Jan 06 2022
On 6 January 1967, Michael Randall gained his 1st Dan from Hirokazu Kanazawa. He was one of the first men in Britain to gain the rank of 1st Dan from the Japan Karate Association (JKA). At the time of writing Randall is one of a handful of people currently training to have trained under the …
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Dec 20 2021
21 December On 21 December 1957 Trevor Guilfoyle and Gerald Tucker become the first karateka in Britain to be graded to 3rd kyu, under the British Karate Federation (BKF). The grading was conducted by Vernon Bell at 12 Maybush Road, Hornchurch, London. Guilfoyle and Tucker were two of Bell’s earliest students, taking part in the …
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Dec 13 2021
13 December On 13 December 1943 David ‘Ticky’ Donovan was born in Loughton, just outside London. As a boy, he was into many sports. However, boxing was his main passion. He would go on to become the most successful coach of the British and English National sides. On 13 December 1947 Tsuguo Sakumoto was born …
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Dec 06 2021
7 December On 7 December 1912, Shigeru Egami, an early student of Gichin Funakoshi, was born in Omuta, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. He is considered the one student who followed Funakoshi’s teachings most closely. Egami began his Karate training in 1932 as a student at Waseda University. He was instructed by Funakoshi and his son Yoshitaka. He helped found the university’s Karate club. …
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Nov 15 2021
15 November On 15 November 1968, Doug Perry was promoted to 2nd Lieutenant. Perry was the first non-Okinawan promoted to 9th Dan within the Okinawan Shorin-Ryu Shorin-Kan Karate Association. He was one of the first group of students to practice Karate in its infancy in the United States. 16 November On 16 November 1928 Mitsusuke Harada …
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Oct 04 2021
4 October On 4 October 1924, Motokuni Sugiura, a former Chief Instructor of the JKA, was born in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. Sugiura earned his 1st Dan aged only 20. At university, he had been taught by Gichin Funakoshi and his son Yoshitaka. After he graduated in 1944 he joined the Tsuchiura Navy Flying Corps, serving …
Permanent link to this article: http://findingkarate.com/wordpress/this-week-in-history-4-october-10-october/
Sep 06 2021
6 September On 6 September 2016 Walter Seaton, one of the first Wado-Ryu black belts in the UK, died aged 80 years. Seaton was born in Middlesbrough and was one of the first instructors to teach Karate to women at his dojo. A family man, Seaton and his wife Eva had six children, twenty-two grandchildren, …
Permanent link to this article: http://findingkarate.com/wordpress/this-week-in-history-6-september-12-september/
Aug 09 2021
9 August On 9 August 1945, the United States of America dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Nagasaki. This was three days after they dropped an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima. Hiroshi Shirai and his family survived the dropping of the bomb. On 9 August 1975, the film ‘Karate Bullfighter‘ …
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Jul 19 2021
19 July On 19 July 1957 Hoang Nam, working on behalf of the French Karate Federation, conducted his first lesson and grading for the British Karate Federation (BKF) at 12 Maybush Road, Hornchurch, Essex. On 19 July 1957, the first black and white film was taken by Independent Television News (ITN) showing Karate training in …
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Jul 12 2021
12 July On 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 two great Budo masters, Morihei Ueshiba …
Permanent link to this article: http://findingkarate.com/wordpress/this-week-in-history-12-july-18-july/
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