Why is Konishi Sensei (who, after all, died in 1983 aged 90) saluted here? I took this photo in 1982 in Sensei’s dojo in Tokyo. He was still teaching class – kendo and karate – clad in his favorite Hawaiian shirt. I can personally testify that it was impossible to touch him in sparring and he could still throw a big man (I am 6 foot 4) to the ground with scarcely a muscle moved. Konishi trained at his chosen art – both body and mind – his entire life and reaped the rewards.Yasuhiro Konishi, who was born in 1893 in Takamatsu, Kagawa, Japan, began his martial arts training at age 6 in Muso Ryu Jujitsu. At age 13, while practicing jujitsu, Konishi Sensei began studying kendo as well. In September, 1924, Hironishi Ohtsuka, the founder of the Wado-Ryu style of karate, and Gichin Funakoshi, the founder of mainstream Shotokan karate arrived at Konishi's door. With his help Funakoshi established a karatee club at Keio University (the first university karate club in Japan). Thereafter karate expanded to the world-wide activity it is today with Konishi Sensei playing a central role in its development, eventually founding a unique style embodying the best of karate, jujitsu and aikido – Shindo Jinen Ryu. For more on this unique style of karate and details of Yasuhiro Konishi’s life check the link on the right of this page.
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