Sep 02 2019
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 …
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Aug 26 2019
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, …
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Jul 29 2019
30 July On 30 July 1949 KUGB stalwart, Robert Poynton, was born. A member of the famed Liverpool Red Triangle Karate Club, he started training in 1965 aged 15. He was awarded his 1st Dan by Keinosuke Enoeda in 1968. A top competitor in the 1970s, he successfully transitioned into an administrative role in the …
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Jul 15 2019
18 July On 18 July 1959 Tetsuji Murakami made his first ever visit to England to teach for the British Karate Federation (BKF). He also conducted a number gradings at 12 Maybush Road, Hornchurch, Essex. ******************************************** On 18 July 1963 Vernon Bell received a letter from his German counterpart, Jurgen Seydel, informing him that Tetsuji …
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Jul 08 2019
9 July On 9 July 1943 Chief Instructor of the KUGB, Andy Sherry, was born. Sherry is one of the highest ranked Shotokan practitioners in the United Kingdom, having been one of the first people awarded a JKA 1st Dan in Britain in 1966 by Keinosuke Enoeda. Now a 9th Dan and one of the …
Permanent link to this article: http://findingkarate.com/wordpress/this-week-in-history-8-july-14-july/
Jun 17 2019
17 June On 17 June 1938 the former Chief Instructor of the JKA in Belgium, Satoshi Miyazaki, was born in Sagai, Japan. In 1956 Miyazaki enrolled at Takushoku University to study economics, having been persuaded by Masatoshi Nakayama to do so. He joined the university’s famed Shotokan Karate school as a white belt, studying under …
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Jun 03 2019
3 June On 3 June 1922 the earliest known Japanese newspaper article on Karate was published in the Tokyo Nichinichi Shinbun. The title of the article was “The Mystical Martial Art – Karate: (Chinese Fist) from Ryukyu (Okinawa Prefecture). Wonderful Technique to Defend from an Opponent with Bare Hands. Kodokan to Study“. ******************************************** On 3 …
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May 27 2019
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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May 20 2019
20 May On 20 May 1964 the Foreign Affairs Officer for the JKA, Kazuo Nagai, arrived in London as part of a feasibility tour of Europe. The purpose for the visit was to check the feasibility for sending JKA instructors to teach in Europe. 23 May On 23 May 1952 Shito-ryu founder, Kenwa Mabuni died …
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May 06 2019
6 May On 6 May 1960 Frank Brennan was born. Brennan has arguably been described as one of the most technically gifted karate-ka of his generation. As a competitor, he was equally comfortable in kata or kumite. Totally respected by his opponents, JKA great, Masahiko Tanaka, once said that part of the Japanese team’s training …
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