Tomiko Mitsuoka

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Currently ranked as an 8th Dan, Tomiko Mitsuoka is one of the highest-ranked women in Karate and the highest-ranked female instructor in the World Shotokan Karate-Do Federation. She has been practising Karate for over fifty years. A popular instructor, she emphasises a no-nonsense approach to training.

Tomiko Mitsuoka was born in Ikeda, Japan, in 1948. She began learning Shotokan Karate in 1966 when she was 18.

Mitsuoka had been working long hours in a department store. She wanted to learn self-defence to protect herself. She struggled to find a dojo that would accept her to train. At the time, it was not popular for women to practice martial arts. Some martial arts, like Karate, had developed a bad reputation. She tried joining a Judo club, but they did not accept women as students.

Mitsuoka’s cousin, Yasuyuki Mitsuoka, was a Karate instructor. He introduced her to his teacher, Hirano. Hirano was a student of Gichin Funakoshi and accepted her as his student. It was another three years before another woman joined the dojo.

Hirano followed Funakoshi’s teaching style. This involved plenty of basics and the five Heian kata. Classes were typically three hours long. Two hours were spent on practising basic techniques. The final hour of the session was spent on kumite and kata. At the time, the only belts available were white, brown, and black belts.

Mitsuoka had been training for around six months when she was involved in an incident. She was on her way home from work one evening when a man tried to attack her. She punched him in the stomach with a reverse punch and managed to get away. She was a white belt at the time.

By 1970, Mitsuoka had been training for four years. That year, she was graded to 1st Dan by Hirano. It was also around this time that she started training with Hirokazu Kanazawa and the JKA.

Wanting to improve her English, Mitsuoka travelled to Sheffield, England, to work as an au pair. She took her gi with her to England, hoping to find somewhere to train. She eventually found a dojo, run by Steven Bellamy (her future husband). Bellamy had represented the UK internationally, with the likes of Steve Cattle, Terry O’Neill, and Billy Higgins.

In 1973, Mitsuoka returned to Japan with her new husband, Bellamy. She joined the Yotsuya dojo of Kanazawa. She trained three days a week under Kensuke Seto, who was then a 2nd Dan. She also trained under Minako Kobayashi, who became the first JKA All Japan Female Kata Champion.

Mitsuoka remained Kanazawa’s student for the next sixteen years. She learnt all her advanced kata from him and took all her Dan gradings (2nd to 5th Dan) under him.

Mitsuoka would also visit the Hoitsugan dojo of Masatoshi Nakayama. However, when Kanazawa left the JKA in 1977, she stopped visiting the dojo.

Kanazawa established the Shotokan Karate-do International Federation (SKIF) in 1977. Mitsuoka enrolled on the SKIF Instructor Class. By this time, she was mainly training under Hitoshi Katsuya.

By 1978, Mitsuoka had been promoted to 4th Dan. That year, she gave birth to her first son. She returned to training shortly after.

The 1st SKIF World Championships were held in Tokyo, Japan, in 1983. Mitsuoka competed in the Individual Kata event, finishing in third place. She also competed in the Team Kata event, winning the title.

In 1985, Mitsuoka competed in the 2nd SKIF World Championships held in Düsseldorf, West Germany. In the Team Kata event, she helped Japan to first place. She repeated the feat at the 3rd SKIF World Championships held in Utsunomiya, Japan, in 1988.

On 1 June 1990, the World Shotokan Karate-Do Federation (WSKF) was founded by several black belts who left SKIF. Takeaki Kamiyangi, a former Director of SKIF and student of Funakoshi, was named Chairman. Hitoshi Kasuya, a student of Masatoshi Nakayama, was named Chief Instructor. They firmly believed in following Funakoshi’s teachings and his Twenty Guiding Precepts.

In 1990, Mitsuoka was promoted to 6th Dan. Kamiyangi and Katsuya were part of the grading examination board.

The 1st WSKF World Championships were held in Ankara, Turkey, in 1991. Mitsuoka helped Japan win first place in the Women’s Team Kata. She retired from active competition sometime after this.

In 1994, Mitsuoka moved to Slough, England, with her two sons. She worked as a specialist Japanese chef. She eventually opened her first Karate school in Slough. For a while, only her son, Jo, and one other student, Robert Brealy, were in the class. In time, she would attract other students, many of whom still train with her today.

Mitsuoka has always sought to expand her students’ knowledge by offering seminars and courses or by inviting guest instructors to her dojo. In December 1995, she gave a three-hour course with sports coach Dr Steven Bellamy to demonstrate the effectiveness and benefits of Karate training.

By 1998, Mitsuoka had built a strong dojo. Her cousin, Yasuyuki Mitsuoka, visited that year. He taught as a guest instructor at the dojo. He also ran a weekend course. He was very impressed with the standard of her students.

In August 2000, the 5th WSKF World Championships were held in Tokyo, Japan. Mitsuoka was a referee at the championships. While in Japan, she took and passed her 7th Dan grading. Kamiyangi and Kasuya were on the examination board.

On 15 August 2013, Mitsuoka was promoted to 8th Dan. She was presented with her certificate by Hitoshi Kasuya. This made her one of the highest graded women in the Shotokan Karate world.

In 2013, Kasuya undertook a tour of many countries affiliated with the WSKF. Between 20th and 21st September, Mitsuoka hosted a special training session at her dojo, as part of his international tour.

As a senior member of the WSKF, Mitsuoka visited Nigeria for the first time in 2016. In Lagos, she conducted a well-attended Open Karate Seminar.

Between 16th and 19th November 2023, the 16th WSKF World Championships were held in Tokyo, Japan. Mitsuoka’s student, Sayf Al Hadi, won two bronze medals in both the individual kata and kumite events.

Tomiko Mitsuoka has been the foremost woman in Shotokan Karate for many years. She is one of the highest-ranking female instructors in the world. She is one of the few women to sit on the Technical Committee of a large organisation. She sits on the WSKF Technical Committee as an advisor. She also frequently travels the world giving seminars and courses, and refereeing at WSKF tournaments. She is the WSKF England Chief Instructor.

Away from Karate, Mitsuoka volunteers at a Slough food bank three times a week.