|
Henry Plée
Henry Plée (also named H.D. Plée, Henri Plée, Henry D. Plée, or Henry-Désiré Plée, 24 May 1923; Arras, Nord-Pas-de-Calais–19 August 2014; Paris) was a French martial artist who is considered as the 'father of European and French karate'. He was one of the rare 10th dan karate masters living outside Japan, and one of the few Westerners who held this rank. At the time of his death, Plée was also the oldest and highest karate ranking Westerner alive, with more than 60 years of fighting arts, including 50 in martial arts. He was a pioneer in introducing karate to France and Europe, and has taught most of today's highest ranking karate masters in Europe. Background Henry Plée was born in Arras, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France on 24 May 1923. His studies were interrupted by World War II in 1940. An only son, Henry Plée started his sports career with gymnastics, weight lifting, French savate, English Boxing, Greco-Roman wrestling, Ju Jutsu, and fencing with his father Alcide ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, fourth-most populous city in the European Union and the List of cities proper by population density, 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2022. Since the 17th century, Paris has been one of the world's major centres of finance, diplomacy, commerce, culture, Fashion capital, fashion, and gastronomy. Because of its leading role in the French art, arts and Science and technology in France, sciences and its early adoption of extensive street lighting, Paris became known as the City of Light in the 19th century. The City of Paris is the centre of the Île-de-France region, or Paris Region, with an official estimated population of 12,271,794 inhabitants in January 2023, or ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dominique Valera
Dominique Valera (born ) is a French kickboxer and karateka, based in Lyon. He has a 10th Dan black belt in karate and is the winner of multiple European Karate Championships. Since retiring from competitive karate Dominique Valera has starred in French movies such as ''Let Sleeping Cops Lie''. Karate From a family of Spanish immigrants, Dominique Valera began karate shotokan in 1960, after six years of judo. He is a team world champion and has never become individual world champion following a disqualification due to a disagreement with a referee1 at the 1975 World Karate Championships in Long Beach, California. The matter then flows far more ink than blood, and the champion suffers immediate consequences. He is excluded from the French federation held by Mr. Delcourt and can not reinstate him until much later when his friend Francis Didier will be the president by integrating karate contact as new section. Five years earlier, he won one of the first two individual bronze me ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Western World
The Western world, also known as the West, primarily refers to various nations and state (polity), states in Western Europe, Northern America, and Australasia; with some debate as to whether those in Eastern Europe and Latin America also constitute the West. The Western world likewise is called the Occident () in contrast to the Eastern world known as the Orient (). Definitions of the "Western world" vary according to context and perspectives; the West is an evolving concept made up of cultural, political, and economic synergy among diverse groups of people, and not a rigid region with fixed borders and members. Some historians contend that a linear development of the West can be traced from Greco-Roman world, Ancient Greece and Rome, while others argue that such a projection constructs a false genealogy. A geographical concept of the West started to take shape in the 4th century CE when Constantine the Great, Constantine, the first Christian Roman emperor, divided the Roman Em ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea in the south. The Japanese archipelago consists of four major islands—Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu—and List of islands of Japan, thousands of smaller islands, covering . Japan has a population of over 123 million as of 2025, making it the List of countries and dependencies by population, eleventh-most populous country. The capital of Japan and List of cities in Japan, its largest city is Tokyo; the Greater Tokyo Area is the List of largest cities, largest metropolitan area in the world, with more than 37 million inhabitants as of 2024. Japan is divided into 47 Prefectures of Japan, administrative prefectures and List of regions of Japan, eight traditional regions. About three-quarters of Geography of Japan, the countr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Karate
(; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ), also , is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tī'' in Okinawan) under the influence of Chinese martial arts. While modern karate is primarily a striking art that uses punches and kicks, traditional karate training also employs Throw (grappling), throwing and joint locking techniques. A karate practitioner is called a . Beginning in the 1300s, early Chinese martial arts, Chinese martial artists brought their techniques to Okinawa. Despite the Ryukyu Kingdom being turned into a puppet state by Japanese samurai in 1609, after the Invasion of Ryukyu, its cultural ties to China remained strong. Since Ryukyuans were banned from carrying swords under samurai rule, groups of young aristocrats created unarmed combat methods as a form of resistance, combining Chinese and local styles of martial arts. Training emph ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Martial Arts
Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; and the preservation of a nation's intangible cultural heritage. The concept of martial arts was originally associated with East Asian tradition, but subsequently the term has been applied to practices that originated outside that region. Etymology "Martial arts" is a direct English translation of the Sino-Japanese word (, ). Literally, it refers to "武 martial" and "芸 arts". The term ''martial arts'' was popularized by mainstream popular culture during the 1960s to 1970s, notably by Hong Kong action cinema, Hong Kong martial arts films (most famously those of Bruce Lee) during the so-called "chopsocky" wave of the early 1970s. According to John Clements, the term '':wikt:martial art, martial arts'' itself is derived from an older ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nord-Pas-de-Calais
Nord-Pas-de-Calais (; ; West Flemish: ''Nôord-Nauw van Kales'') was a former regions of France, administrative region of France. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new Regions of France, region Hauts-de-France. It consisted of the departments of France, departments of Nord (French department), Nord and Pas-de-Calais. Nord-Pas-de-Calais bordered the English Channel (west), the North Sea (northwest), Belgium (north and east), and Picardy (south). Until the 17th century, the history of the North was largely shared with the history of Belgium (the Celtic Belgae, Belgians during Antiquity were a multitude of Celts, Celtic peoples from the north of Gallia Belgica, Gaul), that of a land that "for almost a thousand years served as a battlefield for all of Europe." The majority of the region was once part of the historical Southern Netherlands, but gradually became part of France between 1477 and 1678, particularly during the reign of King Louis XIV. The historical Province ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ordre National Du Mérite
The (; ) is a French order of merit with membership awarded by the President of the French Republic, founded on 3 December 1963 by President Charles de Gaulle. The reason for the order's establishment was twofold: to replace the large number of ministerial orders previously awarded by the ministries; and to create an award that can be awarded at a lower level than the Legion of Honour, which is generally reserved for French citizens. It comprises about 185,000 members; 306,000 members have been admitted or promoted in 50 years. History The comprises about 185,000 members; 306,000 members have been admitted or promoted in 50 years. Half of its recipients are required to be women. Defunct ministerial orders The replaced the following ministerial and colonial orders: Colonial orders * (Order of the Star of Anjouan, 1874) * (Order of Nishan-e-Anuar or Order of Light, 1887) * (Order of the Black Star, 1889) Special ministerial orders of merit * (Order of Societal Me ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vernon Bell
Vernon Cecil Frederick Bell (10 October 1922 – 27 February 2004) is often credited as "the father of British karate." Bell was taught karate by Henry Plée Henry Plée (also named H.D. Plée, Henri Plée, Henry D. Plée, or Henry-Désiré Plée, 24 May 1923; Arras, Nord-Pas-de-Calais–19 August 2014; Paris) was a French martial artist who is considered as the 'father of European and French karate'. ... and brought karate to Great Britain. References 1922 births 2004 deaths People from Ilford Sportspeople from the London Borough of Redbridge English male judoka English jujutsuka English male karateka 20th-century English sportsmen {{UK-karate-bio-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jacques Delcourt
Jacques Delcourt (August 21, 1928 – November 11, 2011) was a prominent Sports administrator who was instrumental in creating the European Karate Union which later became the European Karate Federation and this in turn inspired the creation of the World Union of Karate Organisations that became the World Karate Federation. He was highly decorated by the French Government, including the award of Officer of the Legion of Honour. Biography Jacques Delcourt joined the French resistance The French Resistance ( ) was a collection of groups that fought the German military administration in occupied France during World War II, Nazi occupation and the Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy#France, collaborationist Vic ... at the age of fifteen and became a member of the Civil and Military Organization. A year later, when he was sixteen, he was wounded in combat and assigned to the 110th Regiment infanterie. Jacques Delcourt was appointed head of the French Ka ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Francis Didier
Francis Didier (born 2 December 1949) is a French karateka, currently 7th dan. He was the European champion in kumite individual men's open at the European Karate Championships The European Karate Championships are organised by the European Karate Federation each year. History Events from 1966 to 1996 were organized by the European Karate Union. In 1961, Jacques Delcourt was appointed President of French Karate, which ... in 1973. Since 2001, he has been the president of the French Karate Federation, having been re-elected successively in 2005, 2009, 2013 and 2016. References 1949 births Living people French male karateka Sportspeople from Épinal French sports executives and administrators 21st-century French sportsmen 20th-century French sportsmen {{France-karate-bio-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
