Yokohama is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of To ...

, Japan was an 8th Dan Japanese

karateka (; ; 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 ...

instrumental in spreading the martial art of

Wadō-ryū is one of the four major karate styles and was founded by Hironori Ōtsuka (1892–1982). The style itself places emphasis on not only striking, but ''tai sabaki'', joint locks and throws. It has its origins within Tomari-te karate, but was als ...

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 ...

to Europe and the United States.

Early life

Tatsuo Suzuki as a child had a keen interest in

kendo is a modern Japanese martial art, descended from kenjutsu (one of the old Japanese martial arts, swordsmanship), that uses bamboo swords (shinai) as well as protective armor (bōgu). Today, it is widely practiced within Japan and has spread ...

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 ...

, and at the age of 14, he began studying karate, under

Hironori Ōtsuka was a Japanese master of karate who created the Wadō-ryū style of karate. He was the first Grand Master of Wadō-ryū karate, and received high awards within Japan for his contributions to karate. Early life Ōtsuka was born on June 1, 1892, ...

, the founder of

Wado Ryu WADO (1280 AM) is a commercial radio station licensed to New York City. It is owned and operated by Uforia Audio Network, a subsidiary of Univision. It broadcasts a Spanish-language sports radio format. By day, WADO is powered at 50,000 watt ...

. After six years of studying karate Tatsuo Suzuki obtained his 3ºDan, and in 1951 he was awarded 5th Dan, the top grade in Wado Ryu at that time. Complementing the karate he was 2ºDan in Tenshin Horyu Bojutsu and 1º Dan in

. He also studied Zen doctrine with the high priest Genpo Yamamoto and Soyen Nakagawa. In 1975 he received the 8th Dan, the highest grade of the

Japan Karate Federation The Japan Karate Federation (JKF), a.k.a. Japan Karatedo Federation, is a national governing body of sport karate in Japan. The JKF is officially affiliated with the Japan Olympic Association (JOC), World Karate Federation (WKF), Japan Sports As ...

and the Wadōkai. In that year, he also received the highest the title "Hanshi". In Wado-ryu; the only other person with that title was Hironori Ōtsuka.

Wadō-ryū

In 1963, Hironori Ōtsuka dispatched Suzuki, along with Toru Arakawa and Hajime Takashima, to spread Wadō-ryū around the world. From 1956–1964, Suzuki formed the first Wado-Ryu Federation in England and from his base in London expanded throughout Europe. He brought students from Japan, taught them how to be instructors, and sent to various countries in Europe. In a few years, the Wado-Ryu became a very popular karate style in Europe . In 1991, Suzuki decided to form his own federation to safeguard the essence of Wado Ryu as he was taught by his teacher

Ōtsuka is a Japanese surname. Alternative transliterations include Otsuka and Ohtsuka. Notable people with the surname include: * Ai Otsuka (大塚愛, born 1982), Japanese pop singer from the Kansai region * Akinori Otsuka (大塚晶則, born 1972) ...

. He formed the Wado International Karate-Do Federation (WIKF). Tatsuo Suzuki died on July 12, 2011.

Bibliography

*''Karate-Do'' by Tatsuo Suzuki, editions Pelham Books Ltd *''Suzuki'' by Tatsuo Suzuki, Xlibris, 2009, (

self-published Self-publishing is the publication of media by its author at their own cost, without the involvement of a publisher. The term usually refers to written media, such as books and magazines, either as an ebook or as a physical copy using POD (pri ...

)

References

External links

Wado International Karate-Do Federation (WIKF)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Suzuki, Tatsuo 1928 births 2011 deaths Japanese male karateka Japanese male judoka Japanese emigrants to the United Kingdom Karate coaches Sportspeople from Yokohama Wadō-ryū practitioners Deaths from cancer in England