master
Master, master's or masters may refer to:
Ranks or titles
In education:
*Master (college), head of a college
*Master's degree, a postgraduate or sometimes undergraduate degree in the specified discipline
*Schoolmaster or master, presiding office ...
of
Shotokan
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" thro ...
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) un ...
of the
Japan Karate Association
The 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 oldest global Shotokan karate organizations in the world.
Origins
Gichin Funakoshi played ...
(JKA), founder and Chief Instructor of the International Japan Martial Arts Karate Asai-ryu (IJKA), and founder of the Japan Karate Shoto Federation (JKS; formerly known as the Japan Karate Shoto-Renmei).The Shotokan Way: Tetsuhiko Asai profile (''c.'' 2007). Retrieved on March 27, 2010. (2010). Retrieved on March 27, 2010.
Early life
Asai was born on June 7, 1935, in
Ehime Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Ehime Prefecture has a population of 1,334,841 and a geographic area of 5,676 km2 (2,191 sq mi). Ehime Prefecture borders Kagawa Prefecture to the northeast, Toku ...
(on the island of
Shikoku
is the smallest of the List of islands of Japan#Main islands, four main islands of Japan. It is long and between at its widest. It has a population of 3.8 million, the least populated of Japan's four main islands. It is south of Honshu ...
), Japan.Bertel, A. (2009) Tetsuhiko Asai Shihan Memorial Report (August 16, 2009). Retrieved on March 27, 2010. He was the eldest of seven children. (''c.'' 2005). Retrieved on March 28, 2010. As a boy, he trained in
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 ...
. In addition, his father (a policeman) taught him
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 ...
,
kendo
is a modern Japanese martial art, descended from kenjutsu (one of the old Japanese martial arts, swordsmanship), that uses bamboo swords ( shinai) as well as protective armor ( bōgu). It began as samurai warriors' customary swordsmanship ex ...
, and sojutsu.International Japan Karate Asai-ryu (Americas): Biography of Master Asai (2010). Retrieved on March 27, 2010. When he was 12 years old, he witnessed a fight between a
boxer Boxer most commonly refers to:
*Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing
* Boxer (dog), a breed of dog
Boxer or boxers may also refer to:
Animal kingdom
* Boxer crab
* Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans
* Boxer snipe ee ...
and a ''
karateka
(; ; Okinawan pronunciation: ), also , is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tī'' in Okinawan) under the influence of Chinese martial arts. While moder ...
'' (practitioner of karate); the karate combatant was able to disable his opponent with a kick, and Asai was impressed.
Karate career
In 1958, Asai graduated from
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). where he had trained in karate under
Gichin Funakoshi
was the founder of Shotokan karate. He is known as a "father of modern karate". Following the teachings of Anko Itosu and Anko Asato,Funakoshi, Gichin (1981). ''Karate-Do: My Way of Life'', Kodansha International Ltd. . he was one of the Okin ...
, and
Masatoshi Nakayama
was an internationally famous
Japanese master of Shotokan karate.
. He trained hard and was allowed to sleep in the karate dormitory. At Nakayama's recommendation, he entered the JKA instructor training program and graduated from the course three years later. Asai won the JKA championship in ''
kumite
Kumite (, literally "grappling hands") is one of the three main sections of karate training, along with kata and kihon. Kumite is the part of karate in which a person trains against an adversary.
Kumite can be used to develop a particular tec ...
'' (sparring) in 1961, and in ''
kata
''Kata'' is a Japanese word ( 型 or 形) meaning "form". It refers to a detailed choreographed pattern of martial arts movements. It can also be reviewed within groups and in unison when training. It is practiced in Japanese martial arts ...
'' (patterns) in 1963.International Japan Karate Association Ireland: IJKA Ireland mourns the sad loss of Tetsuhiko Asai Shihan (9th Dan) (2007). Retrieved on March 28, 2010.Japan Karate Association (''c.'' 2005) Past JKA All Japan Karate Championship Tournaments Retrieved on March 28, 2010. He was overall JKA champion in 1961, having come first in ''kumite'' and second in ''kata'' that year. Asai became the first instructor to introduce karate to Taiwan. Through the second half of the 1960s, he taught karate in Hawaii for five years, with his students including Kenneth Funakoshi (a fourth cousin to Gichin Funakoshi).Funakoshi, K. (2010) About FSKA Retrieved on March 28, 2010.
Over the years, Asai advanced within the JKA, and was appointed as Technical Director. Following Nakayama's death, the JKA experienced political troubles and divided; Asai and colleagues (including
Keigo Abe
Keigo Abe (October 28 1938 – December 21 2019) was a Japanese master (martial arts), master of Shotokan karate who founded the Japan Shotokan Karate Association in 1999 and is its Chief Instructor.
and
Mikio Yahara
Mikio Yahara (; born April 4, 1947, in Ehime Prefecture) is a Japanese karate expert of the Shotokan style. He holds the rank of 10th dan.
Biography
Mikio Yahara was born in Ehime Prefecture in 1947 and has deep samurai roots. He started his ma ...
) formed one group, while Nakahara Nobuyuki and colleagues formed another group—which in 1999 was officially recognized as the JKA.Smith, J. G. (''c.'' 2004) Karatenomichi World Federation Retrieved on March 28, 2010. In 2000, he founded the International Japan Martial Arts Karate Asai-ryu and the Japan Karate Shoto-Renmei. Apart from the ranking of 9th ''dan'' in Shotokan karate, he also held the ranks of 3rd ''dan'' in jodo, 2nd ''dan'' in judo, 2nd ''dan'' in jukendo, and 2nd ''dan'' in kendo.
Later life
Reflecting on relations between JKA instructors who had graduated from Takushoku University, Asai said, "we all pretty much get on nowadays, contrary to our official stances and federations. In saying that, some of us don't, but isn't that life? ... I am happy to say that most of the deep rooted rivalry has gone amongst my peers. I think that the passing of Mr. Enoeda, Mr. Kase, Mr. Tabata and Mr. Shoji and so forth has brought many of us back to reality. Obviously this is not limited to Takushoku University, it is all about us international karate pioneers getting very old."Bertel, A. (2006) Master Tetsuhiko Asai: "Bujutsu Karate is my life" – Tetsuhiko Asai Sensei's final interview Retrieved on March 27, 2010.
Asai's health deteriorated with age, and he underwent liver surgery on February 10, 2006.Asai, K. (2006) (September 1, 2006). Retrieved on March 27, 2010. He died at 2:50 PM on August 15, 2006, leaving behind his wife, Keiko Asai, and their daughter, Hoshimi Asai.Cheetham, J. (2007) Editorial ''Shotokan Karate Magazine'', Issue 90 (January 2007). Retrieved on March 28, 2010.Karate Shoto League: Gifu District newsletter – Mr. Tetsuhiko Asai, Chief Instructor, succumbs to illness (October 2006). Retrieved on March 28, 2010. More than 2,000 people attended his funeral, which was held on September 1, 2006, at Gokokuji Temple in Tokyo. Asai received the rank of 10th ''dan'' posthumously from the JKS, and was eventually succeeded as President of the IJKA by his widow (despite her not being a karate practitioner) Asai, K. (2009) Letter to friends of Shihan Asai Retrieved on March 28, 2010.
See also
*
List of Shotokan organizations
This is a list of some of the large Shotokan karate organizations and associations in order by year of establishment. Shotokan Karate is one of the most widely practiced martial arts in the world. Several major organizations of Shotokan Karate ha ...