Jan 14 2019
20 January On 20 January 1909 Gōju-ryu legend, Gōgen Yamaguchi, was born. Nicknamed the Cat, he was famed for his feline-like speed and prowess. Yamaguchi was a direct student of Gōju-ryu Karate founder, Chojun Miyagi. He began training with him in 1929. ******************************************** On 20 January 1938 Cyril Cummins, a pioneer of Shotokan in Central England, was born. Cummins began his Karate training in 1964 at the Kyu-Shin-Kan School of Judo Ltd, Located …
Permanent link to this article: http://findingkarate.com/wordpress/this-week-in-history-14-jan-20-jan/
Jan 07 2019
8 January On 8 January 1945 Pauline Bindra (nee Laville), who holds the distinction of being the first woman in Britain to earn a JKA (Japan Karate Association) black belt in Karate, was born in Middlesbrough, England. Pauline Bindra has had a great influence on British Karate. Apart from the personal accolades of being the first female black belt in Britain and one of the highest ranked …
Permanent link to this article: http://findingkarate.com/wordpress/this-week-in-history-7-jan-13-jan/
Dec 31 2018
1 January On 1 January 1913 Motonobu Hironishi, an early student of Gichin Funakoshi, was born in Kyoto, Japan. Hironishi began his Karate training in 1931 at Waseda University under both Gichin and Yoshitaka Funakoshi’s direction. He was a contemporary and good friend of Shigeru Egami at Waseda. Both men would go on to teach at the original Shotokan dojo located in Zoshigaya, Toshima Ward, Tokyo. Following Gichin …
Permanent link to this article: http://findingkarate.com/wordpress/this-week-in-history-31-december-6-jan/
Dec 17 2018
On 19 December 1963 Vernon Bell received a letter from Masatomo Takagi, the General Manager of the Japan Karate Association (JKA), requesting that the British Karate Federation (BKF) officially act as the authorized representative of the JKA in Britain. Earlier that year Bell had received a letter from Takagi indicating that Tetsuji Murakami (Yoseikan Karate), …
Permanent link to this article: http://findingkarate.com/wordpress/this-week-in-history-17-december-23-december/
Dec 10 2018
10 December On 10 December 1933 Shotokan master, Takayuki Mikami, was born in Nigata Prefecture Japan. He was the first professional Karate instructor to be sent by the JKA to teach Karate full-time in another country. Mikami arrived in Tokyo in 1952 to study Japanese Literature at Hosei University. Being a farm boy in a big …
Permanent link to this article: http://findingkarate.com/wordpress/this-week-in-history-10-december-16-december/
Dec 03 2018
3 December On 3 December 1941 Shoshin Nagamine gave a public Karate demonstration to members of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Force and an assortment of dignitaries, including the Police Chief Cabinet secretary and his deputy, plus members of the Ministry of Health and Welfare (Martial Arts section). Born 15 July 1907 in Naha, Okinawa, Nagamine is the founder …
Permanent link to this article: http://findingkarate.com/wordpress/this-week-in-history-3-december-9-december/
Nov 12 2018
12 November On 12 November 1964 Julie Nicholson was born in Jarrow, Tyne and Wear. Nicholson started Shotokan Karate under the guidance of John Holdsworth and Jeff Barwick, at the age of nine. She eventually came under the instruction of Keinosuke Enoeda. She began her competitive career in 1976 eventually becoming a member of the KUGB (Karate Union of …
Permanent link to this article: http://findingkarate.com/wordpress/this-week-in-history-12-november-18-november/
Nov 05 2018
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, Keinosuke Enoeda, Toru Iwaizumi and Katsuya Kisaka arrived to teach Shotokan Karate in Indonesia. …
Permanent link to this article: http://findingkarate.com/wordpress/this-week-in-history-5-november-11-november/
Oct 29 2018
29 October On 29 October 1939 Shiro Asano was born in Tokyo. A student of Masatoshi Nakayama, Asano attended the Takushoku University becoming a prominent member of the university’s famed Karate club. In 1957 he won the inaugural All Japan Universities Championship. This was followed by another win in 1958. After graduating from university Asano enrolled on the Japan …
Permanent link to this article: http://findingkarate.com/wordpress/this-week-in-history-29-october-4-november/
Oct 22 2018
25 October On 25 October 2013 Scottish karate-ka David Coulter took part in the annual 100 Kata Challenge. The 100 Kata Challenge is a worldwide event to commemorate Okinawa Karate Day. Participants have to perform 100 repetitions of a Karate kata of their choice. 26 October On 26 October 1957 the Federation Internationale De Karate (FIK) …
Permanent link to this article: http://findingkarate.com/wordpress/this-week-in-history-22-october-28-october/
Recent Comments