January 2022 archive

On this day….(January 20)

On 20 January 1909 Gōju-ryu legend, Gōgen Yamaguchi, was born. Nicknamed the Cat, he was famed for his feline-like speed and prowess. Yamaguchi was a direct student of Gōju-ryu Karate founder, Chojun Miyagi. He began training with him in 1929. On 20 January 1938 Cyril Cummins, a pioneer of Shotokan in Central England, was born. …

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Masaru Miura

My ideal vision for the future is for students to be able to visit each other more freely and frequently from different countries. I think that we should develop this kind of close relationship between any organisation. In this way all students will be able to exchange goodwill and develop friendship. Masaru Miura Known as …

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On this day….(January 15)

On 15 January 1963 Akiyoshi (Shokei) Matsui was born in Chiba, Japan. Of Korean heritage, he was named Moon Jang-gyu. Considered by some to be a “Kyokushin Karate Genius“, Shokei Matsui was the youngest man to become Kyokushin World Champion. A tough competitor, he won 50 out of 56 fights. He is also one of …

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On this day….(January 13)

On 13 January 2015, four inaugural inductees were inducted into the Finnish Karate Association’s Hall of Fame. The inductees were Kari Kuula, Kai Wikberg, Auvo Niiniketo, and Sari Laine. An Individual Kumite competitor, Sari Laine is the winner of multiple titles at a National, European, and World level. She appears in the Guinness Book of …

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On this day….(January 8)

On 8 January 1933, Chuck Merriman, a pioneer of Goju-Ryu Karate in America was born in Waterford, Connecticut. For many years Chuck Merriman has been one of the most recognisable faces in Karate. This American Karate pioneer has featured on the cover of many martial arts publications. He has been instrumental in popularising Goju-Ryu Karate …

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On this day….(January 6)

On 6 January 1967, Michael Randall gained his 1st Dan from Hirokazu Kanazawa. He was one of the first men in Britain to gain the rank of 1st Dan from the Japan Karate Association (JKA). At the time of writing Randall is one of a handful of people currently training to have trained under the …

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On this day….(January 1st)

On 1 January 1913 Motonobu Hironishi, an early student of Gichin Funakoshi, was born in Kyoto, Japan. Hironishi began his Karate training in 1931 at Waseda University under both Gichin and Yoshitaka Funakoshi’s direction. He was a contemporary and good friend of Shigeru Egami at Waseda. Both men would go on to teach at the …

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