life is a beautiful thing. and life is even more beautiful when you are lucky enough to meet such a beautiful person.
i met Ieki-san back in 1993. i have known this wonderful man ever since. every year we would meet somewhere. either in shikoku, kyoto, or some other surfers gathering place. Ieki-san is a hardcore surfer, a legend, and most important, the nicest man you will ever meet. throughout the past 22 years, he’s always been smiling, and always been such a great supporter. a man i respect, a man i look up to, and a man with the kindest heart.
on my recent trip to cuba, i received the news about Ieki-san’s passing away. a tremendous shock went through my body. so many mixed feelings. flashbacks, memories, and tears.
i wasn’t able to attend his funeral, but my heart and soul was there.
just looking at these photos brings back so many memories. i know all these people in all these photos. it is the exact same surfing world circle of friends that i’ve been in all these years. we are like a big happy family. so losing someone is very sad.
i want to thank Matsuo for sending me these photos. it meant a lot to me to see Ieki-san’s beautiful smile again!
here is a photo of Ieki-san’s beautiful daughter and i. gosh, that was taken back in 1998.
Ieki-san ran a grape and pear farm in kyotango. i visited him a few times and he would always send me fruit where ever i was in japan. and to top that off, Ieki-san was a huge supporter for our We Are One Missions.
and Ieki-san would also send me photos every so often. this one oh so cute.
he would even leave me presents. i went to check into my room in shikoku and i found a bottle of jacksan with a note. anyway, just this past april, Ieki-san was totally fine when i seen him in shikoku. shortly after that, he went to go see a doctor and was diagnosed with terminal cancer and given only a short time to live.
Ieki-san came to hawaii this summer and told me it was his last surf trip of his life. we surfed, we laughed, we hugged, and when he left, i cried. no, i would never ever cry in front of him because i knew he wouldn’t want to see me that way. but you know what, i’m only human. and i will miss him dearly.
i was so lucky to be able to surf with Ieki-san in hawaii. when i dropped him off at his hotel after dinner, we hugged and he told me “the last thing in my life i must do is go to the 40th anniversary Dove Wetsuits party to see everybody.” that was in october. and to tell you the truth, that was the main reason i committed myself to attend that party. i promised Ieki-san that i would be there too and i meant it.
so seeing Ieki-san at the Dove party was very emotional for me, and for everyone. i must have shook his hand and hugged him more than i should of. we both knew that would be the last we would see each other in this life.
Ieki-san touched my life in many ways. he is a true inspiration for me. i will never ever forget his kindness and warm heart. i am the luckiest person in the world to have met such a great man. i only have great memories this past 22 years and what most i will remember is his golden smile. goodbye my friend.
