is a

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 ...

ka from the

Korean Peninsula Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

. The first president of the Karatedo Kendokai, rank 10th dan.

Biography

* June 16, 1913 - Born in

Pyongyang Pyongyang (, , ) is the capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is known as the "Capital of the Revolution". Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. According to the 2008 populatio ...

, the

, which was Japanese territory at the time. * 1921 - Began practising martial arts at age of 9, under the guidance of his uncle who was a martial artist. * 1926 - When he moved to mainland

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

alone at the age of 14, he started karate in earnest. * 1930 - At the same time as entering Third Higher grade in School, he entered

Budo Senmon Gakko also known as Butoku Gakko, Bujutsu Senmon Gakko, or Busen (武専), was a school for training young men and women in Japanese martial arts. There were four departments; kendo, judo, naginata and kyūdō. The school was based at Butokuden, a f ...

. * 1933- Enrolled in the

Faculty of Law A faculty is a division within a university or college comprising one subject area or a group of related subject areas, possibly also delimited by level (e.g. undergraduate). In American usage such divisions are generally referred to as colleges ...

Kyoto Imperial University , mottoeng = Freedom of academic culture , established = , type = Public (National) , endowment = ¥ 316 billion (2.4 billion USD The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to disting ...

, and in the same year became a karate instructor at the Budo Senmon Gakko. * 1937 - Graduated from Kyoto Imperial University. * 1943 - Awarded a 6th Dan

Renshi is a form of collaborative poetry pioneered by Makoto Ōoka in the 1980s.The Japan Foundation's profile of Makoto Ōoka It is a development of traditional Japanese renga and renku, but unlike these it does not adhere to traditional strictures on ...

by the

Dai Nippon Butoku Kai ''Dai Nippon Butoku Kai'' (DNBK, ja, 大日本武徳会, en, "Greater Japan Martial Virtue Society") was a martial arts organization with strong ties to WWII-era Japanese government, originally established in 1895 in Kyoto. Following the end of ...

. * 1947- while running a construction business in Kofu,

Yamanashi Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Yamanashi Prefecture has a population of 817,192 (1 January 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,465 km2 (1,724 sq mi). Yamanashi Prefecture borders Saitama Prefecture to the no ...

, he established Karate Dojo "Shutokukan" (修得館 shūtoku-kan). * 1957 - The Yamanashi Karatedo Federation was formed and he became its first chairman and full-time instructor. * 1968 - Moved the base of activities from Yamanashi prefecture to Tokyo. * 1983 - Established Karatedo Kendokai and became its first chairman. * 1997 - Leaves the chairmanship to his disciple Kei Ishiyama and becomes the president of the Kendokai. For a long time since then, he has been actively instructing the younger generation of the entire society. * Died on January 8, 2013, at 99 years old.

Personal life and anecdotes

He was known for the performance of "Rafter cutting", in which he cuts timber with bare hands. This is named because Nakamura's straight fist thrust left a smooth cross section cut that was as if it was cut by a blade than broken with a punch. According to " Why did Masahiko Kimura not kill Rikidozan?", Nakamura had a friendship with Rikidozan, who also from the northern part of the Korean Peninsula. It is said that Rikidozan adore Nakamura and called him "Hyun Nim" which means his brother in Korean. Apparently, training alongside Nakamura birthed the professional wrestling move "karate chop", which became synonymous with Rikidozan during his

professional wrestling Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...

career. Former Kyokushin Kaikan All Japan Champion

Hatsuo Royama also known by his Korean name of Noh Cho Woong (Hangul: 노초웅; Hanja: 盧初雄) is a master of Kyokushin Karate and was current ''Kancho'' (Director) of the Kyokushin-kan International Organization Honbu, one faction of the International K ...

was practicing as an uchideshi of Nakamura when Royama was banned from Kyokushin. It is said that his legendary lower kick was learned during this period. Royama has written in his memoirs about times when practicing under Nakamura. At the age of 61, when he suffered from

laryngeal cancer Laryngeal cancers are mostly squamous-cell carcinomas, reflecting their origin from the epithelium of the larynx. Cancer can develop in any part of the larynx. The prognosis is affected by the location of the tumour. For the purposes of staging, ...

, he refused to be treated by a doctor and heated a hook-shaped wire until it turned bright red. It was introduced in "The Soul of the Ring" that the burnt wire was used to groping for the cancer to be completely cured. Manga artist

Keisuke Itagaki is a Japanese manga artist. He is best known for his martial arts series ''Grappler Baki'' (1991–1999) and its four sequels, which have sold over 75 million volumes. In 1996, he began working on '' Garōden'', an original work by Baku Yumemaku ...

interviewed Nakamura when Itagaki was starting the serialization of

Baki the Grappler Baki ( ar, باقي) may refer to: Places * Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan ( az, Bakı) * Baki District of the Awdal region in Somalia *Baki town, Somaliland * Baki, Afghanistan * Baki, Sukoharjo, a subdistrict in Sukoharjo Regency, Jawa Tengah ...

, and at that time he witnessed the technique of rafter cutting. Nakamura had extremely little exposure to the media during his lifetime. On April 22, 2015, North Korea's

Korean Central News Agency The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) is the state news agency of North Korea. The agency portrays the views of the North Korean government for both domestic and foreign consumption. It was established on December 5, 1946 and now features onlin ...

reported that, "The remains of former

Chongryon The General Association of Korean Residents in Japan,
" ''

executives were enshrined in the

Patriotic Martyrs' Cemetery The Patriotic Martyrs' Cemetery is a national cemetery in North Korea located in Sinmi-ri, Hyongjesan-guyok, Pyongyang. Founded on September 17, 1986, it is officially reserved for people who contributed to the "liberation of the country" and "so ...

. This includes the karateka Kang Chang-Soo, who is known as Hideo Nakamura." It is speculated that Nakamura may have (knowingly or unknowingly) trained a

Kyeok Sul Do Kyeok Sul Do (Hangul: 격술도) - also often romanized as Gjogsul - is a martial art created in Democratic People's Republic of Korea (i.e. North Korea) that is practised primarily in the Korean People's Army and its intelligence agencies. ...

instructor in Karate at

Chongryon The General Association of Korean Residents in Japan,
" ''

, who would have later returned to North Korea with the knowledge.

Karate-do Kendokai

Karatedo Kendokai is a karate organization headquartered in

Ikebukuro is a commercial and entertainment district in Toshima, Tokyo, Japan. Toshima ward offices, Ikebukuro station, and several shops, restaurants, and enormous department stores are located within city limits. It is considered the second largest ...

Toshima-ku is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. It is one of the eight central wards of the Tokyo Metropolitan area. Located in the northern area of Tokyo, Toshima is bordered by the wards of Nerima, Itabashi, and Kita in the north and Nakano, Shinjuku, a ...

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

. It was founded by Hideo Nakamura in 1983 with the strong support of his disciples. Although it is a karate organization, Nakamura's motto, "There is no school in karate," does not call itself a school. The name "Kendo" (拳道, eng. ''fist way'') was given to mean "to seek the essence of karate from the fist and complete the path of the fist." It has branches such as dojos and clubs in various places, and national competitions are also held. It is known for its unique shape not found in the karate schools, and for "part training" in which a hard object such as a sandbag is attacked to train a fist. The art is

full contact ''Full Contact'' () is a 1992 Hong Kong action film produced and directed by Ringo Lam, and starring Chow Yun-fat, Simon Yam, and Anthony Wong. Plot The first part of the movie takes place in Bangkok, Thailand. Gou Fei's (Chow Yun-fat) frie ...

, except for stipulation that strikes to the face should be either semi-contact or no-contact. Momentary

grappling Grappling, in hand-to-hand combat, describes sports that consist of gripping or seizing the opponent. Grappling is used at close range to gain a physical advantage over an opponent, either by imposing a position or causing injury. Grappling i ...

clinching In metalworking, clinching or press-joining is a bulk sheet metal forming process aimed at joining thin metal sheets without additional components, using special tools to plastically form an interlock between two or more sheets. The process is ...

, and

throwing Throwing is an action which consists in accelerating a projectile and then releasing it so that it follows a ballistic trajectory, usually with the aim of impacting a remote target. This action is best characterized for animals with prehensile l ...

techniques are also permitted. The founder, Nakamura, handed over the chairman to his high-ranking younger brother Kei Ishiyama in 1997, and was instructing the entire society as a general teacher until his death in 2013. Ishiyama, who was recognized by Nakamura as the 9th Dan of Kendokai Karatedo, is still in the chairmanship as of 2019. Notable practitioners are * Makoto Fujioka - A detective writer. Kendokai Ikebukuro Headquarters Dojo Juku Head. *

Yu Yagami is a Japanese manga artist. He is best known for the manga ''Those Who Hunt Elves'', which was adapted as an anime series. His works ''Those Who Hunt Elves'', '' Dokkoida?!'', '' Go West!'', and '' Hikkatsu! Strike a Blow to Vivify'' have been ...

- a Manga artist. 2011 25th National Championship Masters Kumite Division Winner.

Notes

:1.Rikidozan was born Kim Sin-rak (Korean: 김신락) :2.Hatsuo Royama was banned from the organization after getting into a physical altercation with Jan Kallenbach.

References

External links