A relationship established in the 1970s between the late Viliame Takayawa Snr and retired schoolteacher Kiofumi Manada Sensei endures to this day. Viliame Takayawa Snr, honored as the ‘Father of Judo’ in Fiji, first crossed paths with Kiofumi Manada Sensei while studying at a university in Japan. Over the years, their connection, rooted in the sport of judo, flourished.
This partnership blossomed further as Viliame’s sons took up judo, particularly three-time Olympian Nacanieli Takayawa, who trained under the skilled guidance of Kiofumi Manada Sensei. Naca competed at the Olympic Games in 1992, 1996, and 2002, securing a gold medal at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester.
Fast forward 30 years, and now several Fijian judokas have the opportunity to gain scholarships for training and education in Japan with some of the world’s top coaches. Kiofumi Manada Sensei also makes visits to Fiji, bringing students from Nihon Gakuen High School to train alongside local athletes.
Naca Takayawa fondly recalls spending summer holidays in Japan under the mentorship of Kiofumi Manada Sensei, who coached at Nihon Gakuen High School. He reflects, “Staying in Japan as a teenager provided significant improvement in my skills. Training six days a week during my early teenage years and having Sensei visit every two years has been invaluable.”
Continuing this tradition, Kiofumi Manada Sensei arrived in Suva on Monday with six judokas from Nihon Gakuen High School and two from a local Japanese club to engage with Fijian athletes. Naca expressed, “It’s a beneficial experience for our athletes to compete with talented judokas from overseas. This ongoing collaboration, rooted back in the 70s when my father served as national head coach, has facilitated scholarships in Ryutsu Keizai University for several of our athletes, allowing them to represent Fiji at the Olympics.”
The deep bond formed over the years has strengthened connections between Fijian judokas and their Japanese counterparts through both training and cultural exchange. Naca also acknowledged the support from the Fijian government, the Fiji Sports Commission, the Ministry of Youth and Sports, and sponsors such as FMF and Air Pacific (now Fiji Airways), which have helped sustain the sport of judo in Fiji over the years.