A Visit to Sensei

It was a cool Sunday morning when I decided to visit Sensei Kinjho at his home which is far from where I lived. 4 days after Sensei Pat's funeral somehow there was a need to refresh my spirit. I was not sure of finding Sensei Kinjho in his home as he is always busy but then I took my chances and went there together with my father. I was glad to meet him when we got to where he lived. The place was full of fruit-bearing trees and sensei was busy with supervising all the fruit-picking and arrangement of the fruits. To my amazement, I later noticed that sensei was wearing one of his ATLETA Judo t-shirts while working in his farm.


After a while, we sat together and gave each other an update of our activities. Most of the time of course, we talked about Judo. In fact, it seemed everything we talked about was Judo. We looked back at everything we have been through - and it was of course Judo.

The visit to sensei was timely. As Seijitsu Judo Dojo continues to grow there is a need for Judo wisdom to carry on the duties that come with the teaching of Judo. And Sensei Kinjho is the best source of that Judo wisdom.



Sempai and Kohai. A picture taken with Sensei Kinjho, 8th Dan (KODOKAN) during my visit last July 18, 2010 at his farm.



With Sueko, Sensei's daughter.



Looking at this throw reminds me of Sensei Kinjho's excellent nagewaza.

The History of Judo

On Sensei Pat's Passing: Email From A Mentor (Tito Rudy) - An Important Piece of History

Sensei Pat Prologo Sr. - One of the original 15 Judoka to propagate Judo in Negros. I have met Sensei Pat several times before and always he would recall how it was during their prime with my father and Tito Rudy. He also expressed his wish for me to continue on what they have started together. Now that Sensei Pat has passed away, I made a promise to his widow Tita Losie Hontiveros - Prologo that I would certainly continue on what they have started together.


The passing of Sensei Pat gave me the opportunity to meet Pat Prologo Jr. (left) a grade school classmate at Colegio de San Agustin after more than 30 years after our grade school graduation.



Tito Rudy (3rd from left) and other practioners in their kimono (the word "gi" was not used to refer to training uniforms before)



Another picture of Tito Rudy (left) this time with Jun Caduhada (center) and my father Bert Lamayo (right) These 3 are among the 15 Judo pioneers in Negros.


The following is an email from Mr. Rudy Vivero, one of the original 15 to organize the first Judo Club in Negros, on Sensei Pat Prologo's passing. The email is dated July 8, 2010 and presented verbatim.



Dear Henried,

I will say outright that I am very sad that Pat has crossed the “Great Divide.” I met Pat when I was a little boy of about 7 years old. We were practically neighbors because his parents lived a short distance behind our house, a short distance from what is now CENECO. That was, of course, a year before the Japanese conquering army landed on the island of Negros . From then on, we have not seen each other because my family did its best to get away from the Japanese soldiers, which means we went into evacuation. I knew, though, that Pat and his family stayed in Bacolod in a place in front of the Provincial Hospital in Lacson Street .

Incidentally, Pat’s uncle was married to my aunt, hence, we are in someway related.

When we returned to Bacolod from the mountain of Murcia , we lived in the same place, but we hardly associated with each other because, as a boy of about 10, Pat was a gregarious boy. I may even call him a little wild, the kind of boy who never stayed foot at home. The best word I can describe him in our own dialect is “layaw nga bata.” At one time he was hospitalized because he fell from a mango tree, breaking one of his wrists in what they call “lagsanay sa ibabaw kahoy.” much like Tarzan. That’s why in our martial arts days, he did not take up karate because of his injured, though healed, wrist. He just could not perform the “seiken” properly when he executes gyaku tsuki.”

When I enrolled in Bacolod City High School , from the East Elementary School ( Now Mabini Elementary School ), near the CENECO, Pat enrolled from the North Elementary School . Yet, that very morning we became close as we’d never been before. What contributed to our closeness was our sense of humor. When I joined the high school band as a trumpeter, he joined in as a trombone player. For four years we were together. Our high school days were the days when we—both of us—engaged in barbell training. In one of the “Mr. Bacolod” Bodybuilding contests, Pat won the title for that year. Pat was small, but he was very proportioned. Throughout our days together, I enjoyed Pat’s company.

It was barbell training that acquainted us to Judo. Remy Presas taught his arnis and judo in the elevated floor, while Mat Llorente, another “Mr. Bacolod” taught bodybuilding below. We came in that gym to lift weights, but Remy Pressas invited us to play judo. Pat tried it right away and fell in love with the sport. I was suspicious of it because one has to don a judo gi to play the game. But the next day, I was pulling and pushing with the rest of the students. We were in college at this time. I was in ONI-UNO-UNO-R, Pat was in West Negros College . In our college years, we were still band members so as to be entitled to scholarships. And throughout our college years we played judo.

When Anong Javellana came home to establish his judo club in Shopping Center, Pat and I befriended Anong for more knowledge. That was the time when I met the first Lamayo—Fred Lamayo, the older brother of your dad. Fred was one of the bona-fide students of Anong Javellana.

I don’t know about those people who recognized Pat and Ticao as the only pioneers. Ticao was in Iloilo . Even Pat did not really met Ticao personally. All we know was that Ticao was Anong’s fellow judo student in Mapua University . Later on Ticao worked in Guam , where he studied Aikido from that famous master whose name escapes me. When Ticao came back, he taught Anong Aikido. The two people who benefited from Aikido knowledge passed by Ticao to Anong were Pat Prologo and Rene Cornel.

But to say that Ticao was here in Negros at the time of our judo days is false. Even Pat has not met Ticao personally. All we know of Ticao were what Anong told us. And to say that Pat and Ticao were the first judo men here is nuts. Do they mean that they were the only two players in one judo club? I assume, though, that while we are playing judo in Bacolod under Presas and, later, with Anong, Ticao was teaching in Iloilo , but not in Negros . But that’s only an assumption.

The names I sent to you sometime ago are the only guys I can remember. I think pari Bert has a better memory than I have. But don’t worry about these things. One man who can supply names is Jun Caduhada. Of course, your dad knows him. The picture you sent of Pat teaching Aikido in that weightlifting gym was the last place I saw those tatami mats. One of those mats belongs to your father. One belongs to me, and one belongs to my late brother Rolando. Another belong to Jun Caduhada.

It’s a pity I can’t remember the other owners. You know how much we paid for each of those tatami mats, less shipping from Japan , through the Philippine Judo Association. It cost each of us fifteen pesos.

Even dates I can’t exactly pin down. I started with Presas sometime 1957. I went to Manila sometimes 1961. I returned and worked with Philamlife in 1963. This was the time Manuel Villalobos and Pat worked for that judo mats. I was a family man at that time and don’t want to play judo anymore, but Manuel was insistent. So I was one who formed that club, which later became Paglaum Judo Club. But while I was in Manila , Pat has a judo club somewhere near the Provincial High School .

Henried, please convey my condolences to Lucy (Mrs. Prologo) and her daughters and one son. By the way, what is the cause of Pat’s passing away? Pat told me long ago that he wanted to die with his gi on. He even asked me to perform a judo throw on him, that is, instead of lowering him into his grave, he wanted to be thrown judo style into his grave. Please e-mail me soon.

Thanks for informing me and my best regards to you and pari Bert. RUDY


The Farewell. Os! Sensei Pat


Final rites for Sensei Pat at Rolling Hills Memorial Park, Bacolod City at 9:00AM, July 14, 2010. Among those in attendance were his family, Judo students in judogi, his Aikido students in their hakama, my father who was among the 15 original judoka, my mother, and me (taking this video).