This week in history…(10 October – 16 October)

10 October

On 10 October 1928, Shotokan Karate master, Hidetaka Nishiyama, was born.

Nishiyama attended the renowned university, Takushoku, studying economics. In 1949 he was named the Captain of the Karate team, after joining earlier that year.

In the early 1950s, Nishiyama was part of a group, including Masatoshi Nakayama and Isao Obata, selected to teach military personnel from the Strategic Air Command (SAC). By 1960 he had been promoted to 5th Dan and was becoming an essential member of the Japan Karate Association (JKA).

In the 1960s Nishiyama moved to the United States. He went on to form the All-American Karate Federation (AAKF). He was also a founding member of the Pan American Karate Union and the International Traditional Karate Federation (ITKF).

He died in 2008 following a long battle with cancer.

On 10 October 1957, a photograph of Vernon Bell performing tameshiwara (the art of breaking objects) was published in an unknown newspaper. The article, under the heading ‘Secret “Sportsmen” Train to Kill’ was written by journalist Dez Marwood. In the article, a photograph shows Bell breaking a thin piece of wood balanced between two chairs. The technique he used was a downward shuto (knife-hand strike).