Tadashi Nakamura

For a long time, Tadashi Nakamura was one of Mas Oyama’s top students. He won national recognition when he fought for the honour of Japanese Karate. He has also gone on to lead his own Karate organisation, with over 20,000 students worldwide.

Tadashi Nakamura was born on 22 February 1942. He came from a middle-class family. His mother was a doctor and his father a banker.

In 1953, Nakamura was introduced to Karate by his older brothers, who studied Wado-ryu and Goju-ryu Karate.

Mas Oyama opened a small dojo in 1953. The dojo was located behind Rikkyo University, Tokyo. Nakamura switched styles and dojos in 1956, becoming one of Oyama’s first students. At the time Oyama taught elements of Goju-ryu, Shorei-ryu, and Kobayashi-ryu Karate, all styles he had learnt.

Training with Oyama was extremely tough. Students frequently left training sessions very tired. There were four classes a week, each lasting 3-4 hours. Sparring sessions in the class lasted for over an hour and were filled with a lot of intensity and violence. Many students joined and left the dojo, finding the training sessions too tough. Injuries were no excuse for not training.

Nakamura stuck to his training. In 1959, he was awarded his 1st Dan by Oyama. At the time, he was the youngest student to be awarded a black belt by Oyama.

In 1961, Nakamura took part in his first tournament, the All-Japan Student Open Karate Championship. He won the tournament. He was 19 years old at the time. This would be the first of many tournament successes.

Nakamura began teaching Karate at Camp Zama, a United States military base Near Tokyo. He was the camp’s Chief Instructor until 1965. He also taught at Toho University.

An international match was held in 1962 to determine which country had the best martial artists: Thailand or Japan.

The Thais had said that Japanese Karate was dead. They issued a challenge to the Japanese, which Oyama accepted. He sent his three top students, Kenji Kurosaki, Nakamura, and Noboru Ozawa. The challenge took place at the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand. The Japanese won two of the three fights. In his bout, Nakamura faced the Thai kickboxing champion and knocked him out. This made him a national hero back home in Japan.

In 1964, Oyama officially founded Kyokushin Karate. He also established the International Karate Organisation (IKO).

On 21 May 1965, Steve Arneil became the first person after Oyama to complete the 100-Man Kyokushin Challenge. The challenge was devised as the ultimate mental and physical test. On 15 October of that year, Nakamura became the next man to complete the challenge successfully.

By 1966, Nakamura had graduated from university with a degree in Architecture. He was offered a position at Daiichi with an excellent salary. However, much to his parents’ disappointment, he dreamed of travelling the world and teaching Karate.

On 5 April 1966, Nakamura got his wish. Oyama selected him to go to the United States to spread Kyokushin Karate. He became the first overseas Kyokushin Karate instructor in the country.

Aged 24 years at the time, Nakamura set up his first dojo at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York.

At first, things were slow to pick up. Nakamura faced challengers who sought to test him and his martial arts style. His reputation had preceded him. Many of these challengers eventually became his students. He also faced financial challenges and a language barrier in his early days in America. In time, he overcame these obstacles and successfully established Kyokushin Karate in the United States. He conducted numerous seminars and demonstrations across the United States to build up interest in his style of Karate.

In the late 1960s, Nakamura met his future wife, Akimi. She became his closest confidante and biggest supporter.

By 1971, Kyokushin had begun to grow in the United States. Nakamura was now the recognised head of Kyokushin Karate in America. He had established the North American Kyokushin Karate headquarters, which had over 30 affiliated schools.

By 1974, Nakamura had been promoted to 6th Dan. Interest in Kyokushin had spread worldwide. There were many requests for instructors to conduct seminars. He and Shigeru Oyama (no relation to Mas Oyama) were sent to run a national training course in New Zealand.

Between 1st and 2nd November 1975, the 1st World Open Karate Tournament was held in Tokyo, Japan. 168 competitors from 32 countries participated in the tournament. Each country sent a team of four competitors and one coach. As the host, Japan was allowed to field six competitors.

Apart from being judges, Nakamura, alongside Shigeru Oyama, gave a well-received demo at the tournament.

Nakamura’s students, William Oliver and Charles Martin, were selected to represent the United States alongside Frank Clark and Willie Williams, who were trained by Shigeru Oyama.

Nakamura made a momentous decision in 1976 to break ties with his mentor, Mas Oyama, and with Kyokushin Karate. This had been a very difficult decision for him. With the rapid growth of Kyokushin around the world, he felt something had been lost in the quality and in the teaching of the Karate style.

Nakamura’s decision was not well-received at the IKO headquarters in Japan. Some had seen him as the heir apparent to Oyama and the Kyokushin empire. He was vilified and defamed. Oyama had even wanted him banished from the martial arts world.

Wanting a style of Karate that reflected his own beliefs, Nakamura established Seido Juku Karate. Seido means ‘Sincere Way‘. On 15th October 1976, he established the World Seido Karate Organisation.

There was still a lot of resentment by some towards Nakamura for leaving Kyokushin Karate. However, he persevered with building his Seido organisation. Later that year, he gave a demo at Madison Square Garden with his students, Charles Martin and William Oliver.

On 15th October 1978, the World Seido Karate Organisation celebrated its second anniversary. Nakamura’s parents were in New York to help mark the event.

For most of the 1980s, Nakamura worked hard to establish Seido Karate. In 1989, he published his autobiography, ‘The Human Face of Karate: My Life, My Karate-do‘.

By 1996, Seido Karate had become established internationally. On 20th October, Seido celebrated its 20th Anniversary at an event held at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Centre, New York. Nakamura received many congratulatory letters from figures such as Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Nelson Mandela, and Boutros Boutros-Ghali, expressing admiration and respect for what he had achieved with Seido Karate. At the event, the 1st World Tournament also took place.

Nakamura’s son, Akira, who had started learning Seido Karate from an early age, began teaching at the Seido Hombu in 1996.

On 11 September 2001, the world was shocked by the terrorist attack on the World Trade Centre in New York. The attack hit Nakamura and Seido Karate on a personal level. New York fire captain Pat Brown, a first responder, died in the attack. Brown was a Seido Sensei.

In 2006, Seido Karate celebrated its 30th Anniversary. A five-day international event was held to commemorate the event.

In 2008, Nakamura officially appointed his son, Akira, as his successor as head of Seido Karate.

Between 22nd October and 2nd November 2012, Hurricane Sandy, one of the deadliest superstorms on record, hit the eastern coast of the United States. It led to power cuts in the New York area. However, Nakamura’s students still practised at the dojo, which had no heat or electricity.

In 2012, Nakamura and his son, Akira, also travelled to Japan to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Seido Aichi branch. The trip also included a visit to the Atsuta Jingu shrine in Nagoya. They were granted special permission to present Seido to the Budo God of the shrine.

At the shrine, Tadashi Nakamura promoted Akira Nakamura to 8th Dan. He presented Akira with a ceremonial belt that he had worn 35 years before.

In May 2013, Seido made history by promoting five senior women to the rank of 6th Dan. They were Sandi Carter, Michelle Cuttino, Judy Curiale, Maureen Rouse, and Nancy Lanoue.

On 6th June 2016, Seido Karate celebrated its 40th Anniversary at an event held at the New York Yankee Stadium. The Japanese Ambassador, Reiichiro Takahashi, presented Nakamura with a Certificate of Commendation. The New York Police Department ( NYPD) and the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) also honoured him. The FDNY Commissioner, Daniel A. Nigro, presented Nakamura with a commendation plaque.

To celebrate Seido’s 40th Anniversary, 900 students from around the world gathered to participate in a tournament.

As the head of Seido Karate, Nakamura has seen the organisation grow into one with over 18 countries and 20,000 students worldwide. His son, Akira, is now the Chief Instructor of Seido.

Away from Karate, Tadashi Nakamura has established the Seido Juku Benefit Foundation, a non-profit charity that provides funding for inclusive karate programs, including adaptive training for veterans, the blind, and individuals with developmental disabilities.

Starting with Oyama Karate and moving through Seido Karate, Tadashi Nakamura has been at the forefront of full-contact Karate. His legacy continues through his son, Akira.