- Japan Karate Association
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For the airport in Alabama, United States with the FAA code JKA, see Jack Edwards Airport. For the regulating body of keirin and auto race competitions in Japan, see JKA Foundation.
Japan Karate Association 
Abbreviation JKA Formation May 27, 1949 Type Sports federation Headquarters 2-23-15 Koraku, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo JAPAN 112-0004 Membership World Karate Federation Official languages Japanese, English Website www.jka.or.jp 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.
Contents
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, such as Isao Obata, Masatoshi Nakayama, and Hidetaka Nishiyama, formed a karate organization dedicated to research, promotion, events management, and education: the Japan Karate Association.[1][2][3] Funakoshi, then around 80 years old, held a position equivalent to emeritus chief instructor. Nakayama was designated 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.[2][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). They claimed to practice 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.[2][5][6] Under Nakayama's leadership, a generation of respected instructors spread karate worldwide, guided from the JKA's headquarters in Tokyo.[2][3]
Nakayama's books, which include Dynamic Karate and the Best Karate series,[7][8] are fundamental references 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.[9]
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 Hirokazu Kanazawa to be 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.[10] 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 (JKS), Japan Shotokan Karate Association (JSKA), and Karatenomichi World Federation (KWF), 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.[citation needed]
- In 2009, Shihan Takahashi broke away from JKA Australia to form the TSKF Australia (Traditional Shotokan Karate-Do Federation).[citation needed]
Due to these divisions, there is today the notion of a JKA karate style—that is, karate that follows the JKA tradition to a large extent, but is taught by instructors who are not officially affiliated with JKA (though some of them are former JKA instructors).
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 USA Nakaya Ken 1961 Ogawa Eiko 1961 Ueki Masaaki 1961 8th dan HQ Full-Time Instructor Keinosuke Enoeda 1961 9th dan "Deceased 29th March 2003". http://www.kugb.org/. *Miyazaki Satoshi 1961 8th dan "Deceased 31st May 1993". http://www.jka-vlaanderen.be. *Mori Osamu 1961 *Takahashi Yoshimasa 1961 *Majima Kenshiro 1962 Sakai Ryusuke 1962 7th dan Jitsuhara Shoji 1963 Ochi Hideo 1963 8th dan "JKA Germany". http://www.deutscher-jka-karate-bund.de/. Takahashi Yasuoki 1963 *Itaya Michihisa 1963 Abe Keigo 1965 9th dan Japan JSKA [1] Oishi Takeshi 1965 *Tabata Yukichi 1965 Takashina Shigeru 1966 8th dan USA JKA/WFA South Atlantic Higashi Kunio 1967 Iida Norihiko 1967 Okamoto Hideki 1967 8th dan Egypt Takahashi Shunsuke 1967 8th dan Chief Instructor TSKF Australia [2] Yano Kenji 1967 Okuda Taketo 1967 8th dan "Butoku-kan (Brazil)". http://www.butoku-kan.com.br. 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 Kawawada Minoru 1978 7th dan HQ Full-Time Instructor Komaki Masaki 1978 Omura Fujikiyo 1978 7th dan "JKA Thailand". http://www.karatethai.com/. Fukami Akira 1979 Kaneko Taneaki 1979 Sakata Masashi 1979 Abe Miwako 1980 Tsuchii Takayuki 1980 Yamamoto Hideo 1980 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 6th dan 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". http://www.jkawfcanada.com/. Ikenaga Atsushi 1996 Hirayama Yuko 1998 4th dan HQ Secretariat Okuma Koichiro 1998 4th 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 Elmar Caagbay 2007 3rd dan PS Full-time Instructor Kumeta Riki 2008 Note
This list is incomplete. For instance, it does not include some members who were expelled or resigned from the JKA:
- 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, 8th dan (former JKA instructor) JKS Chief Instructor
- Kagawa Masayoshi, 7th dan (former JKA member, not JKA instructor graduate)
- Kanayama Kyosho, 7th dan (former JKA instructor)
- Mizuno Yoshihisa, 8th dan (former JKA instructor)
- Naito Takashi, 7th dan (Has left E.T.K.F & returned to JKA)
- Shin Naomitsu, 7th dan (former JKA member, not JKA instructor graduate)
- Tamang Pemba, 8th dan (former JKA instructor) NSKF Chief Instructor
- Tanaka Chougo, 7th dan (former JKA member, not JKA instructor graduate)
- Yahara Mikio, 8th dan (former JKA HQ instructor) KWF Chief Instructor
- Yamaguchi Toru, 8th dan (former JKA instructor)
- 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, 8th dan (former JKA instructor) Chief Instructor WSKF
- Katsumata (Suzuki) Yutaka, 7th dan (former JKA instructor)
- Kawazoe Masao, 8th dan (former JKA instructor) ITKF
- Shirai Hiroshi, 9th dan (former JKA instructor) WSKA
- Kyle Kamal Helou, 4th dan (JKS instructor) JKS
- Tatetsu Meicho, 7th dan (former JKA instructor)
- Asano Shiro, 9th dan (former JKA member, not JKA instructor graduate) SKIF
- Kato Sadashige, 9th dan (former JKA member, not JKA instructor graduate) Chief Instructor IJKA (not recognized or sanctioned by Asai IJKA)
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 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.[11][12][13]
See also
- Tokaido (company)
References
- ^ British Traditional Karate Association: Shotokai – The true heir of Funakoshi? (June 11, 2006). Retrieved on April 23, 2010.
- ^ a b c d Cook, Harry (2001). Shotokan Karate: A Precise History. England: Cook.
- ^ a b JKA Early Years - JKA site (retrieved January 5, 2008)
- ^ Evans, Jon. The Battle for Olympic Karate Recognition Black Belt, Feb 1988 (retrieved January 10, 2008)
- ^ Noble, Graham. Master Funakoshi's Karate Dragon Times (retrieved on January 8th, 2008).
- ^ Hironishi, Genshin. The Darkest Moments of Karate-do Karate-do Shotokai Encyclopedia (retrieved January 10, 2008)
- ^ Nakayama, Masatoshi (1997). Dynamic Karate. Japan: Kodansha International.
- ^ Nakayama, Masatoshi (1997). Best Karate Vol 1 to Vol 11. Japan: Kodansha International.
- ^ 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 978-4770027559.
- ^ JKA - Overcoming Challenges (1990-1999) (retrieved January 5, 2008)
- ^ Discussion on JKA instructor's course graduates I Forum Karate Underground(retrieved January 6, 2008)
- ^ Discussion on JKA instructor's course graduates II Forum Karate Underground (retrieved February 1, 2008)
- ^ Discussion on JKA instructor's course graduates Forum Karateca.net (retrieved January 6, 2008, in Portuguese)
External links
WKF 183 Affiliated Countries Countries, teams, association and federation actively joining WKF World Championships.European Karate Federation (EKF) 
Asian Karatedo Federation (AKF) African Karate Federation (UFAK) Panamerican Karate Federation (PKF) Oceanian Karate Federation (OKF) Categories:- Organizations established in 1949
- 1949 establishments in Japan
- Sports governing bodies in Japan
- Karate organizations
- Sport in Japan
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