Nubuo �gNobu�h Kamizuru
Many Teachers - Few Limits

However, he graduated from other "schools" as well.  Since his first exposure to Magic on television at age 11, Nobu has been pursuing this other life as do many young enthusiasts in Japan and most other countries.  His first effects were from Toys-R-Us and the truly magical "100 Yen Stores" which are to dollar stores as fine sushi is to fish sticks.  These first effects led to his first shows a year later, and he was the Magician who would be first to perform at parties and informal gatherings.

Call it fate or luck or, if you are devoid of all fantasy, merely coincidence, but Nobu's need for money resulted in his Magical education fast-tracking to excellence and fame . . . but not nearly as fast as might be thought.  After all, this is real life!

When Nobu was 16 years old, he applied for a part time job in PrimClinic, a private medical facility that treats all types of injuries and health problems with some of the most innovative techniques and some of the oldest practices in adjoining rooms!  Shigeru Tashiro, M.D., Ph.D. is a direct descendent of one of the first doctors to emigrate from China to practice in Japan - but that was only 16 generations ago!  Despite the Director's truly noteworthy history, a clinic needs more than just cutting edge and traditional therapies.  It needs people to run errands, clean up, and maintain the web site.  Nobu could do all that and more, so he was hired on the spot.  The daily distance of ten kilometers from his home and school - well, we all have to suffer a bit for our art and pocket money!

So where does the Magic come in what with the trips to the bank and the scrubbing the counters and the tweaking of the web graphics?  That would be the fault of Dr. Tashiro. 

Without a doubt, Shigeru Tashiro is a person who redefines "overachiever," even in a country that almost makes such behavior de rigueur!  He is presently The President of Japan Close-Up Magicians' Association (JCMA), a producer of international Magic conventions, a translator of Magic books into Japanese, a noted performer of Magic, and (since he is Japanese, this last but by no means least fact is paramount) a student of Murakami Syoyo, a Master of Magic.  Of course, as with such people in every country, having a personal coach specifically for a specialty is expected, and Mrs. Todoroki, a student of Murakami-san herself, plays that role for Tashiro-san's stage performances.

So, when Nobu landed the mundane, he also attained the nearly celestial environment of Magic as taught and practiced by The Magicians of Japan.  Murakami-san, Todoroki-san, and Tashiro-san - Nobu could not fail!

A good student reflects a great teacher, and this Nobu has done in many ways.  His stage act combines light, color, and movement with traditional effects, but with some surprises - perhaps the most important one being that he has made most of his effects! 

Although he was a bit limited at first in his understanding of lectures and his enjoyment of typical Magic conventions because of his hearing impairment, Nobu has evolved - perhaps as many deaf Magicians have also done - a way to focus on the visual elements of even patter-heavy acts to understand every aspect of both method and presentation. This skill led not only to enjoyment of conventions, but to participation as The Second Place Award recipient in The Stage Contest at The 12th World Deaf Magicians Festival in Riverside, California in April 2008 and as a performer at a special show for deaf people at The Russian Association of Magicians in Moscow in May 2009. 

Yet, this young professional has done more.  In February 2009 Nobu was an organizer of the JCMA sponsored "Silent Magic" show in Saitama.  This was something very new and very newsworthy in Japan, and the local main television station did both an interview of Nobu and covered this show featuring deaf Magicians.  The show was presented for hearing and deaf children, and it was an unqualified success as everyone clapped and waved uplifted hands.

Of course, Nobu has a favorite Magician - Johnny Lonn of Sweden - and he has other favorite ways to spend time.  Table tennis and basketball compete for the scant "free time" he has, and he is very interested in Gestuno and other gesture-based languages.  He gives back to Magic not only by his performance and connection with a rapidly growing number of international friends, but by serving as a Board Member of JCMA and visiting Asian and other countries in that capacity.  Indeed, he would like to invite The World Deaf Magicians Festival to Saitama.

The spotlight is becoming a familiar place for Nobu, but he is a gentle and kind rising star.  He regular volunteers to entertain in nursing homes and at gatherings for physically challenged children.  He helps anyone with Magic or navigating the roads and customs of Japan.  He treats his patients with compassion and great skill. Yes, a great teacher is reflected in a good student, but it is parents who shape a warm and giving human being.

Nobu's wonderful parents have supported his interests and his choices.  Even though Nobu gives Magic the credit in helping him overcome his shyness, it is more than our Art which has enabled him to visit and converse with deaf and hearing people - Magicians and spectators alike - in China, in Korea, in Europe, in The USA.  His family and his teacher and friend, Tashiro-san, have started Nobu on his path; it is Nobu who travels that path that will lead those who meet him to call him - —F’B Tomodachi!