Takayuki Mikami

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Takayuki Mikami has had many firsts in his Karate journey. He was one of the first students enrolled on the JKA Instructor course. He was also the first professional JKA instructor to teach full-time abroad.

Takayuki Mikami was born on 10 December 1933 in a farming community located in Nigata Prefecture, Japan. Like most boys at the time, he studied Judo and Kendo, which were part of the school curriculum.

In 1952, Mikami travelled to Tokyo to attend Hosei University to study Japanese literature. It was at Hosei that he began his Karate training to build his confidence, especially since he was a country boy now living in a big city. He trained in Shotokan Karate under Kimio Itoh, a student of Gichin Funakoshi. He has cited Itoh as the most important and influential person in his Karate life. He thought of him as a mentor, not just in Karate but also in life.

Mikami eventually became the captain of the Hosei University Karate Team. The Karate club had a long tradition, having been established before the Second World War. Hosei would compete against other university Karate clubs from Takushoku, Keio and Waseda in kumite matches.

Mikami appeared in the 1954 JKA film Karate-Do. He can be seen performing the katas, Hangetsu and Kanku-Sho.

After graduating from Hosei, Mikami was invited to enrol on the newly formed JKA Instructor course in 1956. The course was the brainchild of Masatoshi Nakayama and Teruyuki Okazaki of the JKA. Its aim was to train high-calibre instructors who could teach and spread Karate worldwide. The course was very intensive, lasting for a year. It aimed to create well-rounded individuals who, in addition to being technically competent, were also knowledgeable in other areas, such as physiology. The course enabled students to cross-train in other Karate styles. This included Wado-ryu with Hironori Ohtsuka; Goju-ryu with Gogen Yamaguchi; and Shito-ryu with Kenwa Mabuni. This training allowed them to see the similarities and differences among the styles.

The first intake of the Instructor Course comprised three students recommended by their university. Mikami was the choice of Hosei University. His sensei, Itoh, was well respected and had made a strong recommendation on his behalf. Hirokazu Kanazawa was recommended by Masatoshi Nakayama as the representative of Takushoku University. The third student, Eiji Takaura, was recommended by Chiba Technical University.

Apart from the normal requirements of the Instructors Course, the three students would have regular sparring sessions against senior grades in the JKA. Some of these grades included renowned karate-ka such as Hidetaka Nishiyama, Masaru Sakamoto, Taiji Kase, and their instructor, Teruyuki Okazaki.

In 1957, Mikami graduated from the Instructors Training Course, becoming one of the first certified full-time JKA instructors. In the same year, he became the first full-time instructor sent abroad to teach.

Mikami was sent to the Philippines to teach an introductory Karate course at the Karate Club at the University of Manila. Initially, he was scheduled to be in the Philippines for three months, but ended up staying for a year.

From 1958 to 1963, on his return to Japan, Mikami worked as a full-time instructor for the JKA.

In 1958, Mikami competed in the 2nd JKA Championships, held at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium. The Kata competition was won by Hirokazu Kanazawa, with Mikami coming second. However, in what is regarded as one of the greatest kumite matches, the title was shared by Kanazawa and Mikami. The match had four time extensions, and it was eventually declared a draw. This was the first and only time a JKA title was shared. By winning both the kata and kumite titles, Kanazawa became the first JKA Grand Champion.

The following year, it was Mikami’s turn to become JKA Grand Champion. He won the kata and kumite titles, defeating Kanazawa both times. In 1961, he became the JKA kata champion. It should be noted that both Mikami and Kanazawa competed against some of the best ever Karate practitioners, including Hiroshi Shirai, Keinosuke Enoeda, Tetsuhiko Asai, Hiroshi Shoji and Masahiro Sato.

Mikami met his future wife, Mitsue, after the 5th JKA All-Japan Karate Championships. She was already an instructor at her local JKA branch, teaching in the women’s class. She was a graduate of the JKA Women’s Instructor Program, having earned her 2nd Dan in 1960. Their wedding gained nationwide attention because they were both Karate instructors. They would go on to have two sons.

In 1962, Mikami competed in his last JKA All-Japan Karate Championships. He lost to Hiroshi Shirai in the Kata final. Shirai also became Grand Champion after defeating Keinosuke Enoeda in the Kumite final.

In 1963, as part of the JKA’s worldwide expansion of Karate, Mikami was sent to the United States. He initially arrived in Kansas City with his wife, Mitsue. A local Kansas businessman had been his sponsor in the United States. However, there was a conflict of interest between the two men. The businessman was looking to commercialise martial arts and was only interested in making money, teaching whatever martial arts were currently in trend. Mikami severed his ties with the businessman. He was asked to teach in Louisiana, relocating from Los Angeles to New Orleans.

Initially, Mikami had planned to be in the United States no longer than a year. After attending a Karate tournament in Chicago, he revised his plans. Participants were doing techniques that bore no resemblance to Karate. He felt it was his duty to teach proper Karate.

In 1965, Mikami established the All-South Karate Federation (ASKF). The ASKF became a member of the International Shotokan Karate Federation (ISKF), the representative organisation of the JKA in the United States. The ISKF was divided into regions, with Mikami and his Federation representing the southern United States.

By 1970, Mikami was teaching Karate at five local dojos and three colleges.

Politics began to fragment JKA Karate in America, as it would eventually do in Japan. Hidetaka Nishiyama had been the head of the JKA in the United States. However, there was some disgruntlement within his All-American Karate Federation (AAKF), of which he was the Chief Instructor. Wanting more of a “federation” structure, rather than the traditional “top-down” approach, the former, which was more “American“, a group of instructors led by Teruyuki Okazaki split from the AAKF, forming the International Shotokan Karate Federation (ISKF) in September of 1977. The other instructors who left with Okazaki were Yutaka Yaguchi, Takayuki Mikami, Shojiro Koyama, and Takashina.

In January 1981, to promote the opening of a new, bigger dojo, Osamu Ozawa organised the 1st Traditional Karate Tournament. The event was held at the Maxim Hotel and Casino in front of 150 spectators. Twelve instructors were invited to give talks and demonstrations. Only thirty competitors competed. Only Shotokan practitioners were invited to give demonstrations. The instructors included Takayuki Mikami, Yutaka Yaguchi, Shojiro Koyama, Ray Dalke, Frank Smith, and James Field. Little did anyone know that this tournament would go on to become one of the biggest and most prestigious tournaments in the world.

Following the success of the first tournament, Ozawa held the 2nd Traditional Karate Tournament at the Aladdin Hotel in 1982. Again, the tournament was only open to Shotokan practitioners. However, at the event held the following year at the Maxim Hotel, the tournament was opened to all traditional Japanese and Okinawan styles of Karate. The event had grown in size to around 400 spectators watching 200 entrants compete. Around 40 instructors from various styles demonstrated their techniques. From Shotokan, there was Mikami. From Shito-ryu, Fumio Demura was in attendance. Kiyoshi Yamazaki and Junki Yoshida represented Ryobukai. Hagashi-ha Shito-ryu was represented by Minobu Miki.

In 1984, Mikami was awarded his 8th Dan by the JKA.

From the moment Mikami arrived in the United States, his aim had been to promote and teach proper Karate. He has worked on various committees and federations. From 1984 to 1990, he was a member of the World Union of Karatedo Organisations (WUKO) Referee Control Committee. He was also chairman of the US National Federation Technical Progress Committee from 1986 to 1995.

Mikami has received several awards. In 1989, he was named Man of the Year by the US National Federation. The following year, Black Belt Magazine voted him Instructor of the Year in American Karate.

In 1994, Mikami was one of 36 founding members who established the Hokubei Karate-do Shihankai (Japanese Karate Masters of North America). The organisation was dedicated to promoting and maintaining the principles and philosophy of Japanese martial arts. Some of the founding members included Yukiyoshi Marutani, Gosei Yamaguchi, Tomohiro Arashiro, Teruyuki Okazaki, Fumio Demura, and Hirokazu Kanazawa, among others.

2005 was a mixed year for Mikami. He was elected president of the Japanese Karate Masters Association. However, in the same year, the devastating Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast of America. Hurricane Katrina was one of the worst hurricanes in American history. It resulted in many deaths and major property damage. Mikami’s house was severely damaged, and insurance covered only 30% of the repair costs.

Like most businesses in the New Orleans area, Mikami’s business suffered. His dojo went from around 100 regular students to only 20. Following the hurricane, many people had left the area. Mikami had considered moving to California, but decided against it as New Orleans was his home.

By April 2007, tensions within the JKA Headquarters in Japan led many Japanese US-based instructors, led by Teruyuki Okazaki, to decide that the ISKF should leave the JKA and follow its own path. Although Mikami had always tried to stay out of JKA politics, he felt conflicted. He had grown up in the JKA and felt he could not be disloyal to them. After further contemplation, Mikami, Shojiro Koyama and Shigeru Takashina, three of the five founding members of the ISKF, decided it was in Karate’s best interests, both in the United States and as an international example to others, to remain with the JKA. They issued a joint declaration to members of their respective associations, advising of their separation from the ISKF and reaffirming their strong ties with the JKA.

In 2007, Mikami was appointed to the JKA International Board of Directors.

Mikami founded the JKA American Federation (JKA/AF) in 2009, an organisation of JKA clubs throughout North America.

On 30 September 2011, Mikami was promoted to 9th Dan by the JKA.

Now in his nineties, Takayuki Mikami is the last of the original JKA Masters who moved to the United States in the 1960s & 1970s to teach and promote Shotokan Karate. While he may have cut back on his day-to-day teaching, he continues to impart his considerable knowledge to his students.