Masanao Takazawa

Masanao Takazawa is the founder of Kei Shin Kan karate and follows the teachings of his teacher, Kanken Toyama. Toyama was one of the great Okinawa karate masters who founded the Zen Nihon Renmei Karate-Do (All Japan Karate-Do Federation).Fact|date=July 2008

"The founders of Budokan studied a number of Martial Arts including Chinese Kung-fu, Taekwondo, and several styles of Karate-do including Shito-ryu, Shotokan and Keishinkan. Keishinkan is a minor style of the Shuri-Te strain and is not widely known even in its country of birth. It comes from the line of Toyama.

Early life

Takazawa's father began his son's martial arts training from a young age. When Takazawa was seventeen, his father took him for training with Kanken Toyama. Like Toyama, Takazawa was a science teacher in Tokyo and later attended Boston University to study medicine. Takazawa now practices acupuncture and physiotherapy in Okaya-city.Fact|date=July 2008

The Creation of Kei Shin Kan Karate

In 1955, Toyama tested and ranked Takazawa to Hachidan (8th dan) and gave Takazawa one of the two dojos he had in Tokyo. He instructed Takazawa to name the dojo KEI SHIN KAN (respectful & humble, heart & soul/spirit, place of training). Takazawa was part of the "inner circle" of select people that Master Toyama accepted for personal training. Another of that group was Eizo Onishi (Koei-Kan). Master Takazawa was privileged to assist Toyama in the development of his katas: Jyuroku, Jyuhachi, and Nanajushi.

Masanao Takazawa resides in Okaya-city, Nagano Prefecture, Japan and is still actively teaching karate.

References