Tag: Isao Obata

Henri Plee

Considered the “Father of European Karate”, Henri Plee is a true pioneer. He studied many martial arts with some of the world’s top masters. He held a 10th Dan in Karate, a 5th Dan in Judo, a 3rd Dan in Aikido and a 1st Dan in Kendo. He made it his mission to promote martial …

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Taiji Kase

Competition is only one part of Karate, the other is self-defence. Budo helps to develop the personality of people who practise Karate-Do. Budo Karate is so big that you can develop in many directions. Many people do competition, but people should keep it more traditional, otherwise, it’s like boxing or something like this. If people …

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This week in history (27 Apr – 3 May)

27 April On 27 April 1928 Tatsuo Suzuki, a master of Wado-ryū Karate, was born in Yokohama, Japan. Suzuki began training under Wado-ryū Karate founder, Hironori Ohtsuka, while still a teenager. In 1956 Ohtsuka dispatched Suzuki to spread the style of Wado-ryū around the world. On 27 April 1965, a JKA group of instructors consisting …

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This week in history (4 November – 10 November)

5 November On 5 November 1961 a Karate exhibition was held at the Honolulu Civic Auditorium, sponsored by the Hawaii Karate Congress. Several top Japanese martial artists, including  Goju-Ryu’s Kanki Izumikawa and Shotokan’s Hidetaka Nishiyama and Hirokazu Kanazawa, displayed their skills to an attentive crowd. ******************************************** On 5 November 1963 Masters Masatoshi Nakayama, Hiroshi Shoji, …

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Dan Ivan

Little did I know at that time in my life that destiny might have charted my course.  Despite my hostile surroundings, I was at the right place at the right time and on the precipice of a new life. Dan Ivan At times, Dan Ivan’s life has read like a work of fiction. His exploits …

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This week in history (7 October – 13 October)

8 October On 8 October 1953 Gōju-ryu founder Chōjun Miyagi died, aged only sixty-five. Born on the island of Okinawa, Miyagi had begun his training in 1902 under Kanryo Higaonna. By 1915 Miyagi had become one of Higaonna’s top students. Miyagi’s Karate style of Gōju-ryu was introduced to Japan in 1928 via the Kyōto Imperial …

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This week in history (5 August – 11 August)

6 August On 6 August 1930 Shotokan Karate master, Tsutomu Ohshima was born. He was a direct student of Shotokan founder Gichin Funakoshi. He was also influenced by Isao Obata and Shigeru Egami at Waseda University. As an exchange student from Waseda University Ohshima began teaching Shotokan Karate in Los Angeles in 1955. The following …

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This week in history (27 May – 2 June)

27 May On 27 May 1949 Isao Obata, Masatoshi Nakayama, Shigeru Egami and other senior students helped establish the Japan Karate Association (JKA) under Gichin Funakoshi. A major meeting had taken place to discuss and plan for the future of Shotokan Karate. Almost every ranking Shotokan practitioner, from the oldest to the youngest was present. …

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This week in history (29 April – 5 May)

30 April On 30 April 1957 the British Karate Federation (BKF) held its very first grading. Two students, Trevor Guilfoyle and Gerald Tucker, were graded to 6th Kyu. The grading took place on the lawn of 12 Maybush Road, Hornchurch, Essex. The grading was conducted by Vernon Bell. 1 May On 1 May 1949 the …

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Hidetaka Nishiyama

Martial arts philosophy is not based on victory or fighting, but rather on finding a way to avoid violence through having the ability to defend yourself if needed. In Karate, through self-defence techniques we develop the awareness and sensitivity to the person facing us, we learn to feel the danger and go around it. Hidetaka …

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