Vol. 12 Seitaro Nakamura One and Only - Return to Classic Longboarding (Part 1)

Seitaro Nakamura was born and raised in Shonan by his legendary father, and after graduating from junior high school he moved to San Diego, California, where Kevin Connelly and Joel Tudor live, where he honed his classic longboarding style.

In the midst of the longboard revival of the 90s , he gained worldwide acclaim for being the only Japanese to be featured on Thomas Campbell's timeless masterpiece, " The Seedling ." After returning to Japan, he refined his orthodox California style, becoming a one-of-a-kind presence that continues to have a huge influence to this day.

What would have happened if Seitaro Nakamura had never appeared on the Japanese log scene? Tracing his footsteps, it is clear that it was not a coincidence, but a natural progression.

(Photo: Yuto Nishikawa)

What made you decide to become a professional longboarder in the first place?

My father is Seiichiro Nakamura, a former professional longboarder and a pioneer in the Japanese longboarding world. Because of that environment, there were always surfing magazines and videos at home. I was naturally drawn to longboarding.

At what age did you start surfing?

I knew my father was surfing from an early age, but I wasn't really interested. I think I started when I was in the second year of junior high school. I heard that my seniors, Yonosuke Sakuma and Yuichi Numata, were surfing, so I started with a friend from the same year. At first, I went to a beach in Zushi with my friends. After that, I started going to Chisun in Chigasaki, which was close to my father's house.

At that time, it must have been rare to see a junior high school student longboarding, even in Chigasaki.

That's right. I don't think there were many kids my age who were longboarding around me. When I first started, I was riding a slightly longer mid-length board with less buoyancy, but it was hard to paddle and I couldn't catch any waves. Then my dad gave me a longboard and said, "Try riding something a little longer," and when I tried it, I was able to catch a lot of waves. I remember it became more and more fun.

After that, I moved to California right after graduating from junior high school.

Yes. It all started when Takuji Masuda, the 2001 JPSA Longboard Grand Champion, introduced me to Kevin Connelly, who I admired. I was 15 years old, I think. It was right after I graduated from junior high school. Before that, I had gone to see a few professional matches with my father, That's when I met Takuji.

I had been thinking about studying abroad since the second half of my second year of junior high school, but I hadn't decided where to go. I learned that Kevin Connelly and Joel Tudor, who I admired after seeing them in Longboard Magazine and videos, were in California, and I was introduced to them by my friend, Kazuharu, who happened to know them. When I visited San Diego after graduating from junior high school, I immediately decided to go because not only the ocean but also the atmosphere of the city was wonderful.

You actually had the chance to go to California and see them surfing up close. What did you think?

The superstars had an aura about them, as expected. But not only that, there were so many stylish surfers, regardless of age. Everyone was doing beautiful surfing. I learned so much from being able to see the real thing up close. However, while I learned a lot in the ocean, outside of it I was still a child with a lot of inexperience... I wonder if I would have been able to have more experiences if I were a little older.

How long did you end up staying in California and where did you surf?

I stayed there for a total of about three and a half years from 1997 when I was 16 years old. I mainly surfed between Cardiff and Swamys in Encinitas, and every day was like "surfing training". I attended a private school on weekdays, and while I mainly studied languages, I also did well with the high school curriculum.

I'm sure there were many other talented surfers besides Kevin and Joel, but who were your biggest influences?

There were a lot of amazing people there, including Devon Howard, Tyler Hazzikian, Mitch Absher, and Eric Sommer. Also, I was heavily influenced by Silas King, who was around the same age as me but has since passed away.

In Malibu, you'd see Matt Howard, Brittany, Josh Favreau, Dane Peterson, Kasia Meader, etc. In Cardiff, Rob Machado would sometimes show up, and Kelly Slater would suddenly show up at Swamy's.

In that sense, it was a continuous series of surprises and stimulation. As I said earlier, there were so many cool surfers, it was fun just watching them. I also met Tatsuo Takei in California, and Thomas Campbell also lived in the same city. (Continued in the second part)