Mr. Miyagi is an essential character within The Karate Kid universe, and his moving military history helped inform his mentoring relationship with his protégé, Daniel LaRusso. First introduced in the original The Karate Kid In 1984, Mr. Miyagi was ably portrayed by Pat Morita in the original series and continued to appear in archival footage in the television show's sequel Cobra Kai. Although Mr. Miyagi's calm demeanor and defense-based martial arts wisdom have always guided Miyagi-Do students toward noble victory, his character's stoic nature and deep philosophical wisdom were born from a traumatic story of loss. , pain and war.
While Mr. Miyagi was introduced in The Karate Kid As a simple, unassuming maintenance man, as the series progressed, his World War II past and his family's heartbreaking fate were explored further. Mr. Miyagi’s Unorthodox “wax, waxThe teaching practices turned the first film into one of the best martial arts films of the 1980s, but behind it all was a story of deep sadness. As The Karate Kid the series described Mr. Miyagi's life from birth in Okinawa to moving to ResedaCalifornia, he became one of the most tragic figures in the franchise.
Miyagi fought in World War II against the Japanese Empire
He was a member of the 442nd Infantry Regiment
Mr. Miyagi's defense-based martial arts style comes from a deep understanding of the true nature of violence and conflict. Mr. Miyagi was born in the village of Tomi, Okinawa, and practiced karate with his best friend Sato, both of whom were trained by Mr.'s father. However, it was revealed in The Karate Kid Part II that Miyagi and Sato were in love with a young girl named Yukie, which destroyed their friendship, and instead of fighting, Mr. Miyagi secretly fled Okinawa and started a new life as a farm worker in Hawaii.
In Hawaii, Mr. Miyagi met his wife, and due to the outbreak of World War II, the couple was interned in the Japanese-American camp at Manzanar, which held Japanese Americans during the war. Miyagi soon joined the US Army and served in the 442nd Infantry Regimentwhere he participated in the European theater of World War II against the Axis powers, which included Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy and the Empire of Japan, the place he once called home. Although Mr. Miyagi's involvement in World War II was already traumatic, another kind of pain was about to enter the future sensei's life.
Miyagi's wife and son died in an internment camp while he was away
He learned the tragic news by telegraph while he was still at war.
Miyagi and his wife planned to start a family, and she even got pregnant before he left to fight in the war, but this unfortunately never came true. While Mr. Miyagi was in battle, his wife went into labor and gave birth to their son. However, both Mr. Miyagi's wife and son died due to childbirth complications. After receiving a telegraph on November 2, 1944, Mr. Miyagi learned of their deaths and never met his only son or said goodbye to the woman he loved again.
Although Mr. Miyagi had a wonderful marriage and fatherhood ahead of him, after their deaths he remained single and a widower for the rest of his days. It was 40 years later, in The Karate Kidupon opening up to his surrogate son Daniel, that Mr. Miyagi lamented that the reason for his death was because there were no doctors at the internment camp to help. This tragic and preventable end to the lives of a young woman and baby was a powerful representation of the true miscarriages of justice in wartime US internment camps (via National World War II.)
Miyagi won the Medal of Honor, but its loss still haunted him
Although he received the highest military honor there is, Mr. Miyagi never forgot those he loved
While Miyagi was left heartbroken and his personal life in shambleshe still fought bravely in battle and was awarded the Medal of Honor for his military services. This was the highest military decoration a soldier could receive, but the memory of his loss was a sadness that hung over the rest of his life. After the end of World War II, Mr. Miyagi moved to Reseda, California, to work as a maintenance technician, restore antique cars, and build a traditional Japanese garden in the back of his home.
While it is tragic that Mr. Miyagi never enjoyed the fruits of family life after military service, it was fitting that his symbolic son, Daniel LaRusso, carried forward his fighting philosophy and defense-based principles.
In The Next Karate KidMiyagi traveled to Arlington National Cemetery to honor the Japanese Americans who fought in the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, showing that he never forgot the legacies of those he fought alongside. While it is tragic that Miyagi never enjoyed the fruits of family life after his military service, it was fitting that his symbolic son, Daniel LaRusso, carried forward his fighting philosophy and defense-based principles with Miyagi-Do in the sequel series. Cobra Kai.
Source: National World War II