Henry Wilson Cook (born 1949), widely known as Harry Cook, is a former British
martial artist
Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; and the preserv ...
, teacher, and author,Seijinkai Karatedo Association: Harry Cook Retrieved on 16 February 2010.Compson, H. (2008) Harry is master of oriental art ''Hexham Courant'' (13 November 2008). Retrieved on 18 February 2010. and convicted sex offender. He has written several martial art books, most notably ''Shotokan Karate: A precise history'' (2001).Cook, H. (2001): ''Shotokan Karate: A precise history''. Dragon Books. Cook began training in
karate
(; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the ...
in 1966,Fong, G. (1988) Karateforum.com: Harry Cook interview (September 1988) Retrieved on 18 February 2010.Banfield, S. (c. 2005) ''The Shotokan Way''. Retrieved on 18 February 2010. and was the Chief Instructor of the Seijinkai Karatedo Association, a school he founded to teach his own style of karate.Jackson, L. (c. 2006) Martial Edge: Harry Cook on Karate Retrieved on 18 February 2010. He holds the rank of 7th ''
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'Ivoir ...
'' in karate.Takumi Dojo: Karate training course with Sensei Harry Cook (January 2008). Retrieved on 18 February 2010. He admitted to numerous sexual offenses over the course of 26 years, including indecent assault, sexual assault, making indecent and possessing pornographic images of children, and was given a 10-year prison sentence in June 2012.
Early life
Cook was born in 1949 in
South Shields
South Shields () is a coastal town in South Tyneside, Tyne and Wear, England. It is on the south bank of the mouth of the River Tyne. Historically, it was known in Roman times as Arbeia, and as Caer Urfa by Early Middle Ages. According to the 20 ...
, England. He began training in the martial arts in 1966, learning karate from two schoolmates. They belonged to a Wado-ryu school, which he joined in September 1966. Subsequently, the Wado-ryu instructors moved from the area, and Cook joined Ken Smith's Shotokan-ryu ''dojo'' (training hall) in
Sunderland
Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...
. In the late 1960s, Cook was one of the first British karate students to train under
Keinosuke Enoeda
was a Japanese master of Shotokan karate. Having completed secondary school, he held the rank of 4th '' kyu'' in karate.
Cook studied surveying for a year, but then moved on to studying Chinese language at
Durham University
, mottoeng = Her foundations are upon the holy hills (Psalm 87:1)
, established = (university status)
, type = Public
, academic_staff = 1,830 (2020)
, administrative_staff = 2,640 (2018/19)
, chancellor = Sir Thomas Allen
, vice_chan ...
. At university, he came into contact with Rose Li, one of the lecturers, who taught Cook
t'ai chi ch'uan
Tai chi (), short for Tai chi ch'üan ( zh, s=太极拳, t=太極拳, first=t, p=Tàijíquán, labels=no), sometimes called "shadowboxing", is an neijia, internal Chinese martial art practiced for defense training, health benefits and medita ...
. In 1970, Cook established the Durham University Karate Club,Seijinkai Karatedo Association: History Retrieved on 18 February 2010. which became affiliated to the
Karate Union of Great Britain
The Karate Union of Great Britain, or KUGB, is an association of Shotokan Karate clubs and Karateka operating across Great Britain, with some oversea affiliations. The 1960s saw a growth in the popularity of Karate, and the KUGB was founded in ...
. He was tested for 1st ''kyu'' by
Andy Sherry
Andy Sherry (born 9 July 1943) was one of the most senior Great Britain, British practitioners of karate and the retired chief instructor of the Karate Union of Great Britain, KUGB.
Biography
Born in Liverpool, Andy Sherry showed an interest in ...
. In 1973, Cook received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Chinese studies from Durham University. A year later, he earned a Postgraduate Certificate in Education from the same institution.
Career
Cook embarked on a career as a schoolteacher, but this was to be short-lived—only around two years. He successfully applied for a job in Japan. Cook had originally planned to travel to China, but, as he recalled in a 1988 interview, "at that time it was difficult to enter, so I opted for Japan as it was more Westernized and more modern." Arriving in Japan in the mid-1970s, Cook started work as a teacher of the English language. He had intended to visit the
Japan Karate Association
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 organization in the world.
Origins
Gichin Funakoshi played a ma ...
Morio Higaonna
is a prominent Okinawan karate practitioner who is the founder and former Chief Instructor of the International Okinawan Goju-ryu Karate-do Federation (IOGKF).Goju-ryu karate ''dojo'', which Cook did. While he trained under
Hirokazu Kanazawa
was a Japanese master of Shotokan karate.Goodman, F. (2004): ''The practical encyclopedia of martial arts'' (p. 50). London: Lorenz Books. ()Smit, S. (2008): ''Karate'' (2nd ed.) (p. 21). London: New Holland. ()
occasionally, and also studied
sword
A sword is an edged, bladed weapon intended for manual cutting or thrusting. Its blade, longer than a knife or dagger, is attached to a hilt and can be straight or curved. A thrusting sword tends to have a straighter blade with a pointed ti ...
and
stick
Stick or the stick may refer to:
Thin elongated objects
* Twig
* The weapon used in stick fighting
* Walking stick, a device to facilitate balancing while walking
* Shepherd's crook
* Swagger stick
* Digging stick
* Swizzle stick, used to stir d ...
fighting arts, most of his training was under Higaonna. In interviews conducted years later, Cook would speak very positively of Higaonna.
After two years, Cook had reached 2nd ''dan''. His work contract completed, he returned to England, but only stayed six months before coming back to Japan. He settled in
Kyoto
Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the ci ...
and began studying butokukan and
naginata
The ''naginata'' (, ) is a pole weapon and one of several varieties of traditionally made Japanese blades (''nihontō''). ''Naginata'' were originally used by the samurai class of feudal Japan, as well as by ashigaru (foot soldiers) and sōhei ( ...
. Cook eventually returned to the United Kingdom, and was based in
Haltwhistle
Haltwhistle is a market town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, east of Brampton. It had a population of 3,811 at the 2011 Census.
Stone-built houses are a feature of Haltwhistle. It is one of two settlements in Great Britain which c ...
, Northumberland.Traditional Japanese Shotokan Karate Academy: Shotokan Karate – A precise history Retrieved on 18 February 2010.
Cook founded his own school, the Seijinkai Karatedo Association, to teach his blend of Shotokan and Goju-ryu karate styles. The association now has branches in Ireland, Norway, and the United States of America, as well as the United Kingdom.
In May 2011, Cook appeared in
Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to:
*Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England
*Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England
*Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...
Magistrates' Court facing charges of
sexual assault
Sexual assault is an act in which one intentionally sexually touches another person without that person's consent, or coerces or physically forces a person to engage in a sexual act against their will. It is a form of sexual violence, which ...
. He pleaded guilty to charges in regard to a female from March 2006 to February 2011 and was held on remand awaiting sentencing at
Newcastle Crown Court Newcastle usually refers to:
*Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England
* Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England
*Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastl ...
. In January 2012, Cook pleaded guilty to a further 29 charges, including indecent assault, sexual assault, making indecent images of children and possessing indecent images of children, a pornographic image of a child and a prohibited image of a child. In June 2012, he was sentenced to 10 years. Cook's family, who have renounced him, expressed their support and sympathy for the victims, and their utter condemnation of his actions.
Publications
Cook's best-known work is probably ''Shotokan Karate: A precise history'', which ''Dragon Times'' editor J. N. Edwards has described as "certainly the best book on Shotokan, probably the best karate book ever published in the English language."Edwards, J. N. (c. 2001) Shotokan Karate: A precise history – Review ''Dragon Times''. Retrieved on 18 February 2010. An independent assessment by Rob Redmond concluded that, for students of Shotokan karate, "there cannot be a better resource than Harry Cook's famous Shotokan Karate: A Precise History."Redmond, R. (2005) 24 Fighting Chickens: What is Shotokan? (17 November 2005). Retrieved on 19 February 2010. One criticism has been that Cook should have provided more interpretation of the verbatim quotations; "While he use of exact quotesis exemplary and well intentioned, it was, for me, one of the few 'turnoffs' in the book. Sometimes we need Mr. Cook to provide his view and interpretation of what those he interviewed meant, as the exact phrasings uttered often beg for such historical analysis," wrote Tom Militello.Militello, T. (c. 2003) EJMAS Reviews: Shotokan Karate, A Precise History, by Harry Cook ''Electronic Journals of Martial Arts and Sciences''. Retrieved on 19 February 2010. A second edition of this book was published in August 2009.
Cook's other books include: ''Samurai: The story of a warrior tradition'' (1993),Cook, H. (1993): ''Samurai: The story of a warrior tradition''. New York: Sterling. () ''The way of the warrior: Essays on the martial arts'' (1999/2004, two volumes),Cook, H. (1999): ''Way of the Warrior: Essays on the martial arts'' (Vol. 1). Prudhoe, UK: Warriors' Dreams. ()Cook, H. (2004): ''Way of the Warrior: Essays on the martial arts'' (Vol. 2). Prudhoe, UK: Warriors' Dreams. ''The Shotokan Karate book of quotes'' (2001, co-authored),Layton, C., & Cook, H. (2001): ''The Shotokan Karate book of quotes''. London: Kirby. () ''Karate'' (2005),Cook, H. (2005): ''Karate''. Milwaukee, WI: G. Stevens. () and ''Extreme survival'' (2006, co-authored).Akkermans, A., Mattos, B., Morrison, B., & Cook, H. (2006): ''Extreme survival''. London: Lorenz. () Cook is a Contributing Editor for ''Classical Fighting Arts'', Retrieved on 18 February 2010. which was formerly ''Dragon Times'' until March 2003. Retrieved on 18 February 2010. Retrieved on 18 February 2010. Retrieved on 18 February 2010. He has written several articles for ''Dragon Times''.Cook, H. ''Dragon Times''. Retrieved on 18 February 2010.Cook, H. ''Dragon Times''. Retrieved on 18 February 2010.Cook, H. ''Dragon Times''. Retrieved on 18 February 2010.Cook, H. ''Dragon Times''. Retrieved on 18 February 2010.Cook, H. ''Dragon Times''. Retrieved on 18 February 2010.Cook, H. ''Dragon Times''. Retrieved on 18 February 2010.Cook, H. ''Dragon Times''. Retrieved on 18 February 2010.
Reflecting on his contribution to karate scholarship, Cook has said: "I am deeply interested in history and I came to understand that many of the myths prevalent in karate were derived from an abysmal understanding of the history and evolution of karate. So I decided to light a candle against the dark!! Have I achieved my objective? Not really … the same myths are still heard over and over again … but maybe one rtwo people have been pointed in the right direction."
See also
*
Japanese martial arts
Japanese martial arts refers to the variety of martial arts native to the country of Japan. At least three Japanese terms (''budō'', ''bujutsu'', and ''bugei'') are used interchangeably with the English phrase Japanese martial arts.
The usage ...