Kobe Osaka International
Encyclopedia
Shūkōkai
is a group of closely related styles of Karate, based on Tani-ha Shitō-ryū, a branch of Shitō-ryū developed by Chōjirō Tani in the late 1940s, and refined by his student Shigeru Kimura.-History:...
style of Karate
Karate
is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was developed from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks,...
. Founded by Tommy Morris in 1991 in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, KOI has affiliates and member dojo
Dojo
A is a Japanese term which literally means "place of the way". Initially, dōjōs were adjunct to temples. The term can refer to a formal training place for any of the Japanese do arts but typically it is considered the formal gathering place for students of any Japanese martial arts style to...
s in more than 40 countries worldwide and is a member of the World Karate Federation
World Karate Federation
The World Karate Federation, or WKF, was formed in 1990 from former WUKO members and is the largest international governing body of sport karate with over 130 member countries. It is the only karate organization recognised by the International Olympic Committee and has more than ten million members...
. KOI is self-described as a non-political organisation whose primary goal and focus is to spread the “practice and enjoyment of karate-dō through international co-operation and friendship amongst people regardless of race or creed, by means of international seminars, training camps and competitions.
History
Tommy Morris, Scotland's first karate black belt, is the acknowledged founder of organised karate in Scotland. After participating in close combat courses as a part of his Royal Marines ReserveRoyal Marines Reserve
The role of the Royal Marines Reserve of the United Kingdom is to support the regular Royal Marines in times of war or national crisis. The RMR consists of some 600-1000 trained ranks distributed among the five RMR Centres within the UK...
training, Tommy Morris began learning Karate from books and manuals, spending two years training alone and unsupervised. In 1963, he began training with the Shotokan
Shotokan
is a style of karate, developed from various martial arts by Gichin Funakoshi and his son Gigo Funakoshi . Gichin was born in Okinawa and is widely credited with popularizing karate through a series of public demonstrations, and by promoting the development of university karate clubs, including...
teacher Henri Plee in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and opened an informal Karate school at Osaka Judo Club in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. In 1965 Tommy Morris received a rank of shodan from visiting Shūkōkai
Shūkōkai
is a group of closely related styles of Karate, based on Tani-ha Shitō-ryū, a branch of Shitō-ryū developed by Chōjirō Tani in the late 1940s, and refined by his student Shigeru Kimura.-History:...
teacher Yoshinao Nanbu and took leadership of the newly formed Scottish Karate-do Association. In 1967 he travelled with Yoshinao Nanbu to the dojo of Chōjirō Tani in Kobe
Kobe
, pronounced , is the fifth-largest city in Japan and is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture on the southern side of the main island of Honshū, approximately west of Osaka...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, where he was introduced to Shūkōkai Karate and engaged in intensive training with Shigeru Kimura and Chōjirō Tani until he was promoted to the rank of sandan.
With the Kobe Osaka clubs in Scotland spreading into greater Europe, and Tommy Morris becoming Scotland’s first and at the time, only International Karate Referee (and later being appointed by the European Karate Union as Vice Chairman of the European Referees Commission), Kobe Osaka’s popularity, and the popularity of Karate itself continued to grow. In 1977, Tommy Morris was elected Chairman of the World Union of Karate-do Organisations (W.U.K.O) Rules Committee (the predecessor to the World Karate Federation
World Karate Federation
The World Karate Federation, or WKF, was formed in 1990 from former WUKO members and is the largest international governing body of sport karate with over 130 member countries. It is the only karate organization recognised by the International Olympic Committee and has more than ten million members...
.)
Earlier in 1973, the Kobe Osaka Dojo broke away from the Scottish Karate-do Association and Tommy Morris spearheaded the creation of the Scottish Karate Board of Control, and was then awarded the rank of godan by Chōjirō Tani and Shigeru Kimura. Kobe Osaka International was formed in 1991 in Scotland with representatives from nine countries. In 1999, Tommy Morris was appointed Chairman of the World Karate Federation’s Sports Commission, and in 2003 he was awarded the rank of hachidan by the WKF.
International Organisation
In KOI’s beginning, Kobe Osaka Russia was responsible for taking out a lot of medals in international competition, however more recently other regional sub-organisations have begun to take larger part including Kobe Osaka Norway, Kobe Osaka United Kingdom and Kobe Osaka Italia. Another large sub-organisation within KOI is Kobe Osaka Australia, with four clubs in Victoria, Australia. These clubs are located in Highett, Chelsea Heights, Cranbourne and Carrum Downs.Kobe Osaka International holds yearly training camps, Instructor seminars and is also responsible for holding the KOI World Cup that is held yearly at different Kobe Osaka clubs and locations worldwide. 2009 saw the 18th KOI Championships and training camp held at Kuching, Malaysia.
See also
- KarateKarateis a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was developed from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks,...
- ShūkōkaiShūkōkaiis a group of closely related styles of Karate, based on Tani-ha Shitō-ryū, a branch of Shitō-ryū developed by Chōjirō Tani in the late 1940s, and refined by his student Shigeru Kimura.-History:...
- Shitō-ryū
- World Karate FederationWorld Karate FederationThe World Karate Federation, or WKF, was formed in 1990 from former WUKO members and is the largest international governing body of sport karate with over 130 member countries. It is the only karate organization recognised by the International Olympic Committee and has more than ten million members...
- Comparison of karate stylesComparison of karate stylesThe four earliest Karate styles developed in Japan are Shotokan, Wado-ryu, Shito-ryu and Goju-ryu. The first three styles find their origins in the Shuri region of Okinawa whilst Goju-ryu finds its origins in the Naha province....
- Karate kataKarate kataKata is a Japanese word describing detailed patterns of movements practiced either solo or in pairs....