history

Shikata Shotokan Karate Club was first opened in 1982 at the signal centre in romiley The S.S.K.E. then went on to open the first dojo in offerton dialstone centre which is still going strong to this day along with the dojo in brinnington lapwing centre and Bramhall sports centre.

The S.S.K.E. was established to promote the traditional and disciplined Shotokan style of karate. Proven by the number of students who still enjoy training some of whom are serving members of the police force doctors and other upstanding members of the community. Over the years many members have trained from beginner to Dan grade the number of which runs into double figures . The S.S.K.E. is equally proud of the numbers of students who train regular be thy beginners or Dan grades.

All the instructors of the Shikata Shotokan Karate clubs are black belts and pride themselves on giving the same attention to beginners as to black belts all the instructors are still required to train with Sensei Grice to maintain there level of proficiency to teach with the Shikata Shotokan Karate clubs.

All the Shikata Shotokan Karate instructors are fully insured and members of the B.S.K.

British Shotokan Kyogi (B.S.K) and the sports council.

Shikata Shotokan Karate England.

Japan Shotokan Karate Association Great Britain. Sensei Abe. Sensei Gidley.

Gichin Funakoshi, known as the founder of modern karate, was a professor at the Okinawan Teachers college and president of the Okinawan Association of Martial Art in 1922 he was invited to lecture and demonstrate the new art of karate at the first national athletic exhibition in tokyo. The demonstration turned out to be a great success. due to the inspiring personality of Master Funakoshi and he was flooded with requests until he was able to establish the Shotokan in 1936 a great landmark in the history of karate.

Funskoshi Sensei was not only a genius in martial arts but also a litary talent and signed his work Shoto, his pen name Hence the school where he taught came to be known as Shotos school of Shotokan he combined there techniques and kata's other two major Okinawan styles to form his own style of karate. As a result modern day Shotokan includes the powerful techniques of the Shofei school and the lighter, more flexible movements of the Shorin school.

When the japan karate association was established in 1949. Gichin Funakoshi was appointed as the chief instructor due to his advanced skills and leadership capabilities. Although Funakoshi Sensei was famous as a great karate master, he always emphasized that the most important benefit from karate training is the development of spiritual values and the perfection of character of its participant. After training and teaching karate for more than 75 years . Master Funakoshi died in 1957 at the age of 88.

Sensei Enoeda was born in Kyushu, an island in the south of Japan, on july 4th 1935. A strong and natural athlete, he initially took up baseball, kendo and judo as did many of his contemporaries these being the popular sports in Japan at that time. He proved particularly adept at judo and by the age of 16 he had reached 2nd Dan however as is often the way fate guided him to a demonstration by two top Karate exponents for the famous Takashoku University. The two Karateka SenseiIrea and Okazaki so impressed him that t5here and then he decided to channel his energy into karate.

He enrolled at Takashoku University joined thr Karate section and within two years was the proud holder of shodan. Another two years found him club captain. One his teachers was the great Master and founder of modern Shotokan Karate, Funakoshi Gichin, whose instruction and advice was a source of inspiration to him. He graduated with a degree in economics before joining the J.K.A. instructors class which he attended for three years, during which time his main instructor was Sensei Nakayama. He also trained with many of the top Sensei or other schools and styles of Karate. It eas this quality of instruction, combined with a fearsome determination, which molded Sensei Enoeda into one of japans finest ever competitors and instructors .Always a keen competitor Enoeda regularly entered the various tournaments and achieved several victory's including the east university Karate Championships. Then in 1961 he won third place in the kumite division of the J.K.A. All Japan championships and also finished high in the kata event. The following year he repeated his kata placing and moved another step up in the Kumite by finishing second losing to Hiroshi Shirai and fellow J.K.A. instructors. Then in 1963 after another years hard prepsrstion Enoeda turned the tables on Shirai in the kumite finals and became the all japan champion again being placed as a kata finalist. In those days many credited Enoeda with possessing the strongest punch in all japan, as a result of this tremendously powerful hip action and constant practice on the makiwara.

The Japan Shotokan Karate Association (Great Britain) has senior resident British instructors who report directly to Keigo Abe sensei in Japan The most senior of these is the JSKA-GBs Technical Director Charles Gidley, 7th Dan.Sensei Gidley initially began his training in karate in 1963 in Wado-ryu although he had been boxing since the age of 7. He became an active member of the Karate Union of Great Britain and stayed with them for 22 years.having joined as a founding member in 1966. He left to form his own association in 1988, the British Shotokan Kyogi International.

During his period with the KUGB and since leaving.he has produced many national and international champions and is respected worldwide as an innovative teacher, especially in his understanding and interpretation of kata bunkai.He is regularly sough after as both an instructor of instructors and a referee and is seen by many as one of the UKs most knowledgeable and skilled karate-ka with in-depth knowledge of karate oyo and bunkai. He is graded to 7th Dan with the JSKA, registered with the Honbu in Tokyo, Japan and holds JSKA 'A'class Instructors, Examiner (up to and including 5th Dan) and Referee/Judge certifacation. Abe sensei has only ever graded three individuals to 7th Dan. Two are senior members of the JSKA-GB and the other is dieter Flindt sensei from Germany. He is a fellow of the International Shotokan-ryu Karate-do Shihankai who awarded him the shogo (title) kyoshi for his efforts and input in the style of shotokan karate.