Official Mas Oyama Website
Idol (SKE48)
No. 3
Aino Kitagawa
"I want to be strong'' becomes
"I want to be kind.'' With Kyokushin Karate as his source of energy, she continues to move forward as an idol.
Aino Kitagawa (Yoshino Kitagawa). She is an 8th generation member of the idol group SKE48. Her nickname is "Yoko-nyan". She started learning Kyokushin Karate when she was in the third grade of elementary school. She is from Osaka. She made her theatrical debut in January 2017 with her "PARTY ga Hajimeryo" performance. She is good at dancing.
Aino Kitagawa
There are many situations in which I feel that my Kyokushin karate experience has been put to good use in my idol activities. Mentally speaking, it means "never give up." As your career as an idol grows, more and more obstacles will come up that you have to overcome, and you will have to find your own character and position among the members who have a wide variety of personalities. No matter how difficult it is, I'm sure it's because I practiced Kyokushin that I'm able to recover with the forged guts that say, ``I'll never give up. There's no point in giving up.'' Even though I was trying hard, I didn't get any recognition, and I ended up crying alone after I got home, I was able to change my mind and look forward, thinking, ``Crying won't change anything. I'm not going to lose.'' It happens many times. The same can be said about the physical aspect. During performances, I sing and dance to the limit of my physical strength, and often feel like collapsing towards the end, but I am saved by my own stamina, which has helped me overcome the harsh training of Kyokushin. Even when I make a single turn, I have trained my core so much that I hate it by practicing grappling and techniques, so I can turn smoothly without shaking my axis, and people compliment me and say, ``Your turn is beautiful.'' In addition, I have been instilled with Kyokushin dojo principles such as greeting people, being punctual, and not telling lies, so even as an idol, I am naturally able to value the way I deal with people. I think there are.
Kyokushin's teachings are still useful in my current role as an idol.
The reason I started learning Kyokushin Karate in the first place was because I was extremely scared. When I was in elementary school, I couldn't sleep at night just hearing stories about ghosts. My girlfriend's parents couldn't help but scold me, saying, ``Aino, you need to be strong too. Instead of relying on someone to help you, you should learn to protect yourself.'' At that time, my older brother was learning Kyokushin Karate, so I started doing Kyokushin Karate to follow him. Until then, I had no interest in martial arts at all, but I gradually became addicted to karate. The days after that were like being a monk in training (lol). Every morning and night, he spends all his time practicing karate. On the days when I don't go to the dojo, I hit my father's mitts, and when I have time, I do kumite with my brother. I did all the training I could think of, like running around town with my family wearing weights, just like in the old cartoons. The training continued to be tough, but I was happy to get promoted and win matches, and each time I felt motivated to try harder. Above all, I was happiest when my family complimented me and said, ``I did my best.'' I want to make myself stronger and get rid of the things that scare me. I started Kyokushin Karate with such a casual mindset, but it was fun to train myself never-endingly and keep setting new goals.
I started Kyokushin Karate to change my fearful self.
In Kyokushin Karate, you can learn the correct way to deal with people because the opponent you are fighting against is right in front of you. For example, when you engage in kumite with your opponent, it's not just the person being hit that hurts, but your own fists as well. I think this applies not only to martial arts, but also to communication between people. Even if someone gets angry or scolds me, it may be because they are thinking of me and not because of their emotions. Focus not only on negative emotions such as pain and hardship, but also on the gentleness that lies behind them. I think it's also hard for those who scold. That's why you have to take the other person's words seriously. The same is true even if the situation is reversed. When you communicate something to someone, do you always consider the other person's feelings? When I stand in front of my fans as an idol, I think about whether I can move someone's feelings and make them smile by showing them how hard I'm working. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, we have fewer opportunities to meet the people who support us in person, but if we use SNS wisely, we can still connect with everyone from the heart. I try to actively communicate using Twitter and SHOWROOM, and reading the comments there and hearing people's voices of joy is extremely powerful. At times like this, I remembered the words of President Maedatsu, which I like to write down and carry around with me: ``If you treat people with an open mind, a single smile will win over your allies and engulf your enemies.'' And it's true. I really feel that way. I will continue to smile and aim to be a kind person who can give love and hope. Thank you for your support.
It hurts both the person hitting and the person being hit. That's why I want to be a kind person who can give people love and hope.
