Apr 03 2023
5 April On 5 April 1870 founder of Motobu Ryu, Chōki Motobu, was born in Okinawa. Motobu was the third son of a noble family. As the third son, he was not allowed to learn the family martial art of Motobu Udundi. This meant he trained under various Okinawan masters such as Anko Itosu, and Sokon Matsumura. A …
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Mar 13 2023
13 March On 13 March 1957, Vernon Bell was awarded his black belt in Yoseikan Karate from the Fédération Française de Karaté, under Hiroo Mochizuki and Henri Plee. Bell had started training with Plee towards the end of 1955. He had made frequent visits to Plee’s Paris dojo. After around eighteen months he graded for his 1st Dan. Bell …
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Feb 20 2023
20 February On 20 February 1964, José Manuel Egea Caceres, the oldest of three boys, was born in the Pan Bendito neighbourhood of Madrid, Spain. He is one of the greatest European competitors, being an 8-time World Champion (junior and senior), a 13-time European Champion, a 14-time Spanish Champion, and the winner of numerous open …
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Feb 10 2023
These days, too many people stop training once they pass 2nd or 3rd Dan, they don’t realise belts are not important. Grades mean nothing, all that matters is to train hard. Many people call themselves 10th or even 12th Dan, but most of them are rubbish. Tatsuo Suzuki A direct student of Wado-Ryu Karate founder, …
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Jan 02 2023
6 January 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 …
Permanent link to this article: http://findingkarate.com/wordpress/this-week-in-history-2-january-8-january/
Oct 24 2022
24 October On 24 October 1996, the High Court of Tokyo upheld an earlier decision regarding Mas Oyama’s last will. On 31 March 1995 Judge Atsushi Watanabe of the Tokyo Court of Family Affairs ruled that Oyama’s verbal will was invalid as it had not been signed by him, only by the witnesses. His family …
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Oct 03 2022
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 …
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Jul 25 2022
25 July Between 25 and 27 July 1981, the Karate event took place at Santa Clara University, at the 1st World Games held in Santa Clara, California. Tokey Hill won a bronze medal in the Men’s Individual -80kg Kumite event. Yukiyoshi Marutani defeated teammate, Seiji Nishimura, to win the bronze medal in the Men’s Individual …
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Jul 11 2022
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 …
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Jun 20 2022
22 June On 22 June 1931, Teruyuki Okazaki was born in Nogata, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. He was the second son of a family that came from a samurai lineage on his grandmother’s side. Okazaki has been described by some, as one of the most technically gifted karatekas to come from the Japanese Karate Association (JKA). …
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