Nishiyama, Hidetaka

Master Hidetaka Nishiyama is considered to be one of the great masters and pioneers of Japanese Traditional Karate. He began his study in 1943 at the age of fifteen, with Master Gichin Funakoshi, the man who introduced Okinawan karate to Japan. At that time, karate was not yet popular. Other martial arts, such as judo and kendo, were taught as compulsory classes in Japanese middle schools, similar to American physed classes. After a difficult search he found Master Funakoshi and his karate dojo in Tokyo. He continued his study from Funakoshi after he went to college.

In the late 40's the American Strategic Air Command (SAC) special forces began combat training in judo, aikido and karate. In a recent interview, Master Nishiyama related some of the events of that time period:

"We were invited to the American bases to instruct... I was the youngest. Every time we went to the bases we were expected to give demonstrations. These were very tough, I had to break many boards so pretty soon my hands and forearms were in a bad state. This happened 3 or 4 times a day. Eventually I couldn't move my arms." According to a student of Master Nishiyama, "...many times the American instructors would present Mr. Nishiyama with very thick boards that had been soaked in water. Mr Nishiyama never failed to break these boards and never once asked his seniors to break them for him." Although this was a difficult time for Master Nishiyama and his fellow karate enthusiasts, it helped him realize that karate could be spread internationally. They were subsequently invited to the United States in 1953 to tour every SAC base in the U.S. and Cuba.

Master Nishiyama later became one of the original founders of the Japan Karate Association, home of the famous JKA Instructors School which has produced some of the most famous karate masters in the world: Kanazawa, Enoeda, Shirai and Mikami. In 1960 he published "Karate: The Art of Empty Hand Fighting". It is still considered the definitive text on the subject and the best selling karate book in history. In 1961 he moved to the United States and founded the All American Karate Federation (AAKF). In 1978, the AAKF completely restructured its organization and changed the name to the American Amateur Karate Federation. The AAKF is a public benefit, non-profit corporation and is the sole Traditional Amateur Karate governing body in the U.S. It is also a member of the International Traditional Karate Federation (ITKF), the worldwide governing body of Traditional Karate.

The AAKF controls national and regional competition and develops technical advancement through special training seminars throughout the US. The AAKF hosted the very first karate competitions between the U.S. and Japan in the historic 1964 Goodwill Tournament held in Los Angeles. In 1968 the AAKF planned and hosted the World International Karate Tournament, the first world scale competition which was held in Los Angeles and Mexico City in cooperation with the Mexica Karate Federation.

The ITKF was founded in 1975 to help avoid confusion between the "new" karate styles and traditional karate, and to maintain consistency in traditional karate training throughout the world. Currently, Master Nishiyama and the ITKF are diligently working with the International Olympic Committee to have traditional karate recognized as an official Olympic event.

Master Nishiyama is now working on a new karate book aimed at karate instructors. He feels that in many geographically larger countries like the U.S., there tends to be a lack of continuity among instructors and their teaching methods because they cannot come together as frequently due to distance. He hopes this book will advance the level of instruction and philosophy of karate in every country that teaches the art.

Master Nishiyama continues to travel throughout the world teaching karate. He is currently the Chairman of the AAKF and President of the ITKF and is one of the highest ranking black belts in karate (9th Dan). He resides in Los Angeles with his wife and their three daughters.

A Short Biography of Master Hidetaka Nishiyama

1928- Born October 10 in Tokyo, Japan

1933- Started Kendo training

1938- Started Judo training

1943- Earned Kendo shodan ranking.
Started karate training at Master Gichin Funakoshi's dojo, the Shotokan.

1945- Enrolled at Takushoku University. Joined Takushoku University Karate Team

1946- Earned Karate shodan ranking.

1948- Earned Karate nidan ranking.

1949- Named Takushoku University Karate Team Captain.
Elected Chairman of the regional collegiate union team.

1950- Earned Karate sandan ranking.
Co-founded the All Japan Collegiate Karate Union and elected at the first chairman.

1951- Graduated from Takushoku University, M.A. in Economics. Named Japan Karate Association Director.

1952- Selected as a member of the martial arts combat instruction staff for the Strategic Air Command (SAC) Combat Training Program. SAC personnel received training in judo, aikido and karate at the Kodokan. The other karate instructors were Masters Nakayama, Obata and others.

1953- Invited by SAC Commander General LeMay, along with other martial arts instructors, to tour SAC bases in the United States. Named Chief, Department of Instruction, Japan Karate Association.

1960- Publication of "Karate, The Art of Empty-Hand Fighting", the most authoritative and best selling karate textbook in history.

1961- Came to the United States and organized the All American Karate Federation (AAKF). The first AAKF Karate Championship was held at the Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles CA.

1965- Organized the first United States vs Japan Goodwill Karate Tournament. Participation of All Japan Collegiate Karate Team marks it as the first official international event.

1968- Organized first World Invitational Tournament, held at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena in conjunction with the Olympic Commemorative Tournament hosted by the Mexico Karate Federation in Mexico City. International conference during the tournament agrees to form an international karate organization and to hold the first world championship in Tokyo, Japan.

1973- Co-founded the Pan American Karate Union (PAKU) and was
elected if first Executive Director. The first PAKU
championship was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

1974- Following an international formation conference in
New York City, Hidetaka Nishiyama was elected the
Executive Director of the International Amateur Karate
Federation (IAKF). The name of the IAKF was later
changed to International Traditional Karate Federation (ITKF).

1975- The first IAKF World Karate Championship was held at
the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena.

1981- Currently serving as President of the JKA International of the United States, President of the American Amateur Karate Federation (AAKF), the direct successor to the All American Karate Federation.

From the 36th AAKF National Tournament program (1997)
Reproduced with permission of E/B Productions (ebprod@karatevid.com)

(Edited for punctuation and clarity)