As the title suggest, very sadly, one of the greatest Wado masters passed away this weekend.

Anyone in Wado who was lucky enough to have trained with this great sensei will never forget his teachings.

He was without doubt one of the finest technicians of Wado-ryu karate ever and he was an excellent sensei (with a wicked sense of humour to boot!)

Within the JKF (Japan Karate Federation) Wado-kai, he was considered to be the ultimate Shihan - there was no-one more senior. So much so, the JKF (the national federation for Karate run by the Japanese Government) awarded him the rank of 9th Dan something that has only been achieved by 3 or 4 Karate instructors across all Karate styles!

He will be greatly missed.

K.

Sorry to hear of this loss. Did you have the opportunity to train with him, Kusotare?

So sad; sorry to hear of the loss for the entire Wado and JKF family. Prayers to his family, friends, and students during this time.

How often did he visit the USA??

Sorry to hear of this loss. Did you have the opportunity to train with him, Kusotare?

Yes I did, on 2 or 3 occasions and it was fantastic. The likes of which I had not experienced before or since.

How often did he visit the USA??

I believe he taught in North America on several occasions (don't know exactly how many).

As head of the Technical committee of the JKF Wado-kai for so long, his services were very much in demand around the world.

K.

It's great that you had the experience. Thanks for sharing.

Patrick

RIP.