On this day….(June 3)

On this day, 3 June 1922, the earliest known Japanese newspaper article on Karate was published in the Tokyo Nichinichi Shinbun. The title of the article was “The Mystical Martial Art – Karate: (Chinese Fist) from Ryukyu (Okinawa Prefecture). Wonderful Technique to Defend from an Opponent with Bare Hands. Kodokan to Study“.

On this day, 3 June 1959, the final known letter between Vernon Bell and Henri Plee is written by Bell. Plee had been instrumental in introducing Karate to Europe. Bell had studied Karate under Plee and was responsible for introducing the martial art to Britain. However the two men had fallen out over various issues and the letter was the last correspondence between the two of them.