Takemasa Okuyama (born 1944)
/ref>Kathryn Laidlaw, Okuyama in: Martial Arts Features and Profiles Magazine vol. 3 issue 6 (September 1998), p 22 is the head of the International Karate Association of

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

and has the

title A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify either generation, an official position, or a professional or academic qualification. In some languages, titles may be inserted between the f ...

of Kancho. Born in Hachijōjima, Japan, Okuyama began to train in Japan at the age of 7. In line with the family tradition, he practised

sumo is a form of competitive full-contact wrestling where a ''rikishi'' (wrestler) attempts to force his opponent out of a circular ring (''dohyō'') or into touching the ground with any body part other than the soles of his feet (usually by thr ...

and

judo is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponi ...

. At the age of 13 he started to learn karate from Kinjo from

Okinawa is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city ...

. In 1960, he started to study at the

Takushoku University Takushoku University (拓殖大学; ''Takushoku Daigaku'', abbreviated as 拓大 ''Takudai'') is a private university in Tokyo, Japan. It was founded in 1900 by Duke Taro Katsura (1848–1913).

in Japan. He studied

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

and

foreign trade International trade is the exchange of capital, goods, and services across international borders or territories because there is a need or want of goods or services. (see: World economy) In most countries, such trade represents a significant s ...

, regularly training karate masters such as Tabata, Hamanaka, Ozawa and Tsuyama. In 1966, he arrived in the USA to continue his studies and trained for three years under the instruction of

Takayuki Kubota is a Japanese American master of karate. He founded the Gosoku-ryu style of karate, and is the founder and president of the International Karate Association. Kubota holds the title of Sōke for his development of the Gosoku-ryū style of karate ...

.Kathryn Laidlaw, The Diamond Career of Soke Kubota in: Martial Arts Features and Profiles Magazine vol. 3 issue 6 (September 1998), p 23 In 1970, he moved to Canada,The Canadian Kubota Cup Championships in: Secrets of the Masters Nov. 1992 where he is influential person in the

Gosoku-ryu is a style of karate which was founded by Takayuki Kubota. Gosoku stands for ''hard and fast'', which suggests a combination of techniques both from the fast and dynamic Shōtōkan style as well as from the strength-focused Gōjū-ryū style. ...

and

Shotokan karate 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 ...

environment. In the same year he placed third in kumite at 5th Annual All-Stars Tournament.Black Belt Oct 1970, page 60
/ref> He established IKA Canada Kubota Cup in 1971 In 1992,

awarded him with the Kancho title and 8

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 ...

degree in karate. In 1997, he published a book called ''Ultimate Karate'' () which demonstrates karate techniques for the serious student, showing intricate applications of stances and hand techniques beyond the Heian katas and Tekki Shodan. Okuyama received the Key to the City of Cali, Colombia from Mayor Ricardo Cobo, and special awards from the City of Be'er Sheva, Israel from Mayor Kakuv for peace work between Israel and Palestine.Okuyama bio
/ref> Okuyama has also trained law enforcement personnel around the world including: Colombian Military & Special Forces Police, Canadian Military Police, Moscow Police, Israeli Military, Ecuador Police.Okuyama's website
/ref> Apart from his karate activity, Okuyama is president of Hachi-O-Zan Ltd. and an artist who occupies himself with traditional painting and playing the Japanese flute.

References

Canadian male karateka Canadian sportspeople of Japanese descent Japanese male karateka People from the Izu Islands Japanese emigrants to Canada Living people 1944 births {{Canada-sport-bio-stub