Yasunari Ishimi (born 30 October 1943) is a Japanese
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 ...
expert who spent most of his career as an instructor in Spain.
He is in the 10th Dan of the
Spanish Karate Federation and the
World Karate Federation.
Early years
Yasunari Ishimi was born on 30 October 1943 in
Hyogo near
Osaka
is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2. ...
, Japan.
In 1956 he began to practice Kushin-ryū style karate with master Matsukazi.
In 1959 while at high school he began to practice
Gōjū-ryū
, Japanese for "hard-soft style", is one of the main traditional Okinawan styles of karate, featuring a combination of hard and soft techniques. Both principles, hard and soft, come from the famous martial arts book used by Okinawan masters dur ...
style karate.
In 1960 he began to practice
Shitō-ryū
is a form of karate that was founded in 1934 by . Shitō-ryū is synthesis of the Okinawan Shuri-te and Naha-te schools of karate and today is considered one of the four main styles of the art.
History
Kenwa Mabuni (Mabuni Kenwa 摩文仁 ...
style karate with master Yoshiaki Tsuzikawa.
Recommended by master Tsuzikawa, he began to also practice with master
Mabuni Kenei, son of the founder of the Shito-Ryu school.
University
Ishimi began his university studies in
Kobe
Kobe ( , ; officially , ) is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture Japan. With a population around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Tokyo and Yokohama. It is located in Kansai region, whic ...
in 1961].
He earned the 1st Dan 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 ...
.
In 1962 he was captain of the
Kobe University karate team, and was team champion of Kobe.
He earned the 2nd Dan of the Japan Karate Federation.
In 1965 he was Individual Second in the National University Championship.
He obtained a degree in Philosophy and Letters from the Kobe Faculty of Foreign Languages.
Ishimi earned the 3rd Dan of the Japan Karate Federation in 1967.
Spain
''Black Belt Times'' reported in December 1969 that Yasunari Ishimi, a student at Kobe University who wanted to become a novelist, had come to Spain to learn the language better, and was now the first Shito-style karate instructor in Spain.
He taught in several
Madrid
Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...
gymnasiums.
He returned to Japan in 1969 for the Japan Karate Federation examination for the 4th Dan.
The Ishimi Dojo was opened in 1970, and he was given the 5th Dan of the Spanish Karate Federation.
That year he founded the Spanish Shitō-ryū Association, and was national coach of the
Spanish Karate Federation.
Prince
Adam Karol Czartoryski
Prince Adam Karol Czartoryski (born 2 January 1940) is a Polish and Spanish aristocrat who is head of the Polish House of Czartoryski. He is related to both the Spanish royal family (House of Borbón-Anjou) and to France's House of Orléans. In ...
trained under Yasunari Ishimi.
The future King
Juan Carlos I of Spain practiced karate with great enthusiasm in the 1970s, with Prince Adan Czartoryski and the masters Yosuke Yamasbita and Yasunari Ishimi.
Ishimi returned to Japan in 1973 for the Japan Karate Federation examination for the 5th Dan.
In 1979 he earned the 6th Dan of the Japan Karate Federation and the 6th Dan of the Spanish Karate Federation.
In 1980 at the World Karate Championship (WUKO) in Madrid Ishimi passed his World
Kata
''Kata'' is a Japanese word ( 型 or 形) meaning "form". It refers to a detailed choreographed pattern of martial arts movements made to be practised alone. It can also be reviewed within groups and in unison when training. It is practised ...
Judge examination brilliantly.
In 1983 he became an international judge and World
Kumite Judge, and was raised to the 7th Dan of the Spanish Karate federation.
On 20 December 1983 he founded the European Shitō-kai Association, and became its technical director.
He earned the 7th Dan of the Japan Karate Federation in 1985, and was awarded the title of Master of Shitō-ryū by Master
Mabuni Kenei.
In 1988 Master
Manzo Iwata
Manzo Iwata (9 February 1924 – 4 June 1993) was a Japanese martial artist.
Life and career
Early years
Manzo Iwata was born in Tokyo, Japan, to a family that owned the Iwata-en Tea Company. He began the study of Shito-ryu karate at the age of ...
, President of the Shitō-kai school, named him European representative of this school.
Ishimi was raised to the Spanish Karate Federation's 8th Dan in June 1995, and to its 9th Dan in July 2005.
In 2010
Infanta Cristina of Spain
Infanta Cristina of Spain (Cristina Federica Victoria Antonia de la Santísima Trinidad de Borbón y de Grecia, born 13 June 1965) is the younger daughter of the former King and Queen of Spain Juan Carlos I of Spain, Juan Carlos I and Queen So ...
awarded him the Medal of Merit for Sports.
Master Ishimi regularly provides seminars to members of Shitokai Europe in France, Switzerland, Belgium and Portugal.
As of 2020 he was living in Madrid and continued to teach and practice Karate Do in his Dojo.
The Ishimi gym on Calle Alonso Cano is .
It also gives other types of gym training with music for cardiovascular development and muscle toning using modern equipment and computer-based teaching methods.
Philosophy
Yasunari Ishimi teaches a form of karate closer to its original values as opposed to the purely competitive spirit often found in modern karate.
He says that the old masters learned to move by observing nature. The wind teaches us to breathe, the trees, to stay firm, the bamboo, to be flexible.
Many techniques are based on qualities of wild animals: the strength of the tiger, the speed of the snake or the elegance of the crane.
The practice of these techniques, somehow, returns us to contact with nature from deep inside.
He explains that karate is believed to be a martial art and is mostly seen as fighting, but in its practice it involves the whole body: the breath, the mind ... As with other disciplines of Zen philosophy such as yoga and taichi, you feel a whole internal energy. It serves as a defense technique, but also to improve your health.
Kata
Yasunari Ishimi created his own Kata Chanan Dai, which is an assembly of the five Pinan kata. He introduced this kata in his summer Gushakku in Murcia 2022.
Notes
Sources
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Ishimi, Yasunari
1943 births
Living people
Japanese male karateka