Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Kobutsu Malone dies

Kobutsu Malone with Harley Bear, who preceded him in death.
Kobutsu Malone -- or "the Rev. Kobutsu Malone"  -- died over the weekend according to best guestimates. He was found yesterday lying on his floor somewhat stiff after several unsuccessful attempts to contact him by phone, according to friend David Scates. Kobutsu was 69. David was good enough to give me a call and the word seems to be getting around if my email in-box is any indicator.

I knew things were on a downturn when, last week, I talked to Kobutsu and he seemed not to care much ... care enough to get pissed off about old favorite topics like Eido Shimano or the Catholic Church. Pissed off was his happiest and most lively mode and I often used them to rouse him up from whatever lethargy was afflicting him at the moment. He could be an irascible son-of-a-bitch.

"It wasn't unexpected," said Scates. And that seems to me so sum things up nicely.

Nothing is settled as regards the remains or other post-mortem details.

4 comments:

  1. Sad to hear it. Kobutsu was a force of nature. I hope he just laid down to rest and drifted off while listening to the birds or the breeze.

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  2. Very sorry to hear this Adam. He and I had a lively email conversation back when the Shimano mess was blowing up. A good fellow who enjoyed disinfecting viruses with a nice dose of sunshine.

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  3. I am the dharma heir of Joshu Sasaki by remote transmission (yaosi). Kobutsu refused to include this claim in his Sasaki Archive, and I now see that it is offline. Nevertheless I would like to revive it and want to know whom to contact, any heir of Kobutsu, to clear the rights and make the Archive available again easily (not just through web archives).
    I see that the Shimano Archive on the contrary is still online, does anybody know why one is and one is not? You may write to me at zengarten (at) mail.de or respond here.

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