Stan Schmidt

Last updated

Stan Schmidt
Born(1936-10-06)6 October 1936
South Africa
Died7 October 2019(2019-10-07) (aged 83)
Melbourne, Australia
Style Judo, Shotokan Karate
Teacher(s) Keinosuke Enoeda, Masatoshi Nakayama, Tetsuhiko Asai; Taiji Kase
Rank8th dan karate (JKA) [1]

Stan Schmidt was a South African master of Shotokan karate. Along with others, such as Norman Robinson, he was an early practitioner of Shotokan karate in South Africa and his establishment of the South African branch of the Japan Karate Association (JKA) in 1965 after training in Japan, along with his subsequent promotion of the art in South Africa, earned him the appellation of 'The Father of South African Karate'. [2] In 1963, he was one of the first westerners to be invited into the JKA's famous Instructor Class in the Tokyo Honbu dojo and he was later one of four non-Japanese karateka to sit on the JKA's international Shihankai. He was also the first non-Japanese karateka to attain 7th dan from the JKA [3] and also the first to attain 8th dan. Today, he is the highest ranking non-Japanese karate master of that organization. [1] [4] [5] He is also known for his acting roles in several martial arts films of the 1970s and 1980s.

Contents

Early life

Schmidt was born on 6 October 1936 in Kokstad, Transkei, South Africa. [6] He was educated at King Edward VII High School and then studied at the University of South Africa where he obtained a master's degree in Communications. His route into martial arts was initially through judo in which he competed nationally [7] and later karate.

Karate

Stan Schmidt is credited with formally introducing karate to South Africa in the 1950s along with other men such as Len Barnes, Richard Salmon, James Rousseau, Des Botes, and Norman Robinson. [8] [ self-published source ] Schmidt had been introduced to the concept of karate by his Judo instructor who gave him a karate book authored by Hidetaka Nishiyama entitled ‘Karate - The Art of Empty Hand Fighting’, whilst Schmidt was convalescing from a broken ankle. As with the other pioneers of South African karate, it was from textbooks such as this that Schmidt gained his knowledge of karate. He then began training himself at his judo dojo and there, he encouraged other judoka to join him, including Ken Wittstock, Norman Robinson and Eddie Dorey.

Of those that were studying Shotokan, Schmidt was the first to realize the ambition of travelling to Japan for further training when, along with his wife Judy, he left for Tokyo in 1963 to train with the JKA. Whilst in Japan Schmidt fought the then All-Japan Grand Champion Hiroshi Shirai who had won both kata and kumite in 1962. This was despite Schmidt's then much lower rank of 7th Kyu. [7] After this fight, the senior instructor Keinosuke Enoeda coached Schmidt privately and a few months later, before returning to South Africa from this first trip to Japan, Schmidt was graded to 3rd Kyu brown belt by Masatoshi Nakayama. Nakayama also previously invited Schmidt to train with the Instructors Class, which Schmidt dubbed 'The Hornet's Nest' due to the arduous nature of the training therein. [7]

Schmidt's visit to Japan helped forge relations with the JKA such that, in 1964, Taiji Kase visited South Africa. The next year, in 1965, Schmidt and Robinson brought four Japanese instructors to South Africa: the returning Taiji Kase; Keinosuke Enoeda; Hirokazu Kanazawa; and Hiroshi Shirai. [8] These instructors stayed for six months from April to October 1965. Enoeda, stayed at Schmidt's house and trained him. Schmidt achieved his Shodan ('black belt') and then his Nidan (second dan) under Kase. He also went on to become the first South African karate kumite champion. [7] Enoeda then left South Africa for the United Kingdom.

In 1970, Schmidt was one of three South Africans (the others being Norman Robinson and Ronnie Renshaw) to be invited by Japan to participate in the inaugural Karate World Championships [9] at which they competed for Japan.

In the late 1980s, when Schmidt was training for his 7th Dan in Japan he spent time under the teaching of Tetsuhiko Asai. He went on to become the first non-Japanese karateka to attain the level of 7th Dan from the Japan Karate Association and has remained as the highest graded westerner in that organisation [3] latterly being awarded his 8th dan on 14 February 2015. [1]

Schmidt was the subject of an episode of SABC's People of the South, a talk show hosted by Dali Tambo that focused on celebrating the lives of different personalities from southern Africa to promote a sense of national identity and pride by reflecting on their achievements and acclamations. [10] The episode featuring Schmidt was during the program's initial run from 1994–2002.

Schmidt was featured numerous times in issues of "Shotokan Karate", including being featured twice on the cover. [11] [12] An article about him also mentions he is also an author, writing "books on his personal experiences and the philosophy of karate". [13] In 1988 Schmidt wrote some columns for "Fighting Arts International" magazine (at least in issues 48, 54, and 55). [14] He also had a featured article in the September 2001 issue of "Masters of Karate". [15]

Retirement

After retiring, Stan Schmidt moved to Melbourne, Australia. He died in Melbourne on 7 October, 2019, aged 83. [16]

Film career

Stan Schmidt appeared in a number of films as a Martial Artist including in 1976, Karate Killer and in the 1981 box office success Kill and Kill Again. [6] Schmidt and Norman Robinson choreographed the karate fight scenes in Kill and Kill Again and featured in them as the main protagonist's companions, 'The Fly' and 'Gypsy Billy' respectively, with one commentator citing these karate action scenes as the film's only commendation. [17] [ self-published source ]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karate</span> Japanese and Okinawan martial art

Karate (空手), also karate-do, is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts under the influence of Chinese martial arts. While modern karate is primarily a striking art that uses punches and kicks, traditional karate training also employs throwing and joint locking techniques. A karate practitioner is called a karate-ka (空手家).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shotokan</span> Karate style

Shotokan is a style of karate, developed from various martial arts by Gichin Funakoshi (1868–1957) and his son Gigo (Yoshitaka) Funakoshi (1906–1945). Gichin Funakoshi was born in Okinawa and is widely credited with popularizing "karate do" through a series of public demonstrations, and by promoting the development of university karate clubs, including those at Keio, Waseda, Hitotsubashi (Shodai), Takushoku, Chuo, Gakushuin, and Hosei.

Keigo Abe was a Japanese master of Shotokan karate who founded the Japan Shotokan Karate Association in 1999 and is its Chief Instructor. He held the rank of 9th dan in karate, was a direct student of Masatoshi Nakayama (1913–1987), and was a senior instructor in the Japan Karate Association.

The Japan Karate Association is one of the oldest global Shotokan karate organizations in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karate Union of Great Britain</span> Karate union in UK

The Karate Union of Great Britain, or KUGB, is an association of Shotokan Karate clubs and Karateka operating across Great Britain, with some oversea affiliations. The 1960s saw a growth in the popularity of Karate, and the KUGB was founded in 1966 to be a democratic, not-for-profit organisation, and was the first single style organisation within the UK. Many other British Shotokan Karate organisations have since formed after splitting from the KUGB. The KUGB is currently affiliated to the European Shotokan Karate Association (ESKA) and the World Shotokan Karate Association (WSKA).

Hirokazu Kanazawa was a Japanese master of Shotokan karate. He was the Chief instructor and President of the Shotokan Karate-Do International Federation, an organisation he founded after he left the Japan Karate Association (JKA). Kanazawa was ranked 10th dan in Shotokan Karate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tetsuhiko Asai</span> Japanese master of Shotokan karate

Tetsuhiko Asai was a prominent Japanese master of Shotokan karate of the Japan Karate Association (JKA), founder and Chief Instructor of the International Japan Martial Arts Karate Asai-ryu (IJKA), and founder of the Japan Karate Shoto Federation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dave Hazard</span> British karateka

Dave Hazard is a British 7th Dan Karateka and instructor of Shotokan karate and was one of the few students present at the very beginning of British Karate. He is a former KUGB national champion and British team member. Like many of the early karateka he first trained in judo before starting karate in 1969 at the Blackfriers club in London, where he trained under Keinosuke Enoeda, Hirokazu Kanazawa, Kato and Takahashi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yoseikan Karate</span> Karate style

Yoseikan Karate (養正館空手) or Yoseikan Ryu Karate (養正館流空手) is the name given to the variant of Shotokan Karate taught at the Yoseikan Dojo in Shizuoka, Japan, under the direction of Minoru Mochizuki.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yutaka Yaguchi</span> Japanese karateka (1932–2023)

Yutaka Yaguchi was a Japanese karateka who was the Chief Instructor and Chairman of the International Shotokan Karate Federation (ISKF) Mountain States Region. He was born in Hiroshima, Japan, in 1932 and began karate training in 1952. He later tested under masters Gichin Funakoshi for his 1st dan black belt and Masatoshi Nakayama for his 2nd through 8th dan black belts. As one of the first graduates of the Japan Karate Association (JKA) Instructors' Training Program in 1959, he played an important role in the growth of JKA karate and the internationalization of Shotokan karate. Yaguchi first arrived in the United States on June 5, 1965. In 1974, Yaguchi founded the ISKF of Colorado, the regional headquarters for the Mountain States Region.

Andy Sherry was one of the most senior British practitioners of Karate and the retired chief instructor of the Karate Union of Great Britain. Sherry was unanimously convicted at Liverpool Crown Court of five criminal offences of a sexual nature relating to two victims, and sentenced to two years in prison and ordered to sign the Sex Offender Register for 10 years.

JKA England (JKAE) is the official Japan Karate Association (JKA) organisation for Shotokan karate in England and Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keinosuke Enoeda</span> Japanese karateka

Keinosuke Enoeda was a Japanese master of Shotokan karate. He was a former Chief Instructor of the Karate Union of Great Britain. Enoeda was ranked 8th dan in Shotokan karate, and was widely renowned as a formidable karateka. Following his death, Enoeda was posthumously awarded the rank of 9th dan.

James Yabe is a Japanese-American martial arts instructor, and author. One of the oldest students of Hidetaka Nishiyama starting in 1961, Yabe is considered one of the great instructors of Japanese traditional Shotokan Karate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taiji Kase</span> Japanese karateka

Taiji Kase was a Japanese master of Shotokan karate who was one of the earliest masters responsible for introducing this martial art into Europe. He taught his style of karate, Shotokan Ryu Kase Ha, in France from the late 1960s to the mid-1980s. In his later years, he travelled across the world teaching karate, but Paris remained his home. Kase held the rank of 9th dan in karate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hiroshi Shirai</span> Japanese karateka (1937–2024)

Hiroshi Shirai was a Japanese master of Shotokan karate. He was the founder of the Istituto Shotokan Italia, a subdivision of FIKTA and of the SCI. Shirai held the title of Shihan and was responsible for taking the dan examinations within SCI and, together with Carlo Fugazza, for those within the FIKTA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hideo Ochi</span> Japanese karateka

Hideo Ochi is a Japanese master of karate. He is ranked 9th Dan, and is a former Japan Karate Association (JKA) World Champion in kumite (sparring) and kata (patterns). He was also coach of the German national team and Chief Instructor for JKA Europe. In 1997, he received the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Japan Shotokan Karate Association (JSKA) was founded by Keigo Abe in 1999. Abe was a former instructor graduate of the Japan Karate Association and trained and taught at the JKA Headquarters for nearly 35 years. He held a number of senior positions within the JKA and latterly the Matsuno section of the JKA. He had been a senior student of Nakayama and as such the teachings of Nakayama remain an integral part of the evolution of the Shotokan style within the JSKA. Abe Sensei died on December 20, 2019. And he was awarded a posthumous 10th Dan by the JSKA Shihankai on his passing. The current Chief Instructor is Mitsuru Nagaki, 9th Dan, a student of Abe and former instructor with the Japan Karate Shotorenmei.

Norman Robinson is a South African master of Shotokan karate. He and Stan Schmidt were the first practitioners of Shotokan karate in South Africa and they instigated the establishment of the South African branch of the Japan Karate Association (JKA) in 1965 and popularized the art across the country. In 1970 he was one of the first westerners to be invited into the JKA's famous Instructor Class in the Tokyo Honbu dojo, the invitation having been offered by Masatoshi Nakayama himself. Latterly, he established Japan Karate Shotokai South Africa, having remained loyal to Tetsuhiko Asai after Asai established Japan Karate Shotokai. Norman Robinson is also a distinguished student of Judo, holding a 7th dan in that art, and is also known for his acting roles in several martial arts films. His son, Mark Robinson is multi-disciplinary martial artist and powerlifter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karin Prinsloo (karateka)</span> South African Karateka and winner of the 2001 World Games, living in Australia

Karin Prinsloo is a South African karateka, gold medal winner of the 6th World Games (2001) in the under 60 kg Kumite category and Karate instructor formerly based in Durban, South Africa, now living in Perth, Australia. She is listed among the top Karate competitors of all time.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "JKA SKC Australasia official site - biography".
  2. ↑ Shotokan Karate Magazine, Issue 42, January 1995
  3. 1 2 sylvainlafitte.com, Sylvain Lafitte, Web Designer. "Budo Karate International". www.bki-karate.com. Retrieved 11 January 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. ↑ Robin L. Rielly, Karate Basics, Tuttle Publishing, 20 Dec 2011
  5. ↑ Black Belt, Dec 1984, p94, Vol. 22, No. 12, ISSN 0277-3066
  6. 1 2 "Stan Schmidt". IMDb. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "An Interview with Stan Schmidt P1". www.theshotokanway.com. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  8. 1 2 Antonio (Tone) Resende, Hajime: Karate History in a U.S. community, p31, Xlibris Corporation, 16 Sep 2013
  9. ↑ South African Scope, Published 1970, digitized 16 Dec 2010
  10. ↑ Juliana (9 February 2017). "Dali Tambo". South African History Online. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  11. ↑ "Spirit First-Then Technique". Shotokan Karate. No. 55. May 1998. p. front cover.
  12. ↑ "Pioneer of South African Shotokan Karate-Do". Shotokan Karate. No. 105. October 2010. p. front cover.
  13. ↑ Pater Coster (23 March 2015). "Age-Defying Sensei Reigns Outside Japan". Herald Sun.
  14. ↑ "Stan Schmidt articles".retrieved June 7, 2022
  15. ↑ Stan Schmidt (September 2001). "Warrior Perseverance". Masters of Karate.
  16. ↑ "Sad News -Shihan Stan Schmidt-". Japan Karate Associations. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
  17. ↑ Sarah Miles Bolam & Thomas J. Bolam, Fictional Presidential Films: A Comprehensive Filmography of Portrayals from 1930 to 2011, p124, Xlibris Corporation
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.