Tetsuji Murakami was a karate master and teacher. He was born in the Shizuoka Prefecture

Shizuoka Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region on Honshu island. The capital is the city of Shizuoka.- History :Shizuoka prefecture was formed from the former Tōtōmi, Suruga and Izu provinces.The area was the home of the first Tokugawa Shogun...

, 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...

, in 1927. When he turned nineteen, he started learning Karate-do under Master Masaji Yamagushi, a student of O-sensei. He trained for ten years, also learning the styles of kendo

Kendo

, meaning "Way of The Sword", is a modern Japanese martial art of sword-fighting based on traditional Japanese swordsmanship, or kenjutsu.Kendo is a physically and mentally challenging activity that combines strong martial arts values with sport-like physical elements.-Practitioners:Practitioners...

 and aikido

Aikido

is a Japanese martial art developed by Morihei Ueshiba as a synthesis of his martial studies, philosophy, and religious beliefs. Aikido is often translated as "the Way of unifying life energy" or as "the Way of harmonious spirit." Ueshiba's goal was to create an art that practitioners could use to...

. In 1957, he was invited to France by Henry Plée

Henry Plée

Henry Plée is a French martial artist who is considered as the 'father of European and French karate'. He is the only 10th dan karate master living outside of Japan, and the only Westerner who holds this rank...

 of the French Martial Arts Academy. In 1959, he was invited to Italy by sensei Vladimiro Malatesti. By 1960, his skills and charisma had begun to draw a following of the top students in Europe. His influence progressively expanded to Germany, England, Yugoslavia, Algeria, Portugal, and Switzerland. In 1968, he traveled back to Japan, where he trained with master Shigeru Egami

Shigeru Egami

was a pioneering Japanese master of Shotokan karate who founded the Shōtōkai style. He was a student of Gichin Funakoshi, who is widely recognized as the founder of modern karate.-Early life:...

. Influenced by master Egami, Tetsuji Murakami improved his techniques, integrating a technique called irimi

Irimi

is a Japanese martial arts term used to describe entering straight into a technique, as opposed to the more indirect entrance into technique called tenkan. In basic training, irimi usually looks like a step forward, straight or at an angle but usually ending with the body facing the attacker,...

. Using what he observed, he decided to make a profound transformation in his technique and practice. He returned to Europe as the representative of the Japanese Karate Shotokai

Shotokai

is the organisation formed originally in 1930 by Gichin Funakoshi to teach and spread the art of karate . The organization still exists and promotes a style of karate that adheres to Funakoshi's teachings, in particular the notion that competition is contrary to the essence of karate...

. In the following years the expansion of Murakami's Shotokai continued. His students included Louis Carvalho, Patrick Herbert, Borko Jovanovic, and Pierre-John Boyer, among others. Master Tetsuji Murakami died in 1987 in Paris.