This week in history (4 September – 10 September)

4 September On 4 September 1931, Kenneth Funakoshi, a distant relative of Gichin Funakoshi, was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. Hirokazu Kanazawa, who was a former Grand Champion in Japan, had arrived in Hawaii in 1960 to represent the Japan Karate Association (JKA) as Chief Instructor, at the behest of Masatoshi Nakayama. Funakoshi, who was in …

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This week in history (28 August – 3 September)

30 August On 30 August 1931, Shotokan Karate master, Hiroshi ShĹŤji, was born in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan. Appearing in volume 4 of Masatoshi Nakayama‘s Best Karate series, he was known for his sharp quick movements and exceptional tai-sabaki. At the first JKA All-Japan Karate Championships in 1957, Shoji became the first All-Japan Kata Champion. He was …

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This week in history (21 August – 27 August)

August 26 On 26  August 1941 Karate instructor and humanitarian, John Van Weenen, was born in Enfield, just outside London. He was the second of six children. In 1964 Van Weenen, along with his brothers Jeff and Garry emigrated to Australia, settling in Adelaide. He and his brother Jeff began Karate training under Moss Hollis, who …

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Frank Brennan

Karate is about many things but, first and foremost, it is about training. Frank Brennan Frank Brennan can arguably be described as one of the most technically gifted karatekas of his generation. He is one of the few competitors to be equally comfortable in kata or kumite, excelling in both disciplines. As a competitor, he …

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This week in history (14 August – 20 August)

August 14 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 and in 1953 began studying Karate as a student of Richard Kim. In 1954 he was transferred to Tokyo. There he was introduced …

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This week in history (31 July – 6 August)

July 31 On July 31, 1937, former JKA Grand Champion, Hiroshi Shirai, was born in Nagasaki, Japan. Currently holding the rank of 9th Dan, he began his Karate training at Komazawa University in 1955. A graduate of the Kenshusei (Instructors Training Course) he became the JKA Grand Champion in 1962 winning  the individual kumite title …

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Steve Cattle

I do Karate for my own personal improvement and I am prepared to accept that I have to suffer in one direction in order to improve in another. Steve Cattle Those who knew and trained with Steve Cattle described him as one of the best karatekas to come out of the UK. Standing 5ft 6in …

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On this day….(July 12)

On this day, 12 July 1956, Hiroo Mochizuki, the son of Yoseikan founder, Minoru Mochizuki arrived in France to conduct a number of Karate courses. Born in 1936, Hiroo Mochizuki began his martial arts training in the eclectic Yoseikan system of his father, Minoru, who had studied under the three great Budo masters, Gichin Funakoshi, …

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On this day….(July 9)

On this day, 9 July 1943, Chief Instructor of the KUGB, Andy Sherry, was born. Sherry is one of the highest ranked Shotokan practitioners in the United Kingdom, having been one of the first people awarded a JKA 1st Dan in Britain, in 1966, by Keinosuke Enoeda.  

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On this day….(July 5)

On this day, 5 July 1957, the first photographs of karateka training in Britain, appear in the Romford Recorder. The photographs were part of an article, “Forbidden Sport Tuagh Here – Japanese Fights Often Ended in Death”, which was a followup to an article written on the 21 June. The two photographs were taken at 12 …

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