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 ...
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 ...
hanshi
The Japanese language makes use of a system of honorific speech, called , which includes honorific suffixes and prefixes when referring to others in a conversation. Suffixes are often gender-specific at the end of names, while prefixes are a ...
'' (or "Grand Master Sokuichi Gibu") and Seiki Toma-''
hanshi
The Japanese language makes use of a system of honorific speech, called , which includes honorific suffixes and prefixes when referring to others in a conversation. Suffixes are often gender-specific at the end of names, while prefixes are a ...
''. After withdrawal from Gibu's association in 1985, Kikukawa co-founded the Shinkokai association along with colleague Tatsunori Azuma in 1985. In the early 1990s, Kikukawa emigrated to
Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of the Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Greater Victoria area has a population of 397,237. Th ...
where he founded the Canadian division of the Shinkokai association, while Tatunori Azuma(東辰徳 1952~2012) continued representing the organization in Okinawa. Kikukawa opened an acupuncture clinic in Surrey; he works with a group of family practitioners in Victoria.