Kubota was born on September 20, 1934, in
Kumamoto, Japan, into the family of Denjiro (father) and Semo (mother) Kubota. He had four brothers, of which one became a kendo master, one a
jujitsu master, and one the Japanese Olympic
volleyball coach. In 1939, at the age of four, Kubota began studying martial arts under the direction of his father, who was a master of jujitsu and
jukendo. The training included bamboo yadi, judo, keibo-jutsu (
baton), and makiwara practice. During World War II, Kubota learned karate under the guidance of two Okinawans—Terada and Tokunaga—stationed in his village. They were teaching local people with basics in the martial art of
te; there was no name "karate" at that time in Okinawa. At the age of 13, Kubota went to Tokyo to seek his fortune—against his father's will. Upon arrival, he discovered that there was no work and no place to stay. While in a queue for food, however, Kubota helped the police to capture some criminals using his skill in
taiho jutsu (arresting technique). One of the officers, Detective Karino, gave Kubota a place to stay and helped him finish his education. Karino brought him to the
dojo (training hall) of Chinese master Cai and, in return, he taught Karino the art of
taiho jutsu. Until he earned enough money for classes, Kubota watched techniques at one of the top karate schools from outside at night. When he earned enough money, he continued his formal training inside a
dojo. ==Instructing career==