Karate was first introduced in the United Kingdom by
Vernon Bell, a judo instructor who attended karate classes with
Henry Plée
Henry Plée (also named H.D. Plée, Henri Plée, Henry D. Plée, or Henry-Désiré Plée, 24 May 1923; Arras, Nord-Pas-de-Calais–19 August 2014; Paris) was a French martial artist who is considered as the 'father of European and French karat ...
in Paris.
History
Following its introduction by Vernon Bell, karate was popularised in the UK by various instructors, Japanese and otherwise. Organisations such as 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 ...
were established by experts and enthusiasts to promote karate in the UK.
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 ...
sent several professional instructors to Britain to spread their
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" throug ...
style of karate, starting with
Taiji Kase
was a Korean -Japanese master of Shotokan karate who was one of the earliest masters responsible for introducing this martial art into Europe.Fernandez, M. (2001)Master Taiji Kase, 9th Dan Shotokan Ryu Karate-Do ''Shotokan Karate Magazine'', Iss ...
,
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. () ,
Keinosuke Enoeda and
Hiroshi Shirai
is a Japanese master of Shotokan karate. He is the founder of the Istituto Shotokan Italia, a subdivision of FIKTA (the Italian Traditional Karate Association) and of the SCI (Shotokan Cultural Institute, formerly WSI - World Shotokan Institute) ...
in 1965.
Other karate styles were also established in the UK, including
Wado-ryu via
Tatsuo Suzuki, and
Kyokushin
is a style of karate originating in Japan. It is a style of stand-up fighting and is rooted in a philosophy of self-improvement, discipline, and hard training.
Kyokushin Kaikan is the martial arts organization founded in 1964 by Korean-Jap ...
via
Steve Arneil.
Karate in the UK was the subject of controversy in its early years, following the 1966 murder of Andy Allen by Anthony Creamer, a street fighter and self-taught karate enthusiast.
National governing body
The British Karate Federation (BKF) is the largest karate association in the United Kingdom, and a member of the
British Olympic Committee
The British Olympic Association (BOA) is the National Olympic Committee for the United Kingdom. It is responsible for organising and overseeing the participation of athletes from the Great Britain and Northern Ireland Olympic Team, at both ...
. The BKF is affiliated with the
European Karate Federation (EKF), as well as the
World Karate Federation
The World Karate Federation (WKF) is the largest international governing body of sport karate with 198 member countries. It was formed in 1990, is the only karate organization recognised by the International Olympic Committee and has more than te ...
(WKF).
On behalf of the
British Olympic Committee
The British Olympic Association (BOA) is the National Olympic Committee for the United Kingdom. It is responsible for organising and overseeing the participation of athletes from the Great Britain and Northern Ireland Olympic Team, at both ...
, the BKF was the only karate association authorised to send athletes to the
2020 Olympics.
International competition
The United Kingdom was once considered a "world power" of
sport karate
(; ; Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the influence of Chinese martial arts, particularly Fujian ...
, particularly from the 1970s to 1990s. In the 21st century, the UK has produced four WKF senior world champions:
Leon Walters, Rory Daniels,
Paul Newby, and
Jordan Thomas.
Although the UK is represented by
Team GB
Team GB is the brand name used since 1999 by the British Olympic Association (BOA) for their Great Britain at the Olympics, British Olympic team. The brand was developed after Great Britain at the 1996 Summer Olympics, the nation's poor perfor ...
at the
Summer Olympics, England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales each have separate federations represented in the EKF and WKF.
Today
Karate is one of the most popular martial arts in the United Kingdom today. In Scotland, it was noted as the fastest-growing girls' sport between 2011/12 and 2016/17.
References
Bibliography
*''The Kanazawa Years : Reminiscences'' by Michael Randall, 7th Dan on a Golden Age in British Karate, Shoto Publishing, 1998,
{{UK-sport-stub