Moving from the hara, a natural abdominal center, and focusing power in the same area, have a long tradition in both Zen meditation and budo. In some of Nakamura Sensei's moving meditation exercises we can also see traces of judo movements as well. And since Nakamura Sensei was friends with the founder of aikido, and had a number of prominent aikido teachers as students, it isn't surprising to see aikido influences in Shin-shin-toitsu-do, particularly in the art's more recent offshoots. (And indeed more than one version of Shin-shin-toitsu-do now exists. Nakamura Tempu Sensei's direct students, not all of whom use the title "Shin-shin-toitsu-do" to describe their teachings, formed most of these offshoots. The Ki no Renma of Tada Hiroshi Sensei and the Ki no Kenkyukai of Tohei Koichi Sensei are two examples.)

The mere synthesis of the various arts mentioned above does not, however, result in Shin-shin-toitsu-do, which has as its true goal the direct, immediate perception of existence. We could practice all of the different things that Nakamura Sensei did and yet still not arrive at realization . . . or even come up with the same exercises. Nakamura Sensei had already studied a plethora of unrelated disciplines before going to India. It did him little good. In fact, it was only when he stopped looking for a new "magical cure or teaching" to add to his arsenal of holistic health methods and spiritual arts, that he was able to see the bona fide Way of the Universe for himself. More than anything, Kaliapa served as a catalyst for this transformation.

Nakamura Sensei's Continuing Influence
It is his direct perception of reality that made Nakamura Sensei helpful to others. To express this perception, he used various exercises and arts with which he was familiar; but this is almost incidental, as everything he taught and every person he moved with his words, was swayed more by the power of his direct connection with reality than by anything else. It's useless to copy the original arts that he studied, or to amass a collection of such arts ourselves. Rather, perhaps we should directly discover the truth for ourselves as he did. (As a side note, a few years ago, a Japanese delegation of Tempu-Kai members traveled to the Himalayas to research the Indian roots of their practices. They traced Nakamura Sensei's journey, and after some difficulty, they found the area in which he lived. They even found a statue of Kaliapa and practiced Japanese yoga in the same locations that their teacher had so many years before. While all of this made for interesting reading in Shirube, the Tempu-Kai magazine, no member of the delegation appears to have experienced the same realization as Nakamura Sensei. True understanding cannot be copied.)

Affectionately and informally known to his associates as Tempu Sensei, his unique insight drew a number of famous people to Shin-shin-toitsu-do classes, although not all were well known at the time. Among his students were former Emperor Hirohito, Matsushita Konosuku--Chairman of Matsushita/Panasonic, Kurata Shuzei--President of Hitachi Manufacturing, Sano Jin--President of Kawasaki Industries, Hara Kei--former Prime Minister of Japan, and even John D. Rockefeller III, who Nakamura Sensei probably met at the bank he ran.

Nakamura Tempu Sensei passed way on December 1, 1968. He is buried in Otowa. Many years ago, he adopted the name Tempu, meaning "the Wind of Heaven." For the vast number of people who have knowingly and unknowingly been influenced by his teachings, the Wind of Heaven is still felt rustling through their lives.