This week in history…(30 January – 5 February)

31 January On 31 January 1999 Keigo Abe resigned from the Matsuno faction of the JKA. Masatoshi Nakayama, the Chief Instructor of the JKA, died in 1987. Tokyo businessman, Nobuyuki Nakahara became the Chairman of the JKA. A number of instructors, led by Tetsuhiko Asai, disagreed with the decision. This led to a split in …

Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: http://findingkarate.com/wordpress/this-week-in-history-30-january-5-february/

James Rousseau

Alongside Stan Schmidt, Len Barnes, and Hugh Thomas, James Rousseau, was a pioneer of Karate in South Africa. He is largely responsible for establishing Okinawan Goju-Ryu in Europe. A very good teacher, he has been described as making simple things interesting and difficult things seem easy. James McGill Rousseau was born on 4 July 1944 …

Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: http://findingkarate.com/wordpress/james-rousseau/

Yasuhiro Konishi

Karate aims to build character, improve human behaviour, and cultivate modesty. It does not, however, guarantee it. Yasuhiro Konishi One of the most outstanding, Japanese Karate Masters of the 20th century, Yasuhiro Konishi was already a top kendoka and Jujitsu practitioner when he began learning Karate. He recognised that Karate was a legitimate martial art …

Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: http://findingkarate.com/wordpress/yasuhiro-konishi/

This week in history…(23 January – 29 January)

23 January On 23 January 1949, Henri Plee was graded to his Judo 1st Dan under Mikinosuke Kawaishi. Plee became the 16th Judoka to attain this rank in France. On 23 January 1973, Nicholas Pettas was born on the island of Mykonos, Greece. Sometimes known as the ‘Blue-eyed Samurai‘, Nicholas Pettas was one of Mas …

Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: http://findingkarate.com/wordpress/this-week-in-history-23-january-29-january/

Kazuhiro Sawada

A true karateka must exercise, self-control, be non-aggressive, and avoid confrontation. Kazuhiro Sawada A longtime member of the JKA (Japanese Karate Association), Kazuhiro Sawada has been at the forefront of helping to establish Shotokan Karate in Belgium. Like many of the JKA Masters of his generation, he is very technical. Kazuhiro Sawada was born on …

Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: http://findingkarate.com/wordpress/kazuhiro-sawada/

David Pickthall

I always welcomed the challenge of competing in non–IFK events as it is important to test yourself against all Kyokushin groups. Politics should not enter the fighting arena. David Pickthall A long-time student and assistant of Steve Arneil, David Pickthall was a top competitor who competed nationally and internationally in both kata and kumite. He …

Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: http://findingkarate.com/wordpress/david-pickthall/

This week in history…(16 January – 22 January)

19 January Between 19 – 20 January 2012, the 3rd Japan Cup Karatedo Championships was co-hosted in Burma by the Japanese Embassy and the Myanmar Karatedo Federation. The Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry supported them. The event was held at the Aung San Indoor Stadium in Yangon. During the opening ceremony, Fujikiyo Omura gave …

Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: http://findingkarate.com/wordpress/this-week-in-history-16-january-22-january/

Dave Kershaw

There is no short cut to reaching a high-level in Kata, and the frustrating thing is that the higher you get, the more faults you find, but this is the whole essence of Karate, the striving for perfection. It is never reached, but you must keep on trying. Dave Kershaw A longtime student of Shotokan …

Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: http://findingkarate.com/wordpress/dave-kershaw/

Dolph Lundgren

I discovered martial arts, first Judo and then Karate, and I became quite good at it, because I had something to prove. And more than anything, I needed to feel safe. Dolph Lundgren Many people know Dolph Lundgren as a successful movie star, who has appeared in more than 40 films, including the likes of …

Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: http://findingkarate.com/wordpress/dolph-lundgren/

This week in history…(9 January – 15 January)

9 January On 9 January 2015, Siam Camp 2015 took place at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok. It was the 14th Shotokan Karate gasshuku held in Bangkok. Apart from Fujikiyo Omura, the other JKA instructors teaching were Koichi Sugimura and Tatsuya Naka. 11 January On 11 January 1988, Nicholas Pettas watched his first Karate class and …

Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: http://findingkarate.com/wordpress/this-week-in-history-9-january-15-january/