Japan Karate Association

Japan Karate Association (日本 空手 協会; Nihon Karate Kyokai; JKA; sometimes referred to simply as Kyokai 協会 in Japan) is one of the most influential Shotokan karate organizations in the world. It is also one of the oldest karate organizations continuously in operation until the present.[2]

JKA:Traditional Shotokan Association
AbbreviationJKA
MottoKeepers of Karate's Highest Tradition
FormationMay 27, 1949
TypeSports federation
Headquarters2-23-15 Koraku, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo JAPAN 112-0004
Membership
Japan Karate Federation, World Karate Federation[1]
Official language
Japanese, English
Shuseki Shihan (Chief Insructor)
Masaaki Ueki, 10th Dan <JKA website,2011>
Websitewww.jka.or.jp

Origins

Gichin Funakoshi played a major role in introducing karate from Okinawa to Japan, adjusted to reduce injury and merged with approaches for athletic training. On May 27, 1949, some of his senior students including Isao Obata, Masatoshi Nakayama, and Hidetaka Nishiyama, formed a karate organization dedicated to research, promotion, events management, and education: the Japan Karate Association.[3] Funakoshi, then around 80 years old, held a position equivalent to chief instructor emeritus, with Nakayama as the chief instructor.

The JKA emerged from karate clubs at Japanese universities located in the Tokyo region. Most of these universities, however, distanced themselves from the JKA during the 1950s. Takushoku University always kept strong ties with the JKA, being the alma mater of many of the senior JKA instructors, such as Nakayama, Nishiyama, Okazaki, Asai, Kanazawa, and Enoeda, who were responsible for the JKA's consolidation during the 1960s and 1970s.[3][4]

General uneasiness on how karate was taught by the JKA instructors and disagreements on Funakoshi's funeral arrangements in 1957 motivated some of the senior karateka connected with Funakoshi, but not associated with the JKA, such as Shigeru Egami, Genshin Hironishi, and Tsutomu Ohshima, to form their own organizations, such as Shotokai and Shotokan Karate of America).[5] They claimed to practice a version of Shotokan karate closer to what Funakoshi taught, as compared to the JKA style. The JKA Shotokan approach is also based on Funakoshi's karate, but with significant adaptations introduced mostly by Nakayama, who was JKA chief instructor until his death in 1987.[3][6][7] Under Nakayama's leadership, a generation of respected instructors spread karate worldwide, guided from the JKA headquarters in Tokyo.[3]

Nakayama's books, which include Dynamic Karate and the Best Karate series,[8][9] are fundamental reference materials on Shotokan karate as practiced under the JKA. Clive Nicol, in his classic book Moving Zen, describes the karate practice at the JKA's honbu dojo (headquarters training hall) in Tokyo during the early 1960s, from his unique perspective as a western karate student going from white to black belt in a few years.[10]

Splinter groups

The JKA experienced several divisions from the 1970s onwards. Notable splinter groups formed as follows:

  • In 1977, JKA instructor Shiro Asano formed his own organization, and invited master Hirokazu Kanazawa to take his place as chief instructor. The group is now known as Shotokan Karate-Do International Federation (SKIF).
  • Following Nakayama's death in 1987, the JKA experienced a turbulent period, both at the Tokyo headquarters and worldwide. Taiji Kase and Hiroshi Shirai, senior JKA instructors in Europe quit to form the World Karate-Do Shotokan Academy. Taketo Okuda, JKA chief instructor in Brazil, quit to focus on his own organization, Butoku-kan.
  • In 1990, a legal dispute started between two groups about the control of JKA. One group was led by Tetsuhiko Asai, the other by Nobuyuki Nakahara. After several court rulings, the issue was ultimately settled by the Japanese Supreme Court on June 10, 1999, in favor of Nakahara's group, which included Masaaki Ueki and Masahiko Tanaka.[11] The other group, led by Tetsuhiko Asai, JKA chief instructor after Nakayama, and including Keigo Abe and Mikio Yahara, left JKA to form other organizations: Japan Karate Shotorenmei,[12] Japan Shotokan Karate Association,[13] and Karatenomichi World Federation,[14] respectively.
  • In 2007, the International Shotokan Karate Federation (ISKF), with headquarters in the US, led by Teruyuki Okazaki, 10th dan and one of the most senior JKA instructors, became independent. However, by 2010 at least two senior Instructors returned to the JKA.
  • In 2009, Takahashi Shunsuke broke away from JKA Australia to form the TSKF Australia (Traditional Shotokan Karate-Do Federation). TSKF joined Teruyuki Okazaki's ISKF in 2011.
  • By 2011, it was acknowledged that Masao Kawasoe, 7th Dan JKA, had returned to the JKA.

Due to these divisions, there is today the notion of a separate JKA karate style—that is, Shotokan karate that follows the JKA tradition to a large extent, but is taught by instructors who are not officially affiliated with JKA (though most of them are former JKA instructors and graduates).

Kenshusei (instructor intern) training program

In 1956, the JKA started its kenshusei instructor intern training program at the JKA honbu dojo, in Yotsuya, Tokyo, which had been built in 1955. This program was instituted by Masatoshi Nakayama. The training program has promoted the consistency and quality control of JKA training practices over the years, graduating some of the world's most well known karateka (practitioners of karate), as listed below.

Graduates

The following table lists JKA kenshusei training program graduates in order of year of graduation. The reported rank of graduates no longer with the JKA is that from their current organization. Such rank is not necessarily recognized by the JKA.

Name Year of Graduation Rank Position
Mikami Takayuki 1957 9th dan USA JKA/AF Southern
Takaura Eiji 1957
Kanazawa Hirokazu 1957 10th dan Founder SKIF
Tsushima Toshio 1958
Yaguchi Yutaka 1958 9th dan USA ISKF Mountain States
Ouchi Kyo 1959
Sato Masaki 1959
*Saito Shigeru 1959
Inaba Mitsue 1960
Kano Masahiko 1960
Watanabe Gunji 1960
*Ogata Kyoji 1960
Kisaka Katsuharu 1961 8th dan USA - JKA New Jersey since 1967 (current)
Nakaya Ken 1961
Ogawa Eiko 1961
Ueki Masaaki 1961 9th dan(2011) HQ Shihan Chief Instructor Worldwide
Keinosuke Enoeda 1961 9th dan Deceased March 29, 2003
*Miyazaki Satoshi 1961 8th dan Deceased May 31, 1993
*Mori Osamu 1961
*Takahashi Yoshimasa 1961
*Majima Kenshiro 1962
Sakai Ryusuke 1962 8th dan
Jitsuhara Shoji 1963
Ochi Hideo 1963 9th dan DJKB ("JKA Germany")
Takahashi Yasuoki 1963
Itaya Michihisa 1963 6th dan South America JKA - "Deceased 1972"
Abe Keigo 1965 9th dan Japan JSKA
Oishi Takeshi 1965
*Tabata Yukichi 1965
Takashina Shigeru 1966 8th dan USA JKA/WFA Deceased September 3, 2013
Kawazoe Masao 1967 8th Dan (Also Chief Instructor ITKF)
Higashi Kunio 1967
Iida Norihiko 1967
Okamoto Hideki 1967 8th dan Egypt - "Deceased 2009".
Takahashi Shunsuke 1967 8th dan Chief Instructor TSKF Australia
Yano Kenji 1967
Okuda Taketo 1967 8th dan Butoku-kan (Brazil)
Baba Isamu 1970
Horie Teruo 1971
Nishino Shuhei 1971
*Hayakawa Norimasa 1971
Kanegae Kenji 1972
Osaka Yoshiharu 1972 8th dan HQ Full-Time Instructor
Sato Teruo 1974
Mori Toshihiro 1975
Imura Takenori 1977 7th dan HQ Full-Time Instructor
Kurasako Kenro 1977 7th dan HQ Full-Time Instructor
Minoru Kawawada 1978 7th dan HQ Full-Time Instructor
Komaki Masaki 1978
Omura Fujikiyo 1978 7th dan JKA Thailand
Fukami Akira 1979
Kaneko Taneaki 1979
Sakata Masashi 1979
Abe Miwako 1980
Tsuchii Takayuki 1980
Yamamoto Hideo 1980
Ohta Yoshinobu Attendee 7th Dan Head JKA England
Ogura Yasunori 1982 7th dan HQ Full-Time Instructor
Imamura Tomio 1983 7th dan HQ Full-Time Instructor
Kashiwagi Nobuyuki 1984
Koike Tsuyoshi 1984
Yokomichi Masaaki 1984
Izumiya Seizo 1986 6th dan HQ Full-Time Instructor
Shiina Katsutoshi 1986 6th dan HQ Full-Time Instructor
Hanzaki Yasuo 1987 6th dan HQ Full-Time Instructor
Nakamura Yoko 1987
Naka Tatsuya 1989 7th dan (2012) HQ Full-Time Instructor
Noda Kenichi 1990
Taniyama Takuya 1990 6th dan HQ Full-Time Instructor
*Imai Hiromitsu 1991
Takahashi Satoshi 1992 5th dan HQ Full-Time Instructor
Kobayashi Kunio 1993 5th dan HQ Full-Time Instructor
Ogata Koji 1994 5th dan HQ Full-Time Instructor
Walter Crockford 1996 5th dan JKA Canada
Ikenaga Atsushi 1996
Hirayama Yuko 1998 6th dan (as of 2012) HQ Secretariat
Okuma Koichiro 1998 6th dan HQ Full-Time Instructor
Iwasawa Mayumi 1998 3rd dan HQ Secretariat
Aragaki Misako 2003 3rd dan HQ Secretariat
Ubukata Koji 2003
Yamada Satomi 2004
Nemoto Keisuke 2004
Okuie Satomi 2004
Kurihara Kazuaki 2004
Shimizu Ryosuke 2004
Kumeta Riki 2008

Note

This list is incomplete. For instance, it does not include some members who were expelled or resigned from the JKA see below:

  • Kisaka Katsuharu (Katsuya) 8th dan JKA Instructor JKA of New Jersey, USA (current)
  • Abe Keigo, 9th dan (former JKA HQ instructor) JSKA Chief Instructor
  • Aramoto Nobuyuki, 8th dan (former JKA instructor)
  • Asai Tetsuhiko, 10th dan (former HQ JKA instructor) JKS/IJKA Chief instructor (passed)
  • Inaba Tsuneyuki, 7th dan (former JKA instructor)
  • Isaka Akito, 7th dan (former JKA instructor) KWF
  • Ishimine Minoru, 7th dan (former JKA instructor)
  • Kagawa Masao, 9th dan (former JKA instructor) JKS Chief Instructor)
  • Kanayama Kyosho, 7th dan (former JKA instructor) (Chief of Domestic Department JKS)
  • Mizuno Yoshihisa, 8th dan (former JKA instructor)
  • Naito Takashi, 7th dan (Has left E.T.K.F & returned to JKA)
  • Tamang Pemba, 8th dan (former JKA HQ instructor) NSKF Chief Instructor
  • Yahara Mikio, 8th dan (former JKA HQ instructor) KWF Chief Instructor
  • Yamaguchi Takashi, 8th dan (former JKA instructor) (Chief of International Department JKS)
  • Kanazawa Hirokazu, 10th dan (former JKA HQ instructor) Chief instructor SKIF
  • Kase Yasuharu, 10th dan (former JKA HQ instructor) Chief Instructor SRKH (passed)
  • Kasuya Hitoshi, 9th dan (former JKA instructor) Chief Instructor WSKF
  • Katsumata (Suzuki) Yutaka, 7th dan (former JKA instructor)
  • Shirai Hiroshi, 10th dan (former JKA instructor) WSKA
  • Tatetsu Meicho, 7th dan (former JKA instructor)
  • Amos Richard, 8th dan (former JKA HQ instructor) Chief Instructor WTKO)
  • Maeda Eiji, 6th dan (former JKA HQ instructor)
  • Kawasaki Norio 6th dan (former JKA HQ instructor)
  • Koike Yutaka 6th dan (former JKA HQ instructor)
  • Fischer Malcolm 6th dan (former JKA HQ instructor)
  • Montoya Leon 5th dan (former JKA HQ instructor)


The list at the JKA's website, which includes most members who left or were expelled, may also be incomplete. The JKA has not included some former members who have completed the course and are not currently affiliated with JKA. In addition, during the troubled period between 1990 and 1999 each JKA faction held its own instructors' course. Currently, the JKA does not recognize graduates from the instructors' courses led by the JKS (Japan Karate Shoto Renmei, which also held the name JKA between 1990 and 1999).

Karateka such as Dave Hazard (UK)[15], Ennio Vezzuli (Brazil), Nigel Jackson (South Africa), Peté Pacheco (Portugal), Malcolm Fisher (Canada), Leon Montoya (Colombia), Richard Amos (UK, US), Pascal Lesage (France) and others, are mentioned in karate forums as having completed the JKA instructors' course (or having had substantial participation in it) but do not appear on the list of graduates as published in 2008 on the JKA's website.[16]

In addition, the list does not include graduate instructors from the instructor programmes of splinter groups such as JKS and KWF, examples being Masamichi Otsuka (KWF - Japan) Yutaka Koike (JKS - Japan) Yasuhisa Inada (JKS - Japan) Kyle Kamal Helou (JKS - Lebanon) Takeo Matsui (JKS- Japan) Takuya Makita (JKS - Japan)

Competition

Although Gichin Funakoshi wrote that there are no contests in Karate, Nakayama Masatoshi teachings led to more scientific and competitive approach to the training and in 1957 the first All Japan Karate Championship was held, and has been held annually since.

World championships

In addition, the JKA has organised a number of international tournaments amongst which the following have been considered to be the JKA's World Championships:

Year Tournament name Location
19751st IAKF World Championships Los Angeles, USA
19772nd IAKF World Championships Tokyo, Japan
19803rd IAKF World Championships Bremen, West Germany
19834th IAKF World Championships Cairo, Egypt
19851st ShotoCup Tokyo, Japan
19872nd ShotoCup Brisbane, Australia
19903rd ShotoCup Sunderland, England
19924th ShotoCup Tokyo, Japan
19945th ShotoCup Philadelphia, USA
19966th ShotoCup Ohsaka, Japan
19987th ShotoCup Paris, France
20008th ShotoCup Tokyo, Japan
20049th ShotoCup Tokyo, Japan
200610th Funakoshi Gichin Cup World Karate-do Championship Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre, Sydney, Australia
200911th Funakoshi Gichin Cup World Karate-do Championship CANCELLED[17] Nihon Budo-kan, Tokyo, Japan
201112th Funakoshi Gichin Cup World Karate-do Championship Pattaya, Thailand
201413th Cup World Karate-do Championship Nihon Budo-kan, Tokyo, Japan
2017 14th Funakoshi Gichin Cup Karate World Championship Ireland

Male Kumite
Year Champion Runner-Up 3rd Place
1975[18] Masahiko Tanaka Takashi Oishi Billy Higgins
1977[18] Masahiko Tanaka De Michelis Willrodt
1980[18] Toshihiro MoriDusan Dacic Hoffman
1983[18] Hideo Yamamoto Guazzaroni Sarie
1985[18] Minoru Kawawada Masaaki Yokomichi Takayuki Tsuchii/Masao Kagawa
1987[18] Tomio Imamura Frank Brennan George Best/Marco Barone
1990[18] Masao Kagawa Ronnie Christopher Fillipo Allata / Jensen
1992[18] Tomio Imamura Frank Brennan Kunio Kobayashi / Tatsuya Naka
1994[18] Pavlo Protopapa Jeannot Mulolo Colin Smith / Katsutoshi Shiina
1996[18] Don Sharp Toshihito Kokubun Kunio Kobayashi / Takuya Taniyama
1998[18] Toshihito Kokubun Koji Ogata Pierre Toudjip / Jeannot Mulolo
2000[18] Toshihito Kokubun Johan LaGrange Takuya Taniyama / Koji Ogata
2004[19] Koji Ogata Miroslav Femic Ohkuma Kouichiro / Johan LaGrange
2006[20] Koji Ogata Chinzo Machida Nemoto Keisuke / Ohkuma Kouichiro
2011[21] Rikiya IimuraKoji Chubachi Nemoto Keisuke / Andrey Mazurov
2014[22] Koji ChubachiRikiya Iimura Nemoto Keisuke / Supa Ngamphuengphit
2017 Rodrigo Rojas Okada Yasunori Ueda Daisuke/Haga Yusuke

Male Kata
Year Champion Runner-Up 3rd Place
1975[18] Yoshiharu Osaka Fugazza Strauff
1977[18] Yoshiharu Osaka Mikio Yahara Fugazza
1980[18] Yoshiharu Osaka Mikio Yahara Karamitsos
1983[18] Yoshiharu Osaka Mikio Yahara Saedd El Herem
1985[18] Minoru Kawawada Masao KagawaAkira Fukami
1987[18] Takenori Imura Masao Kagawa Okazaki Hiroyoshi
1990[18] Tomoyuki Aihara Frank Brennan Masao Kagawa
1992[18] Tomoyuki Aihara Imura Takenori Yuji Hashiguchi
1994[18] Imura Takenori Okazaki Hiroyoshi Tomoyuki Aihara
1996[18] Imura Takenori Yuji Hashiguchi Tomoyuki Aihara
1998[18] Yuji Hashiguchi Seizo Izumiya Takuya Taniyama
2000[18] Takuya Taniyama Seizo Izumiya Katsutoshi Shiina
2004[19] Katsutoshi Shiina Takuya Taniyama Kobayashi Kunio
2006[20] Kurihara Kazuaki Kobayashi Kunio Saitoh Yuki
2011[21] Kurihara Kazuaki Naoto Maruoka Hideki Hukuhara
2014[22] Kurihara Hidemoto Daisuke Ueda Kurihara Kazuaki
2017[23] Kurihara Kazuaki Kurihara Hidemoto Hakizume Yushi

Female Kumite
Year Champion Runner-Up 3rd Place
1975[18]NANANA
1977[18]NANANA
1980[18]NANANA
1983[18]NANANA
1985[18]NANANA
1987[18]NANANA
1990[18] Yuko HasamaTBCTBC
1992[18] Yukiko Yoneda Yoshimi Naoko Sakurako Sasaki / Keiko Kono
1994[18] Hiromi Hasama Mayumi Baba Kimiyo Nakamura / Daud Nilawati
1996[18] Hiromi Hasama Mayumi Baba Shoko Sakuragi / Yuko Okuda
1998[18] Mayumi Baba Caroline Quansum Colette Glynn / Hiromi Hasama
2000[18] Hiromi Hasama Yuko Okuda Christy Cauvin / Mayumi Baba
2004[19] Okuie Satomi Takahashi Yuko Tatjana Nikolic / Krisztina Zsigmond
2006[20] Yuko Takahashi Okuda Yuko Tracy Pearce / Storm Wheatley
2011[21] Asumi Isiduka Glusa Akdag Sergeeva Alla / Josmaira Quiroz
2014[22] Taguchi Satoshitama Mai Shiina Yuki Ito / Cifkova Petra

Female Kata
Year Champion Runner-Up 3rd Place
1975[18]NANANA
1977[18] Hiromi Kawashima Keiki Hayakawa R Senior
1980[18] Hiromi Kawashima Hiroko Moriya Schweiber
1983[18] Hiroko Moriya Yuko Sakada Yoko Nakamura
1985[18] Yoko Nakamura Kikue Yamamoto Yurika Yoshida
1987[18] Yuki Mimura Yoko Nakamura Hiroe Sekimori
1990[18] Yuki Mimura Yoko Nakamura Maiko Asano
1992[18] Yoko Nakamura Miyo Gunji Miwa Akiyama
1994[18] Yoko Nakamura Ompi Omita Haruna Ikutake
1996[18] Yoko Nakamura Miyo Gunji Nakata Terumi
1998[18] Miyoko Fujiwara Miyo Gunji Karin Prinsloo
2000[18] Nakata Terumi Miyo Gunji Chiharu Azuma
2004[19] Nakata Terumi Misako Aragaki Oshima Nozomi
2006[20] Misako Aragaki Nozomi Oshima Shirota Takaki
2011[21] Nozomi Oshima Miki Nakamachi Serino Fukasaku
2014[22] Miki Nakamachi Takagi Ayano Hikawa Nao
2017[22] Ayano Nakamura Yuna Sato Rio Hayakawa
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gollark: This is an issue due to C namespace nonexistence.
gollark: It clarifies things, and ensures no accidental misinterpretation of a thing.
gollark: I don't see an issue with defining a new type, if your language can make it zero-runtime-cost.
gollark: "Cheapest" how?

References
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  2. "Black Belt December 1986". Books.google.co.uk. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  3. Cook, Harry (2001). Shotokan Karate: A Precise History. England: Cook.
  4. Evans, Jon. The Battle for Olympic Karate Recognition Archived 2008-10-11 at the Wayback Machine Black Belt, Feb 1988 (retrieved January 10, 2008)
  5. Evans, J. K. (1988): "The battle for Olympic Karate recognition: WUKO vs. IAKF." Black Belt, 26(2):54–58.
  6. Noble, Graham. Master Funakoshi's Karate Dragon Times (retrieved on January 8th, 2008).
  7. Hironishi, Genshin. The Darkest Moments of Karate-do Archived 2008-10-02 at the Wayback Machine Karate-do Shotokai Encyclopedia (retrieved January 10, 2008)
  8. Nakayama, Masatoshi (1997). Dynamic Karate. Japan: Kodansha International.
  9. Nakayama, Masatoshi (1997). Best Karate Vol 1 to Vol 11. Japan: Kodansha International.
  10. Nicol, Clive; Kanazawa, Hirokazu (2001). Moving Zen: One Man's Journey to the Heart of Karate (Bushido - The Way of the Warrior). Tokyo & New York: Kodansha International. ISBN 978-4-7700-2755-9.
  11. Archived December 7, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  12. "菼AiJKSj". Jks.jp. Archived from the original on 4 February 2015. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  13. "JSKA - Japan Shotokan Karate Association". Jskjp.org. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  14. "- KWF - Karatenomichi World Federation". Kwf.jp. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  15. "Terry O'Neil Interviews Dave Hazard". Fighting Arts International, Issue 49, 1988.
  16. "CURSO DE INSTRUTORES DA JKA". Karateca.net. Archived from the original on 10 July 2012. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  17. Archived December 22, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  18. "JKA official website - Past International Tournaments" (PDF). Jka.or.jp. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 December 2010. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  19. Archived March 1, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
  20. Archived September 27, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  21. Archived January 12, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  22. "船越義珍杯 第13回 世界空手道選手権大会 結果". JKA 公益社団法人日本空手協会. Archived from the original on 24 October 2014. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
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