Seigo Tada (多田正剛, Kyoto, Japan, 1922–1997) (8th Dan) was the founder of Goju-Ryu

Seigokan Seigokan (正剛館) is the Goju-Ryu Karate-do organization founded in 1945 by Seigo Tada (1922-1997) Hanshi (8th Dan). With its Hombu Dojo (headquarters) in Himeji, Japan, the ''Seigokan All Japan Karate-do Association'' (SAJKA) — its offic ...

Karatedo.

Biography

Tada was born on February 18, 1922, in Kyoto, Japan. In 1937 he learned the internal

Chinese martial arts Chinese martial arts, often called by the umbrella terms kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (), are multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater China. These fighting styles are often classified according to common ...

(Chinese Kempo) with Ching Lou in Shanghai. He joined the Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto and its same

Karate (; ; Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the influence of Chinese martial arts, particularly Fuj ...

Club. There, he studied the essence of Goju-ryu Karate-Do with Chojun Miyagi. In 1943 he was appointed Coach of the Karate Club of the University. After graduation, he established the Nihon Karate-Do Seigokan Doshikai (SAJKA), the Nihon Karate-Do Goju-Ryu and Doshikai Nihon Seigokai in Kyoto. He led about 120 Seigokan Dojos, Associations and Karate-Do Clubs and Karate-Do University's Dojos and beyond, as Chief Instructor and President. During the war, he was a member of the "Tokotai" Battalion with suicide identical missions to the "

Kamikaze , officially , were a part of the Japanese Special Attack Units of military aviators who flew suicide attacks for the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, intending to ...

" (Divine Wind). After the Second World War (1939–1945), he made testing for movie actor, together with

Toshirō Mifune was a Japanese actor who appeared in over 150 feature films. He is best known for his 16-film collaboration (1948–1965) with Akira Kurosawa in such works as '' Rashomon'', '' Seven Samurai'', '' The Hidden Fortress'', '' Throne of Blood'', a ...

, but soon abandoned this career. In 1952 he established the rules of competition and developed the original protector for the head, with the aim of modernizing the Karate-Do as a sport and in particular, as a future Olympic Sport. In 1964, Seigo Tada was one of the promoters and executives of the All Japan Karate-Do Federation (JKF) in the district of Kansai, as in the Kinki District and held the lead and union of the Federations of such districts. In order to expand Goju-Ryu Seigokan and to transform Karate as an Olympic Sport, he traveled abroad and sent instructors, creating Associations (Branches) of

in Hong Kong, Macau, Brazil, Portugal, United States, Canada, Australia, Italy, Philippines, Singapore, India and Sri Lanka. At that time,

was the largest Association (Kai-Ha) of Goju-Ryu in Japan, with more than 200,000 members. In 1981 he won the Medal of Athletic Merit of Hyogo Prefecture. After his sudden death by

myocardial infarction A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ...

in 1997, his wife Michiko Okamoto, succeeded him as President of Seigokan All Japan Karate-Do Association (SAJKA).

Charges

*Founder, Chairman and Chief Instructor of Seigokan All Japan Karate-Do Association (SAJKA). *Member of the Executive Members Board and Instructor at Japan Karate Federation (JKF). *Director of the Japan Karate-Do Federation (JKF). *Head-Director of the Karate Federation of Kansai District. *Head-Director of the Karate Federation of Kinki District. *Head-Director, VP and Executive Chairman of the Karate Federation of Hyogo Prefecture.Seigo Tada's personal history
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References

Bibliography

*"Sagi Ashi Dachi kamae eien nale - Seigokan Golden Book" - ''Limited Edition by JKS'' (Out of Print). *"Yoki´s Karate Errantry in America" by Yukiaki Yoki (2001); ''Betty D.Greenberg Edition''. 104 pages.

*"História da Seigokan em Portugal" by Eduardo Cunha Lopes (2015); ''Bubok Edition''. 340 pages.

*"Karaté-Do Seigokan em Macau - Uma Longa História de Sucessos" - ''Edition by Regional Government of Macao (1991)'' (Reprint in Press).

External links

Japan Seigokan Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tada, Seigo Japanese male karateka Karate coaches 1997 deaths 1922 births Gōjū-ryū practitioners