History

History of International Budo Ryokukai and Niikura Sensei

In 1955 Katsumi Niikura (Age 12) began to study karate and judo. At the time, karate was not well thought of; many people in Japan associated it with organized crime and criminal classes (much the same perception that the same people in America of boxing today), so Niikura-san studied Karate-do ”on the sly”, without his parent‚’s knowledge. In the late 50′’s, Katsumi Niikura won a Junior Championship at the prefecture level ( equivalent to our state level). His neighbor read about it in the paper, came over to congratulate his father. That is how his father found out that Niikura-san was studying karate do.

1961: Katsumi Niikura graduated from high school and began to study Karate-do again.
At the same time he was increasing the intensity of his physical training, Niikura began to seek a balance in his life by pursuing restful, mental training in the form of ikebana, the Japanese style of flower arranging. As members of the warrior class of Japan had for hundreds of years, he found that ikebana added harmony to his life and an inner peace that allowed him to continue to excel to greater plateaus in his martial arts career

1963 : Katsumi Niikura elevated to rank of Shodan (first degree black belt) . In this same year, Niikura-san began to study other styles of martial arts, as well as Aikido.

1967 : Elevated to Sandan (third degree black belt) . He won the All -Japan/Asia Karate do Championship in kumite (sparring). Niikura was also awarded his Ikebana teacher’’s license.

1968 : Began study of Iaido (samurai swordsmanship)
Niikura Sensei made his first trip to the United States in 1968, where he gave karate exhibitions and became aquatinted with Don Madden (head coach for the United States of America Karate Federation (USAKF). Niikura donated his share of the proceeds from these exhibitions to the Cancer Society. This trip was the first of several exchange visits between U.S. and Japanese martial arts students coordinated by Niikura and Madden.

1973: At age 30, he founded International Ryokukai Karate-do, a karate style based on the best of what Niikura sensei had discovered through his study of a variety of karate styles, plus Aikido and Iaido.

1976 : International Ryokukai Brazil , the first Ryokukai dojo outside Japan , was founded in Brazil .
During this period, five to six students coached by Niikura-San were named Japanese national junior champions in free style wrestling each year.

1979 : Niikura accepted Tokey Hill, an American sport karate competitor, as a student at his Japanese dojo. Hill trained with Niikura daily, and was eventually promoted by Niikura to the rank of Sandan.

1980 : Tokey Hill become World Light Heavyweight champion in kumite; he was the first American ever to place so highly in karate competition.

1984 : Niikura came to the USA and in the process moved the home dojo of International Ryokukai to Sterling Heights Michigan .
The meaning of Ryokukai:
Ryo ( Niikura’s Hometown)
Ku (same character as Kara, in Kara-te)
Kai (the school of )
–copied from Cincinnati Shotokan

Karate is a very old martial art and many will agree with me when I say that karate is an art of life aswell.

Nobody would ever know about karate as much as they know nowadays without Master Gichin Funakoshi – the “Father of Modern Karate” – who was not only a great karateka, but also a great writer, so we all can enjoy his wisdom about karate and it’’s principles…

Gichin Funakoshi (1868-1957)

Gichin Funakoshi sensei, known as the Founder of Shotokan Karate-Do, was born in Shuri, Okinawa in Yamakawa-cho district on November 10, 1868.

The official records, however, show that his birth took place in 1870, but Gichin Funakoshi, in fact, falsified his own records in order to be able to take the Tokyo Medical School entrance examination. In spite of passing the exam Funakoshi sensei never did become a member of the medical profession. Something millions of karate students around the world will always be grateful for.

Gichin was born as a frail child and his family felt that he was destined for a short and uneventful life. If only they knew how influential his life would be to the world of martial arts.

It was during his early primary school years that he was first introduced to the study “Tode” or “Chinese Hand” under Master Yasutsune Azato. His family felt that studying the art of karate might help to strengthen his body and improve the quality of his life.

Gichin Funakoshi flourished under the tutelage of Master Azato. He traveled to the Master’s home every evening for practice. Later Master Azato introduced him to another important teacher Master Yasutsune Itosu, who took Gichin Funakoshi as his student, too. It was these two men, more than any others, who would have the greatest impact on his life.

Gichin Funakoshi was no longer interested in entering medical school. While studying karate he chose different path, he decided to become a school teacher. After passing the qualifying exam, he took charge of his first primary school class in 1888. It was a profession he was to follow for more than thirty years.

In March 1921, Gichin Funakoshi’s life took unsuspected turn, when he had the honor of demonstrating the art of “Okinawan te” to the Crown Prince Hirohito as he visited Okinawa. The following Spring, Gichin Funakoshi was invited to Tokyo to present his art of Tode at the First National Athletic Exhibition, which had been organized by the Ministry of Education. After the demonstration he was strongly urged by several eminent groups and individuals to remain in Japan, and indeed he never did return to live in Okinawa.

As it had in Okinawa, the educational system of Japan was to become a major factor in the spread of karate. By 1924 Gichin Funakoshi had started introducing karate to several local universities, first at Keio, then Chuo, Tokyo, and Waseda etc. It was through these universities that he was able to reach a much larger audience and this contributed greatly to the growing popularity of karate.

After many years of hard work and financial struggles Master Funakoshi was finally able to establish his Shoto-kan dojo in 1936, which has become a great landmark in the history of karate. Funakoshi sensei was not only a genius in martial arts, but he was also a literary talent. And he signed all of his works “Shoto” which was his pen name. Hence, the dojo where he taught came to be known as “Shoto’’s school” or “Shoto’’s kan” which was ultimately adopted as the official name for his style of karate. Funakoshi sensei had combined the techniques and katas of the two major Okinawan styles to form his own style of karate, as a result, today Shotokan karate-do includes the powerful techniques of the Shorei style of karate, as well as the lighter more flexible movements of the Shorin style of karate.

In the beginning Funakoshi sensei taught only sixteen katas, they were: Kankudai

Kankusho
five Heian katas (known in Okinawa as Pinan katas)
three Tekki katas (known on Okinawa as Naihfanchi katas)
Wanshu, (later to be known as Empi)
Chinto, (later to be known as Gankaku)
Patsai (later to be known as Bassai)
Jitte
Jion
and Seisan (later to be known as Hangetsu)
Because Funakoshi sensei felt that sixteen katas were more than enough for one lifetime.
After the World War II., karate was slowly revived, and a major step forward took place when the Japan Karate Association (JKA) was established (1949), with Funakoshi sensei appointed as it’’s first Chief Instructor due to his advanced skills and leadership capabilities.

Although Funakoshi sensei was famous as a great karate master he was also acknowledged as a very humble man. During his lifetime he emphasized three major aspects of karate-do above all else, basic technique, kata, and the development of spiritual values leading to the perfection of the character of karate’’s participants.

After training, and teaching the art of karate for more than seventy-five years, Master Gichin Funakoshi passed away in Tokyo, Japan on April 26, 1957 at the age of 88.