Tag: JKA

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, …

Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: http://findingkarate.com/wordpress/this-week-in-history-4-november-10-november/

This week in history (28 October – 3 November)

28 October On 28 October 1939 Keigo Abe was born in Iyoshi, Ehime Prefecture, Japan. A direct student of Masatoshi Nakayama, Abe graduated from the JKA Instructors Program in 1965. He was a long-serving instructor at the Japan Karate Association’s Hombu. After the JKA split in 1990 he became Technical Director of the JKA (Matsuno …

Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: http://findingkarate.com/wordpress/this-week-in-history-28-october-3-november/

This week in history (21 October – 27 October)

25 October On 21 October 1941 Edward Arthur Whitcher he was born in Dagenham, Essex. Whitcher started training at the  dawn of Karate in the United Kingdom. He was the first British subject to be promoted to 3rd Dan from the Japanese Karate Association (JKA), at their Tokyo headquarters in 1971. ******************************************** On 25 October 2013 …

Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: http://findingkarate.com/wordpress/this-week-in-history-21-october-27-october/

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 …

Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: http://findingkarate.com/wordpress/spotlight-dan-ivan/

Moments in history: The 1990 World Shotokan Championships

In 1972 at the WUKO World Championships, the Japanese team, containing many members of the JKA walked out of the tournament. They were unhappy at some of the officiating against their competitors. As a result of the walkout, Japanese officials and competitors were sanctioned by the World Union of Karatedo Organisations (WUKO) and the Federation …

Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: http://findingkarate.com/wordpress/moments-in-history-the-1990-world-shotokan-championships/

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 …

Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: http://findingkarate.com/wordpress/this-week-in-history-7-october-13-october/

This week in history (30 September – 6 October)

4 October On 4 October 1924, Motokuni Sugiura, a former Chief Instructor of the JKA, was born in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. Sugiura was promoted to 1st Dan by the age of 20. At university he had been taught be Gichin Funakoshi and his son Yoshitaka. After he graduated in 1944 he joined the Tsuchiura Navy …

Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: http://findingkarate.com/wordpress/this-week-in-history-30-september-6-october/

This week in history (23 September – 29 September)

24 September On 24 September 2004 noted martial artist Teruo Hayashi died from lung cancer in Osaka, Japan. Described as one of the last great Japanese Budo masters,  Hayashi is the founder of the Hayashi-Ha branch of Shito-ryu Karate. He trained under some of the greats of Japanese and Okinawan Karate, including Seiko Higa, Kenko …

Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: http://findingkarate.com/wordpress/this-week-in-history-23-september-29-september/

This week in history (2 September – 8 September)

4 September On 4 September 1931 Kenneth Funakoshi, a distant relative of Shotokan Karate founder, Gichin Funakoshi, was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. Hirokazu Kanazawa, a former Grand Champion in Japan, had arrived in Hawaii in 1960 to represent the Japan Karate Association (JKA) as Chief Instructor at the behest of Masatoshi Nakayama. Funakoshi who was …

Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: http://findingkarate.com/wordpress/this-week-in-history-2-september-8-september/

This week in history (26 August – 1 September)

26 August On 26 August 1941 Karate instructor and humanitarian, John Van Weenen, was born in Enfield, just outside London. He was the second of six children. In 1964 Van Weenen along with his brothers Jeff and Garry emigrated to Australia settling in Adelaide. He and his brother Jeff began Karate training under Moss Hollis, …

Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: http://findingkarate.com/wordpress/this-week-in-history-26-august-1-september/