Mar 13 2017
On this day, 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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Mar 10 2017
On this day, 10 March 1945, the Shotokan dojo was destroyed during the bombing raid of Tokyo by American B29 bombers, during World War II. The Shotokan dojo had been built in the Zoshigaya neighbourhood of Toshima Ward, Tokyo, in 1936, after funds had been raised by karate supporters for a dojo. Gichin Funakoshi recalls, …
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Mar 08 2017
On this day, 8 March 1945, Roger Hall a founding member of the English Shotokan Karate Association (ESKA), was born. Hall had orignially sterated learning Wado-ryu but switched to Shotokan karate in 1966, He received his 1st Dan in from Hirokazu Kanazawa in 1972. In 1974 he recieved his 2nd Dan from Shiro Asano and …
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Mar 07 2017
On this day, 7 March 1956, the earliest known letter was written from Henri Plee to Vernon Bell. This letter was a response to an earlier letter written by Bell to the Fédération Française de Karaté on 21st February 1956. It is thought that Bell had inquired about being graded by the Fédération Française de Karaté. In his letter Plee …
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Mar 06 2017
On this day, 6 March 1921, Gichin Funakoshi, the founder of Shotokan karate, led a karate demonstration in front of Crown Prince Hirohito. The demonstration was performed at the Great Hall of Shuri Castle, in Okinawa. Crown Prince Hirohito had visited Okinawa while en-route to a visit to Europe. The ship’s captain, Captain Norikazu Kanna, …
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Mar 04 2017
On this day, 4 March 1952, David Frederick Hazard, a well-respected Shotokan karate practitioner, was born in Bow, London. Dave Hazard began his karate training aged sixteen at the KUGB affiliated Blackfriars Karate Club, under the instruction of Keinosuke Enoeda. Like most martial artists who had started training at the time, Hazard had begun his …
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Mar 03 2017
On this day, 3 March 1946, British Shotokan instructor, Robert Rhodes, was born in Leeds, England. Rhodes began his training aged twenty, at the Leeds Shotokan Karate Club (Leeds SKC), under the instruction of Ronnie Wade. As a green belt Rhodes started competing at the Karate Union of Great Britain (KUGB) National Championships where he …
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Mar 02 2017
On this day, 2 March 1960, Gichin Funkoshi’s eldest son, Yoshihide, died aged 71. Yoshihide Funakoshi is not as well known as his more talented younger brother Yoshitaka(Gigo). Little is known about his karate ability. In his youth Yoshihide had trained under Master Yasutsune Itosu alongside his father. Master Funikoshi and his eldest son had a …
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Mar 01 2017
On this day, 1 March 1962, the British Karate Federation (BKF) issued a club affiliation certificate to the Liverpool Karate Club. The club, formed in 1959 under Fred Giles, would eventually come to be known as the Red Triangle Shotokan Karate Club. Initially club members received instruction from Vernon Bell, Terry Wingrove and Tetsuji Murakami. However, …
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Feb 27 2017
On this day, 27 February 1948, Terence (Terry) O’Neill, one of the best karateka ever produced in Britain, was born in Liverpool, England. O’Neill began his karate training in 1963 when as a sixteen year old he lied about his age, on his application to join the British Karate Federation (BKF). Under Keinosuke Enoeda and the …
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