Jürgen Seydel (September 12, 1917 – August 3, 2008) was a German martial artist. Some have credited him as the father of karate in Germany. In 1939 Seydel began judo training at the

University of Bonn The University of Bonn, officially the Rhenish Friedrich Wilhelm University of Bonn (), is a public research university in Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was founded in its present form as the () on 18 October 1818 by Frederick Willi ...

. In 1955, he read an article in a French magazine about karate, which was still unknown in Germany at the time; he traveled to Paris to learn this art. In 1957 Seydel founded according to the JKA the first karate club in Germany in Bad Homburg and soon opened a studio in Usingen. Jürgen learnt from a textbook by Henry Plée and with the knowledge he had acquired on courses. In 1959 he passed the exam for the 1st Dan. Until 1965 he was the only Dan carrier in Germany. Seydel's most prominent student was U.S. musician

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

, then stationed in Germany during his military service. Jürgen Seydel was awarded the

Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (, or , BVO) is the highest state decoration, federal decoration of the Federal Republic of Germany. It may be awarded for any field of endeavor. It was created by the first List of president ...

by Federal President Richard von Weizsäcker for his services to karate in Germany.''Bundesverdienstkreuz für Jürgen Seydel.'' In: Deutscher Karateverband (Hrsg.): ''karate magazin.'' Nr. 2, 1989, Page. 16
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).

Literature

*Werner Lind: Lexikon der Kampfkünste. China, Japan, Okinawa, Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, Burma, Indonesien, Indien, Mongolei, Philippinen, Taiwan u. a. Sportverlag, Berlin 1999, , (Edition BSK).

References

1917 births 2008 deaths German male karateka Karate coaches Recipients of the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Shotokan practitioners Sportspeople from Bonn University of Bonn alumni 20th-century German sportsmen {{Germany-karate-bio-stub