Tetsuji Murakami ( ja, 村上 哲次; March 31, 1927 – 24 January 1987) was an early
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 Fuj ...
representative to Europe.
Early life
He was born in
Shizuoka Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Shizuoka Prefecture has a population of 3,637,998 and has a geographic area of . Shizuoka Prefecture borders Kanagawa Prefecture to the east, Yamanashi Prefecture to the northea ...
, Japan, in 1927.
When he turned nineteen, he started learning Karate-do under Masaji Yamagushi, a student of
Gichin Funakoshi
was a japanese martial artist who is regarded as the founder of Karate, Shotakan karate, perhaps the most widely known style of karate, and is known as a "father of modern karate". Following the teachings of Anko Itosu and Anko Asato,Funakoshi, ...
. He trained for ten years, also learning the styles of
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 spre ...
,
aikido
Aikido ( , , , ) is a modern Japanese martial art that is split into many different styles, including Iwama Ryu, Iwama Shin Shin Aiki Shuren Kai, Shodokan Aikido, Yoshinkan, Renshinkai, Aikikai and Ki Aikido. Aikido is now practiced in aroun ...
and
iaido
, abbreviated , is a Japanese martial art that emphasizes being aware and capable of quickly drawing the sword and responding to sudden attacks.Christensen, Karen and Allen Guttmann et.al (2001) ''International Encyclopedia of Women and Spor ...
.
Europe
In 1957, he was invited to France by
Henry Plée of the French Martial Arts Academy. In 1959, he was invited to Italy by Vladimiro Malatesti. By 1960, his skills and charisma had begun to draw a following of the top students in Europe. His influence progressively expanded to Germany, England, Yugoslavia, Algeria, Portugal, and Switzerland.
In 1968, he traveled back to Japan where he trained with
Shigeru Egami.
Influenced by Egami, Murakami improved his techniques, integrating a technique called
irimi. Using what he observed, he decided to make a profound transformation in his technique and practice. He returned to Europe as the representative of the style
Shotokai. His students included Louis Carvalho, Patrick Herbert, Antonio Maltoni, Borko Jovanovic, Leopoldo Ferreira, Pierre-John Boyer and José Ivo Pinto Mendes, who taught Shotokai in Panama City.
Tetsuji Murakami died in 1987 in Paris.
References
1987 deaths
1927 births
Karate coaches
Martial arts school founders
Sportspeople from Shizuoka Prefecture
Shotokan practitioners
Japanese male karateka
20th-century philanthropists
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