Karate was first introduced in the United Kingdom by Vernon Bell, a judo instructor who attended karate classes with

Henry Plée Henry Plée (also named H.D. Plée, Henri Plée, Henry D. Plée, or Henry-Désiré Plée, 24 May 1923; Arras, Nord-Pas-de-Calais–19 August 2014; Paris) was a French martial artist who is considered as the 'father of European and French karat ...

in Paris.

History

Following its introduction by Vernon Bell, karate was popularised in the UK by various instructors, Japanese and otherwise. Organisations such as the

Karate Union of Great Britain The Karate Union of Great Britain, or KUGB, is an association of Shotokan Karate clubs and Karateka operating across Great Britain, with some oversea affiliations. The 1960s saw a growth in the popularity of Karate, and the KUGB was founded in ...

were established by experts and enthusiasts to promote karate in the UK. The

Japan Karate Association Japan Karate Association (日本空手協会; ''Nihon Karate Kyokai''; JKA; sometimes referred to simply as ''Kyokai'' 協会 in Japan) is one of the oldest global Shotokan karate organization in the world. Origins Gichin Funakoshi played a ...

sent several professional instructors to Britain to spread their

Shotokan 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 ...

style of karate, starting with

Taiji Kase was a Korean -Japanese master of Shotokan karate who was one of the earliest masters responsible for introducing this martial art into Europe.Fernandez, M. (2001)Master Taiji Kase, 9th Dan Shotokan Ryu Karate-Do ''Shotokan Karate Magazine'', Iss ...

Hirokazu Kanazawa was a Japanese master of Shotokan karate.Goodman, F. (2004): ''The practical encyclopedia of martial arts'' (p. 50). London: Lorenz Books. ()Smit, S. (2008): ''Karate'' (2nd ed.) (p. 21). London: New Holland. ()

, Keinosuke Enoeda and

Hiroshi Shirai is a Japanese master of Shotokan karate. He is the founder of the Istituto Shotokan Italia, a subdivision of FIKTA (the Italian Traditional Karate Association) and of the SCI (Shotokan Cultural Institute, formerly WSI - World Shotokan Institute) ...

in 1965. Other karate styles were also established in the UK, including Wado-ryu via Tatsuo Suzuki, and

Kyokushin is a style of karate originating in Japan. It is a style of stand-up fighting and is rooted in a philosophy of self-improvement, discipline, and hard training. Kyokushin Kaikan is the martial arts organization founded in 1964 by Korean-Jap ...

via Steve Arneil. Karate in the UK was the subject of controversy in its early years, following the 1966 murder of Andy Allen by Anthony Creamer, a street fighter and self-taught karate enthusiast.

National governing body

The British Karate Federation (BKF) is the largest karate association in the United Kingdom, and a member of the

British Olympic Committee The British Olympic Association (BOA) is the National Olympic Committee for the United Kingdom. It is responsible for organising and overseeing the participation of athletes from the Great Britain and Northern Ireland Olympic Team, at both ...

. The BKF is affiliated with the European Karate Federation (EKF), as well as the

World Karate Federation The World Karate Federation (WKF) is the largest international governing body of sport karate with 198 member countries. It was formed in 1990, is the only karate organization recognised by the International Olympic Committee and has more than te ...

(WKF). On behalf of the

, the BKF was the only karate association authorised to send athletes to the 2020 Olympics.

International competition

The United Kingdom was once considered a "world power" of

sport 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 Fujian ...

, particularly from the 1970s to 1990s. In the 21st century, the UK has produced four WKF senior world champions: Leon Walters, Rory Daniels, Paul Newby, and Jordan Thomas. Although the UK is represented by

Team GB Team GB is the brand name used since 1999 by the British Olympic Association (BOA) for their Great Britain at the Olympics, British Olympic team. The brand was developed after Great Britain at the 1996 Summer Olympics, the nation's poor perfor ...

at the Summer Olympics, England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales each have separate federations represented in the EKF and WKF.

Today

Karate is one of the most popular martial arts in the United Kingdom today. In Scotland, it was noted as the fastest-growing girls' sport between 2011/12 and 2016/17.

References

Bibliography

*''The Kanazawa Years : Reminiscences'' by Michael Randall, 7th Dan on a Golden Age in British Karate, Shoto Publishing, 1998, {{UK-sport-stub