Christian Hosoi on Shogo Kubo

Shogo Kubo. He was a huge part of the early era of skateboarding. The generation of Tony Alva, Jay Adams, the Z-Boys and Dog Town. Shogo was an integral part of that time. When he first came here, he barely spoke English, but soon after, he was a master at using the English language to heckle and joke. He would make us laugh hysterically. Back then, there was a declaration… a creed. If you skated, you had to step up and rip. If you didn’t, you had to go. You had to be trying. Shogo and Jay were my mentors. They raised me with that attitude. That attitude was expressed: “If you’re going to layback, do it! You need to blast. No half-stepping.” It was the Golden Age. Skateboarding was its own little culture at the time. Attitude. Aggression. Style. Individuality.  The next generation (ours), translated all of this into travel and sponsorship. I took what Shogo taught me and applied it to my life.

It is so ironic that Shogo and Jay were taken from us at the same time. What they gave us is incredible. We’ll continue to harness and draw from them. Both were such radical skateboarders. They were passionate and uncompromising people. Shogo was not about the limelight. He was all about style. This really resonated with me. The personal time I spent with him is important. He stayed with me and my pops at our house and we would shoot pool all night and skate all day. My father was great friends with all of my mentors and that made it easy for me to have access to their wisdom, which has led me down the road I have traveled ever since.  Shota Kubo is Shogo’s son. He has his own thing going as well. He honors his father and I know that Shogo is proud that he has a son that loves skateboarding. The bottom line is that skateboarding is not just a sport. It’s about keeping it authentic and respected. Honor it. Never exploit it. This is what I learned from Shogo. Rest In Peace Shogo.  - Christian Hosoi

Thank you to William Sharp for the previously unpublished photographs of Shogo and thank you to Christian Hosoi for the words. Honor Shogo Kubo and skate - Ozzie