This week in history (11 May – 17 May)

11 May

On 11 May 1966, Hirokazu Kanazawa departed the UK for South Africa, much to the dismay of many of his British students. Kanazawa’s contract with the British Karate Federation (BKF) came to an end and was not renewed. He had built a fierce and loyal devotion from his students, especially those from the London area. The London students felt directionless and wanted to be taught by no one other than him.

On 11 May 2019 at the 53rd KUGB National Championships, Bob Rhodes was presented with an award for being a long-standing member of the KUGB, by Andy Sherry. By this time, he had been a member of the KUGB for fifty years. He was also a member of the KUGB Technical Committee alongside Andy Sherry, Terry O’Neill, Bob Poynton, Billy Higgins, and Frank Brennan.

12 May

On 12 May 2006, Hamish Adam was appointed a Director at the Scottish Karate Governing Body. A Wado-ryu practitioner, Adam has won may Scottish, British, European and World title.

13 May

On 13 May 1933, Charles Naylor, a former Vice-Chairman of the Karate Union of Great Britain (KUGB), was born in Hubli, South West India.

Naylor left school aged 14 and for a time worked as a cabin boy. He eventually arrived in Liverpool, England in 1948, aged 15. After achieving a Higher National Certificate (HNC) in electrical engineering and completing two years of National Service in the RAF, he eventually joined English Electric in 1960.

Naylor began his Karate training in 1961 aged 28. He had been introduced to karate by his work colleague Fred Gille. Gille was the first British Karate Federation (BKF) member from Liverpool. He was trained by Vernon Bell and opened the first Karate club in Liverpool, around 1959/1960.

As a BKF member Naylor trained under Gille, Bell and Tetsuji Murakami by attending various courses. Following the BKF’s affiliation to the Japan Karate Association (JKA), Keinosuke Enoeda became the resident instructor of the Liverpool Dojo in 1965.

In 1966 the Liverpool Dojo ceased its affiliation with the BKF, becoming a founding member of the KUGB. The Chief Instructor of the KUGB was Hirokazu Kanazawa, with Enoeda acting as his deputy.

By 1966 Naylor had achieved the rank of 1st Kyu and was running a dojo in Rainford, Merseyside, eventually moving to St. Helens.

Charles Naylor received his 1st Dan from Kanazawa on 28 August 1966.

Naylor’s wife, Dot, was among the first group of woman to begin training at the Liverpool Dojo, eventually reaching the rank of 3rd Dan.

Charles Naylor became the Assistant General Secretary of the KUGB in 1967. He would eventually become the Vice-Chairman of the KUGB, eventually holding the rank of 7th Dan.

Charles Naylor died on 14 March 2007.

15 May

On 15 May 1934, Caylor Adkins, a pioneer of Shotokan Karate, was born in Thief Rivers, Minnesota.

Adkins was one of the first six men to be graded to 1st Dan by Tsutomu Ohshima. He was also one of the first Americans to be graded to 5th Dan.

On 15 May 1947, Stephen John Cattle was born. Until his untimely death, aged only forty-seven, he was one of the longest practising Shotokan practitioners in Britain. He was also a keen historian of Karate.

Nicknamed ‘Stumpy’ as he was only 5ft 6in, Cattle began training in Judo in 1961, eventually reaching the rank of 2nd Dan. He represented Britain at the 1967 World Student Games held in Japan.

However, it is for Karate that Cattle is best known. He began his Karate training in 1963 applying for membership with the British Karate Federation (BKF) in York. He moved to Liverpool to study Degree in Divinity. It was at this time he started training with Keinosuke Enoeda.

In the late 1980s, Cattle left the KUGB and joined Taiji Kase’s World Karate Shotokan Karate Association (WKSA).

On 15 May 1993, Ray Dalke announced that the 20th Riverside National Karate Championships would be his last event as he would be taking early retirement. The championships have continued to be one of the Premier tournaments in the United States.

In 2013 the Championships celebrated its 40th anniversary.

On 15th May 2008, Henri Plee was awarded the National Order of Merit by French President Jacques Chirac. The award was in recognition of his martial arts expertise.

On 15 May 2011, Ray Dalke was elected to the University of California, Riverside Athletics Hall of Fame. This was in recognition of his successful coaching career at the University.

As coach of the Riverside Karate team, he oversaw one of the most successful collegiate Karate programs in the United States. During his tenure, the Karate team won five National Collegiate Championships and had eight individual National Collegiate Karate Champions.

17 May

On 17 May 1969, Keinosuke Enoeda married Reiko Hayashi. Charles Naylor, who would become a stalwart of the KUGB was his best man. The newlyweds settled in Kingston Surrey.