Tag: teruyuki okazaki

This week in history…(5 June – 11 June)

5 June On 5 June 1965, Yutaka Yaguchi, arrived in Los Angeles, to assist Hidetaka Nishiyama at his Los Angeles dojo. James Field, who would go on to become one of the top Shotokan practitioners in the United States, remembered Yaguchi’s arrival. He had been close to quitting Karate at the time. However, when he …

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Minoru Kawawada

Karate is for your whole life, so your Karate must evolve to match who you are today. Minoru Kawawada Although he may not be as well known as some other JKA masters, Minoru Kawawada was a longtime instructor at the JKA Hombu. For many years he went about his task of teaching excellent Karate to …

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This week in history…(5 December – 11 December)

5 December On 5 December 1944, the founder of Ashihara Karate, Hideyuki Ashihara, was born in Hiroshima, Japan. He was a direct student of Kyokushin founder, Mas Oyama. Ashihara was considered a formidable fighter, and by 1966 he was an instructor of Kyokushin Karate at the organisation’s Hombu (headquarters). In 1987 Ashihara started showing the first signs of ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease). His condition gradually worsened and on 24 …

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This week in history….(19 September – 25 September)

20 September On 20 September 1934, Takayuki Kubota, a pioneer of martial arts in the United States, was born in Yashiro-Shi, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. He was the fourth of six children, having four brothers and one sister. His family was descended from a samurai clan that had once invaded the island of Okinawa. On 20 …

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Shunsuke Takahashi

There is no such thing as retirement in martial arts. If you decide to pursue martial arts, you wear your gi until you die! Shunsuke Takahashi A graduate of the JKA instructors course, Shunsuke Takahashi, has had a big influence on Shotokan Karate in Australia and New Zealand. A tough instructor, he dedicated many years …

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Masataka Mori

Everybody who comes to Karate in the beginning thinks they’re learning how to defend themselves and be good at fighting, but I like to teach the moral aspect of it. If I teach this, the technique and spirit of my students join together. Masataka Mori Known as “hawk eyes” because of his intense stare, Masataka …

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This week in history (20 June – 26 June)

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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George Cofield

We’ve got to get the kids interested in Karate, to give them a view to helping them discover an interest which will sustain them through their adolescence. We must give them pride about themselves and encourage them to realise what they can accomplish through the use of their own energies. George Cofield A pioneer of …

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This week in history (6 June – 12 June)

7 June On 7 June 1935 Shotokan master and former Technical Director of the Japan Karate Association (JKA), Tetsuhiko Asai was born in Ehime Prefecture, Japan. As a boy, Asai had trained in Sumo, Judo, and Kendo. He became interested in Karate after seeing a karateka defeat a boxer in a fight.  Upon entering Takushoku …

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Ansei Ueshiro

Kumite practice should be second to kata practice… using uncontrolled techniques as in tournament fighting… develops bad habits. Ansei Ueshiro A pioneer of Shorin-Ryu Karate in the United States, Ansei Ueshiro was one of the first masters to bring Okinawan Karate to the United States. Many top-ranking American Shorin-Ryu instructors can trace their roots back …

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