Japan Karate Association

Japan Karate Association

Abbreviation	JKA
Formation	May 27, 1949
Type	Sports federation
Headquarters	2-23-15 Koraku, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo JAPAN 112-0004
Membership	Japan Karate Federation, World Karate Federation[1]
Official language	Japanese, English
Shuseki Shihan (Chief Instructor)	Masaaki Ueki, 10th Dan (Deceased July 14 2024)
Website	www.jka.or.jp

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.^[2]

Gichin Funakoshi played a major role in introducing karate from Okinawa to Japan, adjusted to reduce injury and merged with approaches for athletic training. On May 27, 1949, some of his senior students including Isao Obata, Masatoshi Nakayama, and Hidetaka Nishiyama, formed a karate organization dedicated to research, promotion, events management, and education: the Japan Karate Association.^[3] Funakoshi, then around 80 years old, held a position equivalent to chief instructor emeritus, with Nakayama as the chief instructor.

The JKA emerged from karate clubs at Japanese universities located in the Tokyo region. Most of these universities, however, distanced themselves from the JKA during the 1950s. Takushoku University always kept strong ties with the JKA, being the alma mater of many of the senior JKA instructors, such as Nakayama, Nishiyama, Okazaki, Asai, Kanazawa, and Enoeda, who were responsible for the JKA's consolidation during the 1960s and 1970s.^[3][4]

General uneasiness on how karate was taught by the JKA instructors and disagreements on Funakoshi's funeral arrangements in 1957 motivated some of the senior karateka connected with Funakoshi, but not associated with the JKA, such as Shigeru Egami, Genshin Hironishi, and Tsutomu Ohshima, to form their own organizations, such as Shotokai and Shotokan Karate of America).^[5] They claimed to practice a version of Shotokan karate closer to what Funakoshi taught, as compared to the JKA style. The JKA Shotokan approach is also based on Funakoshi's karate, but with significant adaptations introduced mostly by Nakayama, who was JKA chief instructor until his death in 1987.^[3][6][7] Under Nakayama's leadership, a generation of respected instructors spread karate worldwide, guided from the JKA headquarters in Tokyo.^[3]

Nakayama's books, which include Dynamic Karate and the Best Karate series,^[8][9] are fundamental reference materials on Shotokan karate as practiced under the JKA. Clive Nicol, in his classic book Moving Zen, describes the karate practice at the JKA's honbu dojo (headquarters training hall) in Tokyo during the early 1960s, from his unique perspective as a western karate student going from white to black belt in a few years.^[10]

The JKA experienced several divisions from the 1970s onwards. Notable splinter groups formed as follows:

• In 1974, one of the founders of JKA, Hidetaka Nishiyama, broke away from JKA and created the International Traditional Karate Federation (国際伝統空手連盟, Kokusai Dentō Karate Renmei) or ITKF.
• In 1977, JKA instructor Shiro Asano formed his own organization, and invited master Hirokazu Kanazawa to take his place as chief instructor. The group is now known as Shotokan Karate-Do International Federation (SKIF).
• Following Nakayama's death in 1987, the JKA experienced a turbulent period, both at the Tokyo headquarters and worldwide. Taiji Kase and Hiroshi Shirai (notable student of Hidetaka Nishiyama), both senior JKA instructors in Europe quit to form the World Union of Karate-Do Organizations. Taketo Okuda, JKA chief instructor in Brazil, quit to focus on his own organization, Butoku-kan.
• In 1990, a legal dispute started between two groups about the control of JKA. One group was led by Tetsuhiko Asai, the other by Nobuyuki Nakahara. After several court rulings, the issue was ultimately settled by the Japanese Supreme Court on June 10, 1999, in favor of Nakahara's group, which included Masaaki Ueki and Masahiko Tanaka.^[11] The other group, led by Tetsuhiko Asai, JKA chief instructor after Nakayama, and including Keigo Abe and Mikio Yahara, left JKA to form other organizations: Japan Karate Shotorenmei,^[12] Japan Shotokan Karate Association,^[13] and Karatenomichi World Federation,^[14] respectively.
• In 2003, a disagreement regarding the successor to Keinosuke Enoeda Sensei resulted in the Karate Union of Great Britain (KUGB) withdrawing from the JKA. The KUGB operated as the British arm of the Japan Karate Association (JKA) until the death of chief instructor Keinosuke Enoeda Sensei in 2003.^[15]
• In 2007, the International Shotokan Karate Federation (ISKF), with headquarters in the US, led by Teruyuki Okazaki, 10th dan and one of the most senior JKA instructors, became independent. However, by 2010 at least two senior Instructors returned to the JKA.
• In 2009, Takahashi Shunsuke broke away from JKA Australia to form the TSKF Australia (Traditional Shotokan Karate-Do Federation). TSKF joined Teruyuki Okazaki's ISKF in 2011.
• By 2011, it was acknowledged that Masao Kawasoe, 7th Dan JKA, had returned to the JKA.

Due to these divisions, there is today the notion of a separate JKA karate style—that is, Shotokan karate that follows the JKA tradition to a large extent, but is taught by instructors who are not officially affiliated with JKA (though most of them are former JKA instructors and graduates).

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In 1956, the JKA started its kenshusei instructor intern training program at the JKA honbu dojo, in Yotsuya, Tokyo, which had been built in 1955. This program was instituted by Nakayama Masatoshi. The training program has promoted the consistency and quality control of JKA training practices over the years, graduating some of the world's most well known karateka (practitioners of karate), as listed below.^[16]

The following table lists JKA kenshusei training program graduates in order of year of graduation. The reported rank of graduates no longer with the JKA is that from their current organization. Such rank is not necessarily recognized by the JKA.

This list is incomplete. For instance, it does not include some members who were expelled or resigned from the JKA see below:

• Kisaka Katsuharu (Katsuya) 8th dan JKA Instructor JKA of New Jersey, US (current)
• Abe Keigo, 9th dan (former JKA HQ instructor) JSKA Chief Instructor
• Aramoto Nobuyuki, 8th dan (former JKA instructor)
• Asai Tetsuhiko, 10th dan (former HQ JKA instructor) JKS/IJKA Chief instructor (passed)
• Inaba Tsuneyuki, 7th dan (former JKA instructor)
• Isaka Akito, 7th dan (former JKA instructor) KWF
• Ishimine Minoru, 7th dan (former JKA instructor)
• Kagawa Masao, 9th dan (former JKA instructor) JKS Chief Instructor)
• Kanayama Kosho, 7th dan (former JKA instructor) (Chief of Domestic Department JKS)
• Mizuno Yoshihisa, 8th dan (former JKA instructor)
• Naito Takashi, 7th dan (Has left E.T.K.F & returned to JKA)
• Tamang Pemba, 8th dan (former JKA HQ instructor) NSKF Chief Instructor
• Yahara Mikio, 10th dan (former JKA HQ instructor) KWF Chief Instructor
• Yamaguchi Takashi, 8th dan (former JKA instructor) (Chief of International Department JKS)
• Kanazawa Hirokazu, 10th dan (former JKA HQ instructor) Chief instructor SKIF
• Kase Yasuharu, 10th dan (former JKA HQ instructor) Chief Instructor SRKH (passed)
• Kasuya Hitoshi, 9th dan (former JKA instructor) Chief Instructor WSKF
• Kato Sadashige, 9th ‘’Dan’’ (former JKA instructor) (passed)
• Katsumata (Suzuki) Yutaka, 7th dan (former JKA instructor)
• Shirai Hiroshi, 10th dan (former JKA instructor) WSKA
• Tatetsu Meicho, 7th dan (former JKA instructor)
• Amos Richard, 8th dan (former JKA HQ instructor) Chief Instructor WTKO)
• Maeda Eiji, 6th dan (former JKA HQ instructor)
• Kawasaki Norio 6th dan (former JKA HQ instructor)
• Koike Yutaka 6th dan (former JKA HQ instructor)
• Fischer Malcolm 6th dan (former JKA HQ instructor)
• Montoya Leon 5th dan (former JKA HQ instructor)

The list at the JKA's website, which includes most members who left or were expelled, may also be incomplete. The JKA has not included some former members who have completed the course and are not currently affiliated with JKA. In addition, during the troubled period between 1990 and 1999 each JKA faction held its own instructors' course. Currently, the JKA does not recognize graduates from the instructors' courses led by the JKS (Japan Karate Shoto Federation, which also held the name JKA between 1990 and 1999).

Karateka such as Dave Hazard (UK),^[17] Ennio Vezzuli (Brazil), Nigel Jackson (South Africa), Peté Pacheco (Portugal), Malcolm Fisher (Canada), Leon Montoya (Colombia), Richard Amos (UK, US), Pascal Lesage (France) and others, are mentioned in karate forums as having completed the JKA instructors' course (or having had substantial participation in it) but do not appear on the list of graduates as published in 2008 on the JKA's website.^[18]

In addition, the list does not include graduate instructors from the instructor programmes of splinter groups such as JKS and KWF, examples being Otsuka Masamichi (KWF - Japan), Langley Scott (JKS, now HDKI Ireland), Koike Yutaka (JKS - Japan), Inada Yasuhisa (JKS - Japan), Kyle Kamal Helou (JKS - Lebanon), Matsue Takeo (JKS- Japan), Makita Takuya (JKS - Japan), Nagaki Shinji (JKS - Japan).

Although Gichin Funakoshi wrote that there are no contests in Karate, Nakayama Masatoshi's teachings led to a more competitive approach to the training and in 1957 the first All Japan Karate Championship was held, and has been held annually since.

In addition, the JKA has organised a number of international tournaments amongst which the following have been considered to be the JKA's World Championships:

Year	Tournament name	Location
1975	1st IAKF World Championships	Los Angeles, USA
1977	2nd IAKF World Championships	Tokyo, Japan
1980	3rd IAKF World Championships	Bremen, West Germany
1983	4th IAKF World Championships	Cairo, Egypt
1985	1st ShotoCup	Tokyo, Japan
1987	2nd ShotoCup	Brisbane, Australia
1990	3rd ShotoCup	Sunderland, England
1992	4th ShotoCup	Tokyo, Japan
1994	5th ShotoCup	Philadelphia, USA
1996	6th ShotoCup	Ohsaka, Japan
1998	7th ShotoCup	Paris, France
2000	8th ShotoCup	Tokyo, Japan
2004	9th ShotoCup	Tokyo, Japan
2006	10th Funakoshi Gichin Cup World Karate-do Championship	Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre, Sydney, Australia
2009	11th Funakoshi Gichin Cup World Karate-do Championship†	Nihon Budo-kan, Tokyo, Japan
2011	12th Funakoshi Gichin Cup World Karate-do Championship	Pattaya, Thailand
2014	13th Cup World Karate-do Championship	Nihon Budo-kan, Tokyo, Japan
2017	14th Funakoshi Gichin Cup Karate World Championship	Limerick, Ireland
2020	15th Funakoshi Gichin Cup Karate World Championship‡	Takasaki, Japan
2024	16th Funakoshi Gichin Cup Karate World Championship	Takasaki, Japan

†Cancelled due to financial crisis.^[19]

‡Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Year	Champion	Runner-Up	3rd Place
1975[20]	Masahiko Tanaka	Takashi Oishi	Billy Higgins
1977[20]	Masahiko Tanaka	De Michelis	Willrodt
1980[20]	Toshihiro Mori	Dusan Dacic	Hoffman
1983[20]	Hideo Yamamoto	Guazzaroni	Hosny Gabr
1985[20]	Minoru Kawawada	Masaaki Yokomichi	Takayuki Tsuchii/Masao Kagawa
1987[20]	Tomio Imamura	Frank Brennan	George Best/Marco Barone
1990[20]	Masao Kagawa	Ronnie Christopher	Fillipo Allata / Jensen
1992[20]	Tomio Imamura	Frank Brennan	Kunio Kobayashi / Tatsuya Naka
1994[20]	Pavlo Protopapa	Jeannot Mulolo	Colin Smith / Katsutoshi Shiina
1996[20]	Don Sharp	Toshihito Kokubun	Kunio Kobayashi / Takuya Taniyama
1998[20]	Toshihito Kokubun	Koji Ogata	Pierre Toudjip / Jeannot Mulolo
2000[20]	Toshihito Kokubun	Johan LaGrange	Takuya Taniyama / Koji Ogata
2004[21]	Koji Ogata	Miroslav Femic	Ohkuma Kouichiro / Johan LaGrange
2006[22]	Koji Ogata	Chinzo Machida	Nemoto Keisuke / Ohkuma Kouichiro
2011[23]	Rikiya Iimura	Koji Chubachi	Nemoto Keisuke / Andrey Mazurov
2014[24]	Koji Chubachi	Rikiya Iimura	Nemoto Keisuke / Supa Ngamphuengphit
2017[16]	Rodrigo Rojas	Okada Yasunori	Ueda Daisuke/ Yusuke Haga
2024[25]	Hikaru Hirose	Tatsuro Igarashi	Yuya Oosawa/ Yusuke Haga

Year	Champion	Runner-Up	3rd Place
1975[20]	Yoshiharu Osaka	Fugazza	Strauff
1977[20]	Yoshiharu Osaka	Mikio Yahara	Fugazza
1980[20]	Yoshiharu Osaka	Mikio Yahara	Karamitsos
1983[20]	Yoshiharu Osaka	Mikio Yahara	Saedd El Herem
1985[20]	Minoru Kawawada	Masao Kagawa	Akira Fukami
1987[20]	Takenori Imura	Masao Kagawa	Okazaki Hiroyoshi
1990[20]	Tomoyuki Aihara	Frank Brennan	Masao Kagawa
1992[20]	Tomoyuki Aihara	Imura Takenori	Yuji Hashiguchi
1994[20]	Imura Takenori	Okazaki Hiroyoshi	Tomoyuki Aihara
1996[20]	Imura Takenori	Yuji Hashiguchi	Tomoyuki Aihara
1998[20]	Yuji Hashiguchi	Seizo Izumiya	Takuya Taniyama
2000[20]	Takuya Taniyama	Seizo Izumiya	Katsutoshi Shiina
2004[21]	Katsutoshi Shiina	Takuya Taniyama	Kobayashi Kunio
2006[22]	Kurihara Kazuaki	Kobayashi Kunio	Saitoh Yuki
2011[23]	Kurihara Kazuaki	Naoto Maruoka	Hideki Hukuhara
2014[24]	Hidemoto Kurihara	Daisuke Ueda	Kurihara Kazuaki
2017[16]	Kurihara Kazuaki	Hidemoto Kurihara	Yushi Hakizume
2024[25]	Kaishi Hakizume	Hidemoto Kurihara	Yushi Hakizume

Year	Champion	Runner-Up	3rd Place
1975[20]	NA	NA	NA
1977[20]	NA	NA	NA
1980[20]	NA	NA	NA
1983[20]	NA	NA	NA
1985[20]	NA	NA	NA
1987[20]	NA	NA	NA
1990[20]	Yuko Hasama	L. Zelissen	Karen Findley / Keiko Kawano
1992[20]	Yukiko Yoneda	Yoshimi Naoko	Sakurako Sasaki / Keiko Kawano
1994[20]	Hiromi Hasama	Mayumi Baba	Kimiyo Nakamura / Daud Nilawati
1996[20]	Hiromi Hasama	Mayumi Baba	Shoko Sakuragi / Yuko Okuda
1998[20]	Mayumi Baba	Caroline Quansum	Colette Glynn / Hiromi Hasama
2000[20]	Hiromi Hasama	Yuko Okuda	Christy Cauvin / Mayumi Baba
2004[21]	Okuie Satomi	Takahashi Yuko	Tatjana Nikolic / Krisztina Zsigmond
2006[22]	Yuko Takahashi	Okuda Yuko	Tracy Pearce / Storm Wheatley
2011[23]	Asumi Isiduka	Glusa Akdag	Sergeeva Alla / Josmaira Quiroz
2014[24]	Taguchi Satoshitama	Mai Shiina	Yuki Ito / Cifkova Petra
2017[16]	Shiina Mai	Amano Minori	Castaneda Jeanette / Akiyama Kyoko
2024[25]	Hinako Kitagawa	Moe Yoshida	Kyoko Akiyama/ Alessandra Longo

Year	Champion	Runner-Up	3rd Place
1975[20]	NA	NA	NA
1977[20]	Hiromi Kawashima	Keiki Hayakawa	R Senior
1980[20]	Hiromi Kawashima	Hiroko Moriya	Schweiber
1983[20]	Hiroko Moriya	Yuko Sakada	Yoko Nakamura
1985[20]	Yoko Nakamura	Kikue Yamamoto	Yurika Yoshida
1987[20]	Yuki Mimura	Yoko Nakamura	Hiroe Sekimori
1990[20]	Yuki Mimura	Lena Svensson-Pyrée	Maiko Asano
1992[20]	Yoko Nakamura	Miyo Gunji	Miwa Akiyama
1994[20]	Yoko Nakamura	Ompi Omita	Haruna Ikutake
1996[20]	Yoko Nakamura	Miyo Gunji	Nakata Terumi
1998[20]	Miyoko Fujiwara	Miyo Gunji	Karin Prinsloo
2000[20]	Nakata Terumi	Miyo Gunji	Chiharu Azuma
2004[21]	Nakata Terumi	Misako Aragaki	Oshima Nozomi
2006[22]	Misako Aragaki	Nozomi Oshima	Shirota Takaki
2011[23]	Nozomi Oshima	Miki Nakamachi	Serino Fukasaku
2014[24]	Miki Nakamachi	Takagi Ayano	Hikawa Nao
2017[24]	Ayano Nakamura	Yuna Sato	Rio Hayakawa
2024[25]	Saori Ishibashi	Tamaki Shimura	Airi Sekizawa

• Official Site of JKA (In English)
• Official Site of JKA (In Japanese)