Tsutomu Ohshima

Description

Japanese Shotokan karate master and founder of Shotokan Karate of America (SKA). He trained under Gichin Funakoshi at Waseda University and was awarded 5th dan by Funakoshi. He founded the first university karate club in the US at Caltech in 1957 and established the Southern California Karate Association, later renamed SKA. He translated Funakoshi's Karate-do Kyohan into English and was selected as Black Belt magazine's Japanese Instructor of the Year in 1968.

Teachers (1)

• 
  Funakoshi Gichin

  sports_martial_artsShotokan Probable

  Probable

  Ohshima trained directly under Gichin Funakoshi at Waseda University from 1948 to 1953 and was promoted by him; extensively documented

  The evidence favours the claim and nothing credible contradicts it, but it falls short of establishing it.

  (1948–1953)

  fact_checkassessed by FSMverified

  Frederico Muñoz

  Researcher, Martialis

  1 source expand_more

  fact_check

  Ohshima trained directly under Gichin Funakoshi at Waseda University from 1948 to 1953 and was promoted by him; extensively documented

  “Ohshima began studying karate in 1948, while a student at Waseda University. There, he trained under Shotokan's founder, Gichin Funakoshi”

  — Tsutomu Ohshima (Wikipedia EN)link history info

Ranks (1)

• sports_martial_artsShotokan

  military_tech5 dan Probable

  Probable

  Promoted by Gichin Funakoshi himself, documented in Wikipedia and SKA history

  The evidence favours the claim and nothing credible contradicts it, but it falls short of establishing it.

  Dan-Kyu System (1957)

  fact_checkassessed by FSMverified

  Frederico Muñoz

  Researcher, Martialis

  1 source expand_more

  fact_check

  Promoted by Gichin Funakoshi himself, documented in Wikipedia and SKA history

  “Funakoshi promoted Ohshima to 5th dan - the highest rank awarded by Funakoshi”

  — Tsutomu Ohshima (Wikipedia EN)link history info

Students (2)

• 
  Chuck Norris

  sports_martial_artsShotokan Probable

  Probable

  Norris trained under Tsutomu Ohshima in Shotokan Karate; documented in American Tang Soo Do article and Ohshima's biography

  The evidence favours the claim and nothing credible contradicts it, but it falls short of establishing it.

  fact_checkassessed by FSMverified

  Frederico Muñoz

  Researcher, Martialis

  1 source expand_more

  fact_check

  Norris trained under Tsutomu Ohshima in Shotokan Karate; documented in American Tang Soo Do article and Ohshima's biography

  “Norris continued his martial arts training with Shotokan Karate masters Tsutomu Ohshima”

  — American Tang Soo Do (Wikipedia EN)link history info
• person
  Claude Goetz

  sports_martial_artsShotokan Confirmed

  Confirmed

  Two independent sources state Goetz trained with Ohshima; the details (period, venue) are not documented

  The evidence establishes the claim: it is sufficient and consistent, and any conflicting evidence is resolved.

  fact_checkassessed by FSMverified

  Frederico Muñoz

  Researcher, Martialis

  2 sources expand_more

  fact_check

  Two independent sources state Goetz trained with Ohshima; the details (period, venue) are not documented

  “Claude and Jacques DELCOURT [...] trained in Paris together with Tsutomu OSHIMA, disciple of Giehin FUNAKOSHI.”

  — CNK - Centre National de Karate history page link history info

  “my karate teacher Claude Goetz (the European karate pioneer who studied with Tsutomu Oshima, a disciple of Gichin Funakoshi)”

  — Warrener, Don. (2011). Jean Claude Van Damme - Behind The Public Image. FightingArts.comlink history info

Sources

Identifiers