Oct 19 2020
20 October On 20 October 1972, Kyokushin legend, Howard Collins competed in the 4th All Japan Open Karate Tournament. He made it to the final where he lost to Miyuki Miura. On 20 October 1982, martial arts historian, Donald Frederick “Donn” Draeger died from cancer at the Veteran’s Hospital located in Milwaukee. He was buried …
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Oct 12 2020
12 October On 12 October 1939, American Shotokan pioneer, James Field was born in Sandy Bay, Jamaica. He and his family emigrated to the United States. James Field was one of the first four Americans certified to teach Shotokan Karate in the United States. A technical martial artist, he was also a successful competitor. On …
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Oct 05 2020
5 October On 5 October 1955 Guusje van Mourik, one of the most successful kumite competitors, was born in the Central Netherlands town of Zeist. Her early exposure to the martial arts was through the sport of Judo. She would eventually receive the grade of 2nd Dan. She competed in the Dutch Championships and won …
Permanent link to this article: http://findingkarate.com/wordpress/this-week-in-history-5-october-11-october/
Sep 28 2020
28 September On 28 September 1897, Shinkin Gima was born in Shuri, Okinawa. Growing up he studied Karate under both Yasutsune Itosu and Kentsu Yabu before attending university in Tokyo. In 1922 he met and began training with Gichin Funakoshi. He was Funakoshi’s first black belt and would eventually reach the rank of 10th Dan. …
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Sep 21 2020
21 September On 21 September 1980 Ronnie Christopher was promoted to 1st Dan by Keinosuke Enoeda. One of the best competitors of his generation, Christopher won numerous titles nationally and internationally. He was part of the British team that won the 1990 Shoto Cup in Sunderland, England, defeating the previously undefeated Japan in the team …
Permanent link to this article: http://findingkarate.com/wordpress/this-week-in-history-21-sep-27-sep/
Sep 14 2020
15 September On 15 September 1938 Fumio Demura, a pioneer of American Karate, was born in Yokohama, Japan. Demura arrived in the US in 1965 at the invitation of another American pioneer, Dan Ivan. He started teaching at Ivan’s dojo. 17 September On 17 September 1966, Shigeru Oyama, no relation to the Kyokushin founder, took …
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Sep 07 2020
7 September On 7 September 1959 the first British Karate Federation (BKF) Summer Course was held. It was a six-day course held at the Ippon Judo Club, located in the basement of the Imperial Private Hotel, Scarborough, Yorkshire. The course was conducted by Vernon Bell and was limited to twenty students. It was open to …
Permanent link to this article: http://findingkarate.com/wordpress/this-week-in-history-7-sep-13-sep/
Aug 31 2020
1 September On 1 September 1923 the plates to Gichin Funakoshi’s book “Ryukyu Kempo: Tode” were destroyed in the Great Kanto earthquake. The earthquake that hit the Japanese island of Honshu in 1923 was one of the most destructive ever recorded and resulted in a tsunami. The cities of Tokyo and Yokohama and the prefectures …
Permanent link to this article: http://findingkarate.com/wordpress/this-week-in-history-31-aug-6-sep/
Aug 24 2020
24 August On 24 August 2000 Andy Hug died from breathing difficulties and multiple organ failure. He was only 35 years old. His death was reported on all the major news channels in Japan. He was survived by his wife Ilona and their son Seya. 25 August On 26 August 1941 Karate instructor and humanitarian, …
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Aug 10 2020
14 August On 14 August 1934 the founder of American Goju-ryu Karate, Peter George Urban, was born in Jersey City, USA. Serving in the US Navy he was stationed in Yokohama, Japan. In 1953 he began studying Karate as a student of Richard Kim. In 1954 he was transferred to Tokyo. There he was introduced …
Permanent link to this article: http://findingkarate.com/wordpress/this-week-in-history-10-aug-16-aug/
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