1683: Okinawan martial artist Tejunsoku Uekata visits China. The same year the Chinese attache Wang Ji visits Okinawa, leaving exercises which later become known as the kata Wansu (Empi). Around the same time Okinawan Hama Higa visited Japan and is said to have performed a Sai Kata for the Shogun.
1740: Around this time Takahara Peichin, said to be a Shaolin monk, is a Karate teacher, map maker and astrologer. He is thought to be the teacher of Sakugawa and Yara. 1756: The Qing dynasty "Sapposhi" Guan Kui arrives in Okinawa from China. It is possible that 'Kushanku' traditionally thought to have arrived six years later, was on this ship. Tode Sakugawa who worked for a shipping company and ensured the cargo was defended against pirates, met Kushanku and tried to throw him in the water. Kushanku evaded him, threw him and subsequently taught him a martial art that influenced the development of the kata Kanku Dai. 1778: The Nilsson family move from Sweden to Okinawa. Family patriarch Nils works for a shipping company like Tode Sakugawa 1785-1795: Johann Nilsson and his siblings are born in Okinawa, and their father Nils returns home to Kalmar, Sweden where he has several more Nilsson children 1855: Sokon Matsumura who studied Karate under Sakugawa, and has also trained in China with Iwah and with the Jigen Ryu in Japan, begins teaching at Shuri Castle 1867: Karate master Itoman Bunkichi is born to a Skandinavian father and Okinawan mother. That same year August Nilsson is born in Kalmar, Sweden. Also that year Seisho Aragaki gives the first public demonstration of Karate. 1905: Matsumura's student Itosu develops the Heian kata 1906: Jujutsu master Gunji Koizumi arrives in Liverpool 1915: Shuri Te master Anko Itosu and Naha Te master Higaonna die. Chinese Tiger Boxing master Tang Daiji arrives in Okinawa. The Tang (To) family were originally from Guangzhou. One branch of the family moved to Vietnam. 1922: Shoto Ryu established in Japan by Okinawan Karate teachers Gichin Funakoshi and Makoto Gima 1928: Jujutsu master Mikonosuke Kawaishi arrives in Liverpool. The club is later run by Gerald Skyner and one of his students is Bill Nelson (grandson of August Nilsson and great uncle of Simon Keegan) 1949: Bill Nelson is awarded black belt in Jujutsu, training at Skyner's Jujutsu, Cathrine Street and later at Arnott St School 1950: David Keegan is born in the Year of the Metal Tiger 1956: Karate is formally introduced to England by Vernon Bell. Aikido is also formally introduced around this time. In around 1963 the Shotokan Karate movement grows as masters like Hirokazu Kanazawa and Keinosuke Enoeda arrive in England. 1959: David Keegan studies Jujutsu in Kirkby with Sensei Berni Blundell and in the 1960s trains in the park with Sensei Andy Sherry's Red Triangle Karate 1963: Phil Handyside, later founder of Shobukan Karate, begins training in Preston. In the 1970s he trains under Shotokan master Kanazawa and is awarded 1st Dan, he also trains with Budokan master Chew Choo Soot and is awarded 2nd Dan. 1974: Shotokan practitioner Bob Carruthers begins training in Bujinkai Karate with John Smith and Danny Connor. That same year Reiner Parsons begins studying Goju Ryu in Liverpool 1979: Simon Keegan born 1988: David Keegan and John Barrie (also a Shotokan blackbelt) go to work in Guangzhou and Hong Kong. Simon has begun training round about this time 1995: Simon wins his first Karate tournament 1998: David and Simon are training in Chinese martial arts in a school presided over by Li De Yin 1999: Simon awarded blackbelt in Bushido/Karate by Sensei Steve Bullough 2000: Bushinkai is established. The following year Simon begins training with Sensei Bob Carruthers, also receiving tuition from Mike Newton, Steve Brennan, Jaimie Lee-Barron, George Scarrott and Joe Carslake 2003: Bushinkai joins Kokusai Budoin (IMAF) joining such Japanese masters past and present as Otsuka, Kanazawa, Yamaguchi, Mochizuki, Mifune, Shioda, Sato, Nobetsu, Higuchi and Kondo. Simon also attends Shihan Handyside's 40th anniversary seminar. Simon is graded 3rd Dan by Reiner Parsons. 2007: Simon Keegan, now a 4th Dan devises the system "Hakuda Kempo Toshu Jutsu" 2008: Bushinkai's 8th anniversary at the UK Headquarters of Dai Nippon Butokukai 2010: First Toshu Jutsu blackbelts presented to Jamie Tozer and Dan Sanchez 2012: Bushinkai's 12th anniversary grading attended by Shihan Phil Handyside 8th Dan and Sifu David Keegan |
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