March 2018 archive

This week in history (26 March – 1 April)

On March 26 1915 Ankō Itosu died. Itosu, who was a direct student of Sokon Matsumura, was responsible for the introduction of Tode as a form of physical education into the elementary school system of Okinawa in 1901. Itosu had a number of notable students including Gichin Funakoshi, Kenwa Mabuni, Chosin Chibana and Kentsu Yabu. …

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Cover Star: Taiji Kase

Considered one of the best ever Shotokan practitioners, Taiji Kase trained under some of the greatest Shotokan master. This included Gichin Funakoshi, Yoshitaka Funakoshi, Shigeru Egami, Genshin Hironishi and Masatoshi Nakayama. It was Kase that led the JKA delegation, including Hirokazu Kanazawa, Keinosuke Enoeda and Hiroshi Shirai, that gave a series of demonstrations introducing the …

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This week in history (19 March – 25 March)

On 20 March 1928 Gichin Funakoshi gave a Karate display, with fifteen of his students, at the Sainei-kan Training Hall located within the Imperial Palace grounds.The demonstration was given after an invitation by the Imperial Household. ******************************************** On 20 March 1955 The Japan Karate Association (JKA) was founded. Masatoshi Nakayama was appointed the Chief Instructor of the JKA …

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Cover Star: Teruo Chinen

Born in 1941, Teruo Chinen trained as a teenager under Goju-ryu founder, Chojun Miyagi. He later trained extensively under one of Miyagi’s main students, Ei’ichi Miyazato. Chinen first travelled to the United States in 1969, initially for what was meant to be a three-month visit. However, he ended up settling in the city of Spokane. …

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Cover Star: Aidan Trimble

Aidan Trimble managed to navigate the path between having a successful tournament career and also remaining true to the traditions of Karate. A talented fighter, once listed as one of the top ten greatest fighters, he has won numerous honors. In 1983 he become the first SKI Kumite World Champion. Below are some the magazine …

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Cover Star: Shigeru Kimura

Shigeru Kimura was a senior student of Shukokai Karate founder, Chojiro Tani. Kimura was responsible for the spread of Shukokai, first traveling to South Africa in 1965. His training and investigation eventually led to the development of Kimura Shukokai, his own version of Shukokai. Below are some of the magazine covers featuring this great innovator. …

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This week in history (12 March – 18 March)

On 13 March 1957 Vernon Bell was awarded his black belt in Yoseikan Karate from the Fédération Française de Karaté, under Hiroo Mochizuki and Henri Plee. Bell had started training with Plee towards the end of 1955. He had made frequent visits to Plee’s Paris dojo. After around eighteen monthes he graded for his 1st Dan. Bell …

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Cover Star: Chris Casanassa

Know primarily as an actor, Chris Casanassa has been practicing Karate since he was aged four. His father, Louis D. Casamassa was an early pioneer of Karate in the United States. Chris Casanassa was a successful competitor. Below are some of the magazines covers to feature this martial artist, turned actor, best known for his role as Scorpion …

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Cover Star: Andy Sherry

Andy Sherry is a pioneer of Shotokan Karate in the United Kingdom. With over fifty years training his passion and dedication epitomizes all that is good in Karate. He started training in 1961 as member of Vernon Bell’s British Karate Federation (BKF). His main instructor was JKA legend, Keinosuke Enoeda. He was founding member of the Karate …

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Cover Star: Tetsuhiko Asai

Tetsuhiko Asai was one of the most unique legends to come out of the Japan Karate Association (JKA). Extremely nimble, he employed ducking, jumping and spinning techniques against his opponents, making it very difficult to defend against his attacks. He is a former JKA All Japan Karate Grand Champion, defeating the likes of  Hiroshi Shirai …

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