Name: School Of Shotokan Karate
Address: Leventhorpe Leisure Centre, Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire, CM21 9BY, GB
Telephone: 01279267762

Business Info

Soke Kanazawa, President and chief instructor of Shotokan Karate-Do International Federation (SKIF), is arguably one of, if not, the greatest Shotokan Karate-ka of the modern age. He was taught by the founder of Shotokan, Gichin Funakoshi, and by Master Masatoshi Nakayama, Chief Instructor of the JKA. Soke Kanazawa came to Great Britain in 1965 and taught his first lesson in April of that year, Hanshi Mick Randall was a senior student in that class. He continued to train under Kanazawa Sensei for many years and has spent a lifetime passing on his instructors teachings to his students. Whilst recently formed (2011) SSSK has a lot of accumulated experience to offer with two 5th Dans, one 4th Dan, one 3rd Dan and four 2nd Dans who all train regularly and all of whom are willing and able to help the club's Karate-ka develop their knowledge and understanding of Shotokan Karate. We are supported and guided by SHOTO with 14 instructors above the rank of 5th Dan presided over by Hanshi Mick Randall MBE who is one of the highest ranked Western instructors in Europe.

One of the original "Seven Samurai" he started his Karate journey in January 1964 under the tutelage of Professor Dr. Vernon Bell, the first Shotokan Instructor in the UK. He is also one of the very few to have been taught by the Japanese instructors Tetsuji Murakami and Hiroo Mochizuki. A staunch traditionalist, he became one of the first in Britain to obtain a black belt under the Japan Karate Association in January 1967.