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Zack Quaintance

Everybody at the Recreation Center knows him. He's the kung fu guy, the martial arts man, or maybe just the dude with the sword.

"He's here every day," said Victor Pagan, an alumnus from Carbondale and a regular at the Recreation Center. "He's a Japanese master. That guy is great."

Pagan has to hurry to a fitness class, but if he had time, he could stop and watch as Mitsuhiko Sato, a recent graduate in speech and communication from Japan, practices wushu, a form of Chinese kung fu.

He does martial arts for the same reason people do aerobics - to stay in shape, but practicing has made him a quasi-celebrity, Sato said.

"Where ever I go, people say 'hey, were you doing Japanese stuff in the Rec Center? You're awesome man,'" Sato said. "It's weird, people know me, but I don't know them."

Sato runs, does a two-step hop and then executes a sideways aerial with a broad sword in hand. His body goes parallel to the floor, his legs go above his head and he lands firmly on the ground before kicking his hand, which he is holding at eye level.

To his left, joggers make their way around the track. They occasionally glance at him, but most are used to Sato. He practices four hours a day, about five times a week.

To his right, there's a full-court basketball game. Sato strolls over to the wall where his bag is sitting on one of the padded rafters. He sheaths the sword and pulls out a Chinese willow wood staff.

Sato's staff makes a loud swish, like a ball through a hoop, as he twirls it around his head so quickly that it's hard to believe he has any control over it. One false move and it looks like he could give himself a welt that would take weeks to heal.

In fact, when Sato first started practicing martial arts seven years ago in Japan, just going through the motions caused him pain.

"My hands were always bruised, but not anymore," Sato said. He slaps his hand hard. The noise startles a man walking by. "I don't feel anything."

Sato has practiced with friends before, but none of them stick with it. Wushu takes discipline rarely possessed by college students. Sato said his friends usually quit and play basketball or go home and study, but he stays committed.

"As I continue practicing, I improve," Sato said. "Those improvements keep my motivation." While he likes Carbondale because of the nightlife and the pretty women, Sato said it was much more rewarding to practice in his native country.

"In Japan, after we practice, we get a drink," he said. "Wushu is also about socializing."

The weapons are put away now. Sato is done with his props and is preparing to practice open hand, a style that substitutes his feet and hands for weapons. A man walks up. Sato breaks his concentration and they slap hands.

While most of the people who approach him are curious and often ask him to teach them a flip or spinning kick, there are some who are scared by what he does.

Occasionally, someone will complain to the Recreation Center's staff that they feel threatened by his twirling sword, Sato said. Little do they know the sword in question is less than 10 pounds and unlikely to even break the skin.

People shouldn't worry anyway, Sato said. His style of wushu doesn't intend to hurt people. "Wushu is about building your body and getting flexibility and endurance," Sato said. "My biggest obligation is not to hurt people."

While he benefits physically from the rigid practice schedule, his wallet is growing stronger as well. For the five years he has been in Carbondale, Sato said he has been able to support himself by giving lessons to children. He's even entertaining an offer to open a kung-fu school in Chicago later this year.

As he continues his workout, joggers circle above him on the complex's elevated track. They might not understand what he is doing, but most of them express admiration.

"I've noticed he's completely and fully dedicated to what he does," said Ashley Robbins, a junior from Peoria studying advertising. "You can tell when he messes up he just keeps going."

Sato stays dedicated for personal reasons, and was reluctant to even talk with the DAILY EGYPTIAN. But he doesn't mind hearing there are women who admire what he does.

"Just tell her I'm single," Sato said.

Reporter Zack Quaintance can be reached at zack_quaintance@dailyegyptian.com.