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Rose Cottage, Main Road, Whiteshill
Stroud Gloucestershire GL6 6JS United Kingdom Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Website Contact Person: Nick Quilliam Phone: 07973 793521 Fax: 01453 764825 The United Kingdom, in particular, became gripped with the spread of Karate. After a Wado-Ryu Karate demonstration at a Kendo club in London, the Japanese Karate Federation was asked by the British student who had seen the demonstrations to send a Karate instructor to the UK. In 1964 Mr Tanabe was sent to the UK as an official delegate of the Japanese Karate Federation, where he founded the All Britain Karate Association. This was the first Wado-Ryu Karate organisation to be established in Europe. Mr Tatsuo Suzuki soon followed, when he moved to London to teach Wado-Ryu Karate. In May 1965, Mr T. Kono travelled to the UK to join Mr Tatsuo Suzuki, and later that year Mr Masafumi Shiomitsu arrived. Meanwhile, Mr T. Kono moved to the Netherlands to spread karate to the European mainland. In 1966, Messrs T. Takamizawa and Hayakawa transferred to the UK to help Mr Tatsuo Suzuki and Mr Masafumi Shiomitsu meet the growing demand for quality Wado-Ryu Karate. In 1968 Mr K. Sakagami, followed by Mr Kobayashi in 1969, also arrived in the UK, whilst Mr. S. Suzuki travelled to Ireland; furthermore, Mr Maeda arrived in the UK. Although a number of these Wado-Ryu Karate instructors have returned to Japan, and others have replaced them, the first wave of Japanese instructors pioneered Wado-Ryu karate in the UK, and they have left an indelible impression upon the current practice of the art. This dedicated team of Japanese Sensei built the strong foundations of contemporary Wado-Ryu karate in the UK; their contribution can never be forgotten. As in all aspects of life, politics has played a major role in the development of Wado-Ryu Karate in Britain. The All Britain Karate Association remained the principal Karate organisation until 1970. However, in 1970 Mr Tatsuo Suzuki decided to leave the organisation and establish the United Kingdom Karate-Do Federation, which later changed its name to the United Kingdom Karate-Do Wado-Kai, and became affiliated to the Federation of European Wado-Kai's. After a short period of time most of the other Japanese instructors joined the United Kingdom Karate-Do Federation, with the exception of Mr T. Takamizawa, who formed his own Karate organisation. Mr Masafumi Shiomitsu chose to transfer his teaching from the UK to France and then Madagascar. Nevertheless, Mr Masafumi Shiomitsu returned to the UK in 1976, and joined the United Kingdom Karate-Do Wado-Kai. |
