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Bill Bowerman
Kitami is Mr. Morimoto’s successor at Onitsuka, as well as the member of Onitsuka Knight interacts with the most. Although Kitami appears kind and supportive of Knight at first, Knight quickly realizes that Kitami does not believe in Knight’s vision and wants to replace him. In Knight’s account, Kitami regularly acts in an underhanded manner expects ludicrous sales numbers out of Blue Ribbon. After Onitsuka loses the court case to Blue Ribbon, Kitami shakes Knight’s hand.
Kitami Quotes in Shoe Dog
The Shoe Dog quotes below are all either spoken by Kitami or refer to Kitami. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
11. 1971 Quotes
Waiting for Kitami to return, I had the strangest thought. I recalled all the times I’d volunteered with the Boy Scouts, all the times I’d sat on Eagle Scout review boards, handing out merit badges for honor and integrity. Two or three weekends a year I’d question pink-cheeked boys about their probity, their honesty, and now I was stealing documents from another man’s briefcase? I was headed down a dark path. No telling where it might lead. Wherever, there was no getting around one immediate consequence of my actions. I’d have to recuse myself from the next review board.
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Explanation and Analysis:
In this passage, Knight is left alone in his office with Kitami’s briefcase. Knight has suspicions that Kitami might be trying to separate Onitsuka from Blue Ribbon, so he contemplates snooping through his things. This is a major moment for Knight’s character because, up until this point, he has always acted in a way he deemed ethical. He always sets lines for himself and does not cross them. However, here he considers crossing one of the lines for the good of himself and his company. While contemplating this decision, Knight looks like he is learning towards not doing it; after Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explic
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Kitami Character Timeline in Shoe Dog
The timeline below shows where the character Kitami appears in Shoe Dog. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
6. 1966
...card. When Knight arrives in Japan, he learns Onitsuka has a new export manager named Kitami. Again, Knight spends a good deal of time studying How to Do Business with the...
(full context)
When Knight meets with Kitami, he discovers Mr. Onitsuka will not be present. Knight hoped to benefit from Mr. Onitsuka’s...
(full context)
8. 1968
...engagement, Knight has to fly to Onitsuka for a meeting. When he arrives, he discovers Kitami is still with the company, making things easier. Kitami welcomes Knight warmly and assures him...
(full context)
When the meeting ends, Kitami invites Knight to the company’s annual picnic. Knight happily accepts the invitation. At the picnic,...
(full context)
9. 1969
Additionally, while in Mexico City, Bowerman sees Kitami. Bowerman warns Knight that he does not like Kitami and thinks he is full of...
(full context)
After the games, Kitami flies to Oregon to see Blue Ribbon in person. However, he is not impressed when...
(full context)
10. 1970
However, Onitsuka rejects the counteroffer. He thinks his company’s success is largely due to Kitami, and he informs Knight that, from now on, Kitami will be the company’s full-time operations...
(full context)
...cash, he has to ask Onitsuka to delay their next shipment. He tries to assure Kitami that everything is fine, but he worries that Kitami will see right through his reassurances....
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...take the deal, he must make sure it is okay with Onitsuka. Knight writes to Kitami, hoping to hear back quickly, but several days go by, and he does not get...
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...and brutally. However, before he does anything rash, he realizes he needs to speak with Kitami and try to change his mind. He decides the best way to do this is...
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11. 1971
Kitami accepts Knight’s invitation to the U.S. and plans a visit in March 1971. Knight does...
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During their meeting, Kitami leaves Knight’s office for a moment to use the restroom. While Kitami is away, Knight...
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On the last day of Kitami’s trip, Knight and Penny take him to a dinner at Bowerman’s house. Although there are...
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After Kitami leaves, Knight contacts Delbert Hayes, his former boss and drinking buddy from Price Waterhouse. Knight...
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...factory in Japan that is willing to do business with him. However, he worries that Kitami will soon figure out what is happening, as there are only so many shoe factories...
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...Ribbon. Unfortunately, Fujimoto does not know much more than what Knight already learned from stealing Kitami’s files.
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12. 1972
Nike’s success in Chicago quickly reaches Kitami’s desk. Kitami immediately contacts Knight and demands to know what is going on. Knight plays...
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Knight knows Kitami is in California and will go to see if he is telling the truth. Bork...
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Days later, Kitami shows up at Blue Ribbon headquarters and demands a meeting. He tells Knight his contract...
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...to write such a large check, but he feels it is a significant victory over Kitami and Onitsuka.
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14. 1974
However, Blue Ribbon gets a win when Iwano, Kitami’s assistant, takes the stand. Iwano’s testimony is entirely honest and helps Blue Ribbon more than...
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...Mr. Onitsuka to the stand; Mr. Onitsuka pleads ignorance regarding the entire matter. After Onitsuka, Kitami takes the stand and requests a translator despite speaking fluent English. Knight is outraged that...
(full context)
...was not. Among other things, James the Just apparently caught on to the fact that Kitami did not need a translator.
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...is especially helpful now that he can go back to focusing on business as usual. Kitami meets with the Blue Ribbon team in person to the sign papers, which will end...
(full context)
