Percy Sekine (born 20 February 1920 in London, died on 15 October 2010) was a distinguished

sensei Sensei, Seonsaeng, Tiên sinh or Xiansheng, corresponding to Chinese characters , is an East Asian honorific term shared in Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese and Chinese; it is literally translated as "person born before another" or "one who c ...

of the Hammersmith,

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

based Judokan. He represented

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It i ...

in international judo tournaments four times in the 1940s and 1950s, and was never beaten. He was also a coach of the British national judo team. His wife Hana was the daughter of Gunji Koizumi.Bowen, R. (2000)
An Englishwoman's description of learning Judo in Japan: Letters from Sarah Mayer to Gunji Koizumi, 1934–1935, Part I
''Journal of Combative Sport Science'' (February 2000). Retrieved on 26 February 2010.
(c. 2004). Retrieved on 26 February 2010. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

he served in the

RAF The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

and was shot down over the Netherlands in the winter of 1942. He was taken prisoner and sent to Stalag 383 in Bavaria. While there he formed a judo club and taught fellow prisoners who in turn taught others when Sekine was moved to another camp.

References

1920 births 2010 deaths British World War II prisoners of war British male judoka Sportspeople from London Royal Air Force personnel of World War II Judoka trainers {{UK-judo-bio-stub

See also

References