Feb 01 2023
A great thinker on the essence of Karate and how it should be taught, Motokuni Sugiura dedicated his life to Karate. As an instructor, he focused on developing strong basics. As the second Chief Instructor of the JKA he oversaw a turbulent period in their history. Motokuni Sugiura was born in Aichi, Japan, on 4 …
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Jan 02 2023
6 January On 6 January 1967, Michael Randall gained his 1st Dan from Hirokazu Kanazawa. He was one of the first men in Britain to gain the rank of 1st Dan from the Japan Karate Association (JKA). At the time of writing Randall is one of a handful of people currently training to have trained …
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Dec 26 2022
27 December On 27 December 1975, the film, ‘Karate Bearfighter‘ was released in Japan, as part of a trilogy of films based on the life of Mas Oyama. Sonny Chiba played the role of his teacher, Mas Oyama. The first film in the trilogy, ‘Karate Bullfighter‘ was released on 9 August 1975 in Japan. The …
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Dec 05 2022
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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Nov 21 2022
21 November On 21 November 1982, the 6th World Championships commenced in Taipei, Taiwan, finishing on 25 November. Japan continued their dominance of World Karate by topping the medal table with six golds, two silvers and four bronzes. Mie Nakayama began her dominance of the Women’s Individual Kata event by winning the first of her …
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Nov 14 2022
14 November On 14 November 1889 Shito-Ryu Karate founder, Kenwa Mabuni, was born in Okinawa. Mabuni was one of the first Okinawan masters to teach his style of Karate on the Japanese mainland, eventually settling in Osaka in 1929. He initially trained under Yasutsune Itosu learning Shuri te, He later trained under Kanryo Higaonna learning …
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Nov 07 2022
8 November On 8 November 1965, Hirokazu Kanazawa held his second official grading at the Lyndhurst Hall dojo in London. Keinosuke Enoeda was also present at the grading. Ray Fuller was successful, receiving the temporary grade of 3rd Kyu. Between 8-11 November 1990, the 10th World Championships were held in Mexico City, Mexico. Tomoyuki Aihara …
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Feb 09 2022
On 9 February 1929 Shotokan master Taiji Kase, was born in Chiba, Japan. Kase had studied Judo before beginning Karate. He earned a 2nd Dan in Judo by the age of 15. He started his Karate training in 1944 under the guidance of Yoshitaka Funakoshi and Shigeru Egami. He was awarded his 3rd Dan in …
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Jan 08 2022
On 8 January 1933, Chuck Merriman, a pioneer of Goju-Ryu Karate in America was born in Waterford, Connecticut. For many years Chuck Merriman has been one of the most recognisable faces in Karate. This American Karate pioneer has featured on the cover of many martial arts publications. He has been instrumental in popularising Goju-Ryu Karate …
Permanent link to this article: http://findingkarate.com/wordpress/on-this-day-jan-08/
Jan 01 2022
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 …
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