In 1960 Guy Matsuoka had several motivating factors that initiated the judo program in Twin Falls, ID: the desire to give back to the community and to judo, 3 sons (Robert, David,Bryan), Wesley Dobbs, and Gene Humphrey.
Guy’s desire to give back to judo began in 1923 at the age of seven. His first Sensei was Mr. Kurose, then Sakata Sensei, both at the Kent Dojo located three miles north of the City of Kent, Washington in what was less than a town called O’Brien. Mr. Kurose went back to
Guy and his older brothers, James and John, walked from their home to the dojo. The dojo was a vacant store with a 2x4 framed sawdust mat; a mat that had a tendency to become compact.
A senior in high school, an 18 year old Guy received his shodan following a shinkyu shiai consisting of the Seattle Dojo and Tentokwan Dojo held in the Nippon Kan located in Seattle. Sakata and Kumagai were the board of examiners for promotions. Guy was in three matches to test for his shodan.
The Seattle Dojo, Kumagai Sensei (5 dan) consisted of Green Lake, White River, Aubrunt, Sumner, Thomas Valley, Sunnydale. Tentokwan Dojo, Sakata Sensei (5 dan) consisted of Bellenvue, Kent, and Tentokwan in Seattle. Shiais were held in Bellevue, Kent at 100F Hall, White River Shiai were in the Buddhist Church, and Seattle Dojo and Tentokwan shiai were all on the stage in Nippon Kan.
His last shiai match was in 1938 at the age of 22 in Bellevue, Washington. His long time rival, Tom Ozaki, was the opponent. Guy hit with a strong O-uchi-gari for Ippon; he also hit his front tooth and broke the root off forcing the tooth into the roof of his mouth. With blood everyone, he walked down stairs to the dressing room and pushed his tooth back into place, to only later have it removed by the dentist. His next opponent was to be Todashi Kumagai, his future brother-in-law and very tough competitor. Kumagai was also selected for the Northwest team that traveled to California for judo. Given that information, looking at his blood, Guy decided to forfeit the mat to Todashi.
To give back to the community was something that was taught through judo and through the home by his Japanese parents who had immigrated to the Seattle area via Hawaii in the late 1890s. Guy and Taka were relocated to Tulelake Relocation center in Northern California in 1941. He first traveled through Twin Falls on a work project in Montana. Eventually Guy was enlisted in the Army where a bad shoulder on a full-pack hike, sent him to a doctor, whose evaluation eventually sent him to office duty in the Air force. After the war, Guy traveled to Minnesota to pickup Taka and Jeanne to settle in Twin Falls where he used his training in refrigeration/air conditioning and electrical maintenance to be come an electrician. Gifts back to the community included being long-term members of the First Baptist Church where he served as a deacon, cook, electrician, teacher, Boy Scout leader and advisor. His church activities span over 50 years. Guy also gave back to the community as a baseball coach in the City Recreation.