Takemasa Okuyama (born 1944)
/ref>Kathryn Laidlaw, Okuyama in: Martial Arts Features and Profiles Magazine vol. 3 issue 6 (September 1998), p 22 is the head of the International Karate Association of

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

and has the

title A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify their generation, official position, military rank, professional or academic qualification, or nobility. In some languages, titles may be ins ...

of Kancho. Born in Hachijōjima, Japan, Okuyama began to train in Japan at the age of 7. In line with the family tradition, he practised

sumo is a form of competitive full-contact wrestling where a ''rikishi'' (wrestler) attempts to force his opponent out of a circular ring (''dohyō'') or into touching the ground with any body part other than the soles of his feet (usually by th ...

and

judo is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, combat sport, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyc ...

. At the age of 13 he started to learn karate from Kinjo from

Okinawa most commonly refers to: * Okinawa Prefecture, Japan's southernmost prefecture * Okinawa Island, the largest island of Okinawa Prefecture * Okinawa Islands, an island group including Okinawa itself * Okinawa (city), the second largest city in th ...

. In 1960, he started to study at the

Takushoku University Takushoku University (拓殖大学; ''Takushoku Daigaku'', abbreviated as 拓大 ''Takudai'') is a private university in Tokyo, Japan. It was founded in 1900 by Prince (title for a Duke at that time) Taro Katsura (1848–1913).political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

and

foreign trade International trade is the exchange of Capital (economics), capital, goods, and Service (economics), services across international borders or territories because there is a need or want of goods or services. (See: World economy.) In most countr ...

, regularly training karate masters such as Tabata, Hamanaka, Ozawa and Katsunori Tsuyama. In 1966, he arrived in the US to continue his studies and trained for three years under the instruction of

Takayuki Kubota , also known as Tak Kubota, was a Japanese and American karateka, known for founding the Gosoku-ryu style of karate. He held the title of ''sōke'' (Grandmaster (martial arts), grandmaster) for his development of the Gosoku-ryū, and was the fou ...

.Kathryn Laidlaw, The Diamond Career of Soke Kubota in: Martial Arts Features and Profiles Magazine vol. 3 issue 6 (September 1998), p 23 In 1970, he moved to Canada,The Canadian Kubota Cup Championships in: Secrets of the Masters Nov. 1992 where he is influential person in the

Gosoku-ryu is a style of karate which was founded by Takayuki Kubota. Gosoku stands for ''hard and fast'', which suggests a combination of techniques both from the fast and dynamic Shōtōkan style as well as from the strength-focused Gōjū-ryū style. ...

and

Shotokan karate is a style of karate, developed from various martial arts by Gichin Funakoshi (1868–1957) and his son Gigo (Yoshitaka) Funakoshi (1906–1945). Gichin Funakoshi was born in Okinawa and is widely credited with popularizing "karate do" thr ...

environment. In the same year he placed third in kumite at 5th Annual All-Stars Tournament.Black Belt Oct 1970, page 60
/ref> He established IKA Canada Kubota Cup in 1971 In 1992,

awarded him with the Kancho title and 8

dan Dan or DAN may refer to: People * Dan (name), including a list of people with the name ** Dan (king), several kings of Denmark * Dan people, an ethnic group located in West Africa ** Dan language, a Mande language spoken primarily in Côte d'Ivo ...

degree in karate. In 1997, he published a book called ''Ultimate Karate'' () which demonstrates karate techniques for the serious student, showing intricate applications of stances and hand techniques beyond the Heian katas and Tekki Shodan. Okuyama received the Key to the City of Cali, Colombia from Mayor Ricardo Cobo, and special awards from the City of Be'er Sheva, Israel from Mayor Kakuv for peace work between Israel and Palestine.Okuyama bio
/ref> Okuyama has also trained law enforcement personnel around the world including: Colombian Military & Special Forces Police, Canadian Military Police, Moscow Police, Israeli Military, Ecuador Police.Okuyama's website
/ref> Apart from his karate activity, Okuyama is president of Hachi-O-Zan Ltd. and an artist who occupies himself with traditional painting and playing the Japanese flute.

References

Canadian male karateka Canadian sportspeople of Japanese descent Japanese male karateka People from the Izu Islands Japanese emigrants to Canada Living people 1944 births 20th-century Canadian sportsmen 20th-century Japanese sportsmen {{Canada-sport-bio-stub