倍達の妻、智弥子。裕福な家庭に育ち、多くの芸能関係者や有名企業の社長との親交があった才色兼備な女性であった。19歳の頃に政治の講演会で倍達と出会う。会場の責任者として指示を出していた倍達の姿に好感を持ち、ねぎらいの気持ちを込めて花を贈ったところ、女性から花をもらうのが初めてだった倍達は贈り主を調べ上げた。それをきっかけに、二人の長い付き合いは始まった。二人で過ごす時間が増え、倍達から「僕たちはどんなに話をしても、全然足りないね。そうだ、面倒だからずっと一緒にいようか」というプロポーズを受ける。その後50年以上に渡り、空手道をつき進み伝説をつくり続けた倍達を影から献身的に支え続けたのが智弥子である。

Chiyako, wife of Masutatsu, is a beautiful and talented woman who grew up in a wealthy family and had close friendships with many people in the entertainment business, also with CEOs of famous companies. She met Masutatsu at a lecture on politics when she was 19 years old. Chiyako sent flowers as a gesture of her appreciation to Masutatsu, who was giving orders as the person who’s in charge of the venue. And as it was the first time for him to receive flowers from a woman, he checked through to find out the sender of the flowers. That was the beginning of the long relationship between the two. As they spent more and more time together, Masutatsu said, “No matter how much we talk, it never feels enough. Yes, it’s too much trouble, let’s just stay together forever” as his propose to Chiyako. Over 50 years have passed since then, Chiyako had devoted herself to continuing supporting Masutatsu from behind the scenes on his path to keep pursuing more legends in Karate.

そんな智弥子には、豪快な倍達の人生を支えるための数々のエピソードがある。長女を身籠った智弥子を置いて倍達が山に籠り空手修行に励んでいる間、文句ひとつ言わず待ち続けて貧しい生活を耐え忍んだこと。お金が底をつき家財道具を借金のカタに取られたときでさえも、決して倍達を見限らず、妻として二人三脚で家計を支えたこと。また、どんなに貧しくとも、二人は決して喧嘩をすることだけはなかったという。

There are so many episodes to be told about how Chiyako supported Masutatsu on his tremendous life. Even when Masutatsu left Chiyako to train in the mountains during the time she was pregnant with his eldest daughter, she just waited for him and endured the life in poverty without complaining a word. Even when they ran out of money and their household goods were taken as securities for their debts, she never gave up on Masutatsu and supported the family financially as his wife. Moreover, no matter how poor they were, they never argued with each other.

極真会館設立後は、お金が払えず会館のガスや電気、水道などが止められている実情を目の当たりにし、このままではいけないと自分が事務室に入ることを決意。収入が少ない中でもやりくりをして積立貯金を行ない、時には自分たちの生活費から差し引きしながら会館の経営を支えた。金銭面だけではなく、道場生を増やすために勧誘のチラシ作りも行なうなど、広報としての役割も担った。また道場生が道場に入ったら外に出るまでが道場の責任だと考え、「怪我をして強くなる」というようなこれまでの考え方を変えることに尽力し、怪我をした道場生を見舞うために遠方まで行くこともあった。倍達が空手に一心に取り組み、その名声を羽ばたかせることができた背景には智弥子の存在がとても大きかったのだ。

After the establishment of Kyokushinkaikan, seeing that gas, electricity, water and, etc. were shut off due to the inability to pay for the bills, Chiyako decided to enter Kaikan’s office herself. Even though the Kaikan did not have much income, she managed to save money and sometimes even subtracted their own living expenses to support the management of the Kaikan. Not only the financial aspect, but they also had to take the role of publicity relations by for example, making flyers, to recruit more Dojo students. Furthermore, they believed that once the students entered the Dojo, the students become that Dojo’s responsibilities until they are out of the Dojo. They put an effort to change the conventional way of thinking that “Getting injured makes you stronger”, sometimes they even travelled to distant places to visit injured Dojo students. Chiyako’s presence was significant to Masutatsu behind his single-minded devotion to Karate and the realization of his fame.

智弥子は自身の人生について、「大げさな表現抜きに、本当に毎日がドラマのような生活でした」と語っている。晩年も二人で銀座へ出かけるほど仲睦まじい二人は、夫婦を越えた絆で結ばれていた。

Chiyako described her own life as that “Without exaggeration, every single day of my life was really just like a drama.” Even in their later years, the two of them were so close that they even went out together to Ginza, and that they had a bond that went beyond just husband and wife.