Jan 14 2019
20 January 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. Cummins began his Karate training in 1964 at the Kyu-Shin-Kan School of Judo Ltd, Located …
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Dec 31 2018
1 January 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 original Shotokan dojo located in Zoshigaya, Toshima Ward, Tokyo. Following Gichin …
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Dec 24 2018
25 December On 25 December 1938 Goju-ryu Karate master, Morio Higaonna, was born in Naha, Okinawa. Higaonna began his Karate journey by first studying Shorin-ryu Karate. He later changed to Goju-ryu Karate, studying under Ei’ichi Miyazato, the most senior student of Goju-ryu founder Chojun Miyagi. Higaonna was awarded his 1st Dan by Miyazato in 1957. He has gone on …
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Dec 17 2018
On 19 December 1963 Vernon Bell received a letter from Masatomo Takagi, the General Manager of the Japan Karate Association (JKA), requesting that the British Karate Federation (BKF) officially act as the authorized representative of the JKA in Britain. Earlier that year Bell had received a letter from Takagi indicating that Tetsuji Murakami (Yoseikan Karate), …
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Dec 10 2018
10 December On 10 December 1933 Shotokan master, Takayuki Mikami, was born in Nigata Prefecture Japan. He was the first professional Karate instructor to be sent by the JKA to teach Karate full-time in another country. Mikami arrived in Tokyo in 1952 to study Japanese Literature at Hosei University. Being a farm boy in a big …
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Dec 03 2018
3 December On 3 December 1941 Shoshin Nagamine gave a public Karate demonstration to members of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Force and an assortment of dignitaries, including the Police Chief Cabinet secretary and his deputy, plus members of the Ministry of Health and Welfare (Martial Arts section). Born 15 July 1907 in Naha, Okinawa, Nagamine is the founder …
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Nov 26 2018
26 November On 26 November 1988 the 3rd Shotokan Karate International (SKI) World Championships began at the Utsunomiya Grand Hotel, in Japan. Hirokazu Kanazawa gave the opening speech to the Championships. In the men’s kata final K Kato defeated M Murakami. Both men performed the kata Unsu. The woman’s individual kata title was won by S Mukai of …
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Nov 19 2018
19 November On 19 November 1963 Shotokai master, Mitsusuke Harada arrived in England from Belgium following an invitation from Judo great, Kenshiro Abbe. Harada had started his Karate training in 1943 nder Gichin Funakoshi and Shigeru Egami. Kenishiro Abbe’s organisation, the British Budo Council, had invited Harada to give a Karate demonstration at the Royal Albert Hall during the National Judo Championships, on 23 November 1963. Although billed as …
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Nov 12 2018
12 November On 12 November 1964 Julie Nicholson was born in Jarrow, Tyne and Wear. Nicholson started Shotokan Karate under the guidance of John Holdsworth and Jeff Barwick, at the age of nine. She eventually came under the instruction of Keinosuke Enoeda. She began her competitive career in 1976 eventually becoming a member of the KUGB (Karate Union of …
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Nov 05 2018
5 November On 5 November 1961 a Karate exhibition was held at the Honolulu Civic Auditorium, sponsored by the Hawaii Karate Congress. Several top Japanese martial artists, including Goju-Ryu’s Kanki Izumikawa and Shotokan’s Hidetaka Nishiyama and Hirokazu Kanazawa, displayed their skills to an attentive crowd. ******************************************** On 5 November 1963 Masters Masatoshi Nakayama, Hiroshi Shoji, Keinosuke Enoeda, Toru Iwaizumi and Katsuya Kisaka arrived to teach Shotokan Karate in Indonesia. …
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