.88 square kilometers (the largest in Fukuoka-shi) History On April 1, 1889, Fukuoka-shi was founded. The ...
) school where English was the
medium of instruction A medium of instruction (plural: media of instruction, or mediums of instruction) is a language used in teaching. It may or may not be the official language of the country or territory. If the first language of students is different from the offic ...
and where he became proficient in his family's style of
judo is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, combat sport, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyc ...
(随変流) and also trained in
kenjutsu is an umbrella term for all ('' ko-budō'') schools of Japanese swordsmanship, in particular those that predate the Meiji Restoration. Some modern styles of kendo and iaido that were established in the 20th century also included modern forms o ...
and
iaijutsu is a combative quick-draw sword technique. This art of drawing the Japanese sword, katana, is one of the Japanese ''ko-ryū'' martial art disciplines in the education of the classical warrior (samurai, bushi).Gordon Warner, Warner, Gordon and D ...
. During judo practice, he totally defeated an opponent from
Kumamoto is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Kumamoto Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan. , the city has an estimated population of 738,907 and a population density of 1,893 people per km2. The total area is 390.32 km2. had a populat ...
who then tried to kill Nakamura in revenge. In the violent encounter, Nakamura stabbed and killed his assailant, which was ruled legitimate self-defence. He left the school and joined
Gen'yōsha The was an influential Pan-Asianist group and secret society active in the Empire of Japan. Foundation as the Koyōsha Founded as the ''Koyōsha'' by Hiraoka Kotarō (1851–1906), a wealthy ex-samurai and mine-owner, with mining interests in Ma ...
ultra-nationalist Ultranationalism, or extreme nationalism, is an extremist form of nationalism in which a country asserts or maintains hegemony, supremacy, or other forms of control over other nations (usually through violent coercion) to pursue its specific i ...
secret society, forming a friendship with
Tōyama Mitsuru was a Japanese far right and ultra nationalist politician who founded secret societies called Genyosha ('' Black Ocean Society'') and Kokuryukai (''Black Dragon Society''). Tōyama was an Anti Communist and a strong proponent of Pan Asianism ...
.


In the Imperial Japanese military

At the age of 16, he joined the
Imperial Japanese Army The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA; , ''Dai-Nippon Teikoku Rikugun'', "Army of the Greater Japanese Empire") was the principal ground force of the Empire of Japan from 1871 to 1945. It played a central role in Japan’s rapid modernization during th ...
and served as a covert agent in Northern China. China was reigned by the Manchu dynasty at that time. He was one of only nine out of 113 military affairs investigators to return to Japan alive from the
Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War (8 February 1904 – 5 September 1905) was fought between the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan over rival imperial ambitions in Manchuria and the Korean Empire. The major land battles of the war were fought on the ...
, after which he suffered a severe attack of
tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...
at the age of 30.


Seeking a cure for his illness

Seeking a cure for the illness, he studied the autonomic nerves at
Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...
, and traveled to
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
,
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
,
Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
and
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
. For a period of time he lived with the family of
Sarah Bernhardt Sarah Bernhardt (; born Henriette-Rosine Bernard; 22 October 1844 – 26 March 1923) was a French stage actress who starred in some of the most popular French plays of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including by Alexandre Dumas fils, ...
. In 1911, on his way back to Japan, he met an
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
n
yogi A yogi is a practitioner of Yoga, including a sannyasin or practitioner of meditation in Indian religions.A. K. Banerjea (2014), ''Philosophy of Gorakhnath with Goraksha-Vacana-Sangraha'', Motilal Banarsidass, , pp. xxiii, 297–299, 331 ...
in
Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
named Kaliapa (a.k.a. Cariapa and Kariappa), who took him to
Gorkhe Gorkhe is a town and Village Development Committee in Ilam District in the Province No. 1 of eastern Nepal. At the time of the 1991 Nepal census The 1991 Nepal census was a widespread national census conducted by the Nepal Central Bureau of St ...
, in eastern
Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...
. He remained there for two and a half years of
yoga Yoga (UK: , US: ; 'yoga' ; ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines that originated with its own philosophy in ancient India, aimed at controlling body and mind to attain various salvation goals, as pra ...
study and practice, during which time his illness was cured. He practiced a variation of ''
Raja Yoga Raja (; from , IAST ') is a noble or royal Sanskrit title historically used by some Indian rulers and monarchs and highest-ranking nobles. The title was historically used in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. The title has a long ...
'' and ''
Karma Yoga Karma yoga (), also called Karma marga, is one of the three classical spiritual paths mentioned in the Bhagavad Gita, one based on the "yoga of action", the others being Jnana yoga (path of knowledge) and Bhakti yoga (path of loving devotion ...
'' with Kaliapa, with an emphasis on ''Raja Yoga''.


Return to Japan

After finally returning to Japan, he served as president of Tokyo Industrial Bank, among other business activities. He established his own medical and philosophical organization in 1919, renaming it Tempūkai () in 1940. He taught
Shin Shin Tōitsu-dō Shin may refer to: Biology * The front part of the leg below the knee * Shinbone, the tibia, the larger of the two bones in the leg below the knee in vertebrates Names * Shin (given name) (Katakana: シン, Hiragana: しん), a Japanese giv ...
to Tōhei Kōichi, who later founded Shinshin-tōitsu-aikidō. He died in 1968, and was buried in the cemetery attached to
Gokoku-ji is a Shingon Buddhist temple in Tokyo's Bunkyō. History This Buddhist temple was established by the fifth shōgun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, who dedicated it to his mother. It is notable for surviving the American air raids during World War II, ...
, Tokyo. In Japan, Tempū is remembered as a prolific writer and a practitioner of philosophy and
entrepreneur Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value in ways that generally entail beyond the minimal amount of risk (assumed by a traditional business), and potentially involving values besides simply economic ones. An entreprene ...
ship.


Tempu-Kai

Tempu-Kai is headquartered in Otsuka (大塚), Bunkyo-ku,
Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
, and actively holds seminars and retreats to teach his
Shinshin-tōitsu-dō was founded by Nakamura Tempu and is also known as Japanese Yoga. It is a study of the principles of nature and how they can be refined to help us realize the truths of nature and our full potentials. History Nakamura Tempu created his Japanese ...
. It has branches all over Japan and in
Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...
.


His influence to Japanese leaders

Tempu made considerable influence to the leaders of the Japanese society in various fields. They include:
Tōgō Heihachirō , served as a '' gensui'' or admiral of the fleet in the Imperial Japanese Navy and became one of Japan's greatest naval heroes. As Commander-in-Chief of the Combined Fleet during the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–1905, he successfully confine ...
,
Hara Takashi was a Japanese politician who served as the Prime Minister of Japan from 1918 until his assassination. Hara held several minor ambassadorial roles before rising through the ranks of the Rikken Seiyūkai and being elected to the House of Repr ...
, Seibo Kitamura,
Chiyo Uno was a Japanese author and kimono designer, known for her significant contributions to Japanese fashion, film, and literature. Early years Uno was born in Iwakuni, Yamaguchi. In 1915, she was fired from her job as a teacher's assistant for ha ...
,
Futabayama Sadaji was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Oita Prefecture. Entering sumo in 1927, he was the sport's 35th ''yokozuna'' from 1937 until his retirement in 1945. He won twelve ''yūshō'' or top division championships and had a winning streak ...
,
Tatsuro Hirooka Tatsuro Hirooka (広岡 達朗, ''Hirooka Tatsurō'' born February 9, 1932) is a Japanese retired professional baseball player and manager. Hirooka played his entire career, from 1954 to 1966, for the Yomiuri Giants. He was awarded the Central ...
, Konosuke Matsushita,
Kazuo Inamori was a Japanese philanthropist, entrepreneur, Zen Buddhist priest, and the founder of Kyocera and KDDI. He was the chairman of Japan Airlines. Inamori was elected as a member into the National Academy of Engineering in 2000 for innovation i ...
, et al., and more recently,
Shohei Ohtani is a Japanese professional baseball designated hitter and pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). Nicknamed "Shotime", he has previously played in MLB for the Los Angeles Angels and in Nippon Professional Basebal ...
.週刊現代』2018年12月8日号記事:「あの大谷翔平が心酔する中村天風とは何者か」- ''
Shūkan Gendai is a general-interest weekly magazine published by Kodansha in Tokyo, Japan. History and profile ''Shūkan Gendai'' was started in 1959. The magazine has its headquarters in Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital o ...
'' weekly magazine in Japanese, December 8, 2018, issue


People who studied under Tempu

* Uno Chiyo, author *
Tōgō Heihachirō , served as a '' gensui'' or admiral of the fleet in the Imperial Japanese Navy and became one of Japan's greatest naval heroes. As Commander-in-Chief of the Combined Fleet during the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–1905, he successfully confine ...
, the '
Admiral Nelson Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte ( – 21 October 1805) was a Royal Navy officer whose leadership, grasp of strategy and unconventional tactics brought about a number of decisive British naval victories during the French ...
of the East' *
Hara Takashi was a Japanese politician who served as the Prime Minister of Japan from 1918 until his assassination. Hara held several minor ambassadorial roles before rising through the ranks of the Rikken Seiyūkai and being elected to the House of Repr ...
, 19th
Prime Minister of Japan The is the head of government of Japan. The prime minister chairs the Cabinet of Japan and has the ability to select and dismiss its ministers of state. The prime minister also serves as the commander-in-chief of the Japan Self-Defense Force ...
* Matsushita Kōnosuke, the founder of
Matsushita Electric is a Japanese multinational electronics manufacturer, headquartered in Kadoma, Japan. It was founded in 1918 as in Fukushima by Kōnosuke Matsushita. The company was incorporated in 1935 and renamed and changed its name to in 2008. In 20 ...
* Tōhei Kōichi, founder of
Ki-Aikido or is a Japanese Gendai budō, gendai budo (contemporary martial art). It is one of the arts derived from the original Aikido, appearing after the Morihei Ueshiba, founder's death in 1969. Ki Aikido started in 1971 with the creation of the Ki No ...
* Tada Hiroshi, Aikikai Aikido shihanAikido Shihan Hiroshi Tada: The Budo Body, par
12
an
3
by Tatsuro Uchida, 2012
*
Ozaki Yukio was a Japanese politician of liberal signature, born in modern-day Sagamihara, Kanagawa. Ozaki served in the House of Representatives of the Japanese Diet for 63 years (1890–1953). He is still revered in Japan as the "God of constitutional ...
, politician * Inamori Kazuo, founder of
Kyocera Corporation is a Japanese multinational ceramics and electronics manufacturer headquartered in Kyoto, Japan. It was founded as in 1959 by Kazuo Inamori and renamed in 1982. It manufactures industrial ceramics, solar power generating systems, telecommun ...
* Hirooka Tatsurō, baseball player


Published works

Published works by Tempū Nakamura include these Japanese titles: * 成功の実現 (The Realisation of Success) * 盛大な人生 (A Prosperous Life) * 心に成功の炎を (Setting Fire to the Heart for Success) * 運命を拓く (Altering Fate) * 叡智のひびき-天風哲人箴言註釈 (Resounding Wisdom - the Annotated Maxims of Philosopher Tempū) * 真理のひびき-天風哲人新箴言註釈 (Resounding Truth - the Annotated Maxims of Philosopher Tempū) * いつまでも若々しく生きる (Living Youthfully) * 君に成功を贈る (Building Your Success)


References


Further reading


Seitai Kyokaitranslation
article (archived)

by H. E. Davey *The Nakamura Tempū Stor
part I
an
II


External links


Tempu-Kai (天風会)
(in Japanese)
International Japanese Yoga Association

English-language books on Nakamura Tempu
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nakamura, Tempu Japanese yogis 20th-century Japanese people 1876 births 1968 deaths Japanese writers Martial artists from Tokyo People from Kita Columbia University alumni Yoga teachers