 |
| Steven Bellamy | |
|---|---|
 British All-Styles Karate Team member - 1972 | |
| Born | 12 June 1950 Sheffield, England,  |
| Residence | Japan |
| Style | Jōdō, Iaido, Karate, Judo |
| Teacher(s) | Ichitaro Kuroda, Morio Higaonna, Isao Okano |
| Rank | 10th dan karate 7th dan judo 7th dan aikido |
| Notable students | Chisato Mishima |
Steven John Bellamy (born in Sheffield, England on 12 June 1950) is a British martial artist, author, and lecturer.
Steve Bellamy practiced judo and boxing at school. He began studying karate in the early sixties, crediting the book Karate the Art of Empty Hand Fighting by Nishiyama and Brown as his inspirational source. His first formal lessons were in the Wadō-ryū style under Masafumi Shiomitsu later changing to Goju-ryu style under Brian Waites.
In the late sixties and seventies he won numerous national, European, and world titles in karate. He was a British All-Styles Karate Team member from 1970 to 1973. During 1974 to 1977, he won several full contact and kick-boxing titles in Japan and in the USA. He has lived and trained in Japan for more than 40 years.
In addition to instructor ranks in karate, jūdō and aikidō, he holds advanced teaching licenses in several classical martial arts of Japan, notably Shindō Muso-ryū Jodō, Musō Shinden ryū Iaido, and Kasumi Shindō-ryū Kenjutsu
He is a member of the Kansai Japanese language council (関西国語審議会) and has passed both the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (日本語能力試験) and the Japanese foreign service translators examination at level 1 (the highest).
He was made a freeman of the City of Sheffield in 1992.
In 1998 he was awarded a master's degree in Advanced Japanese Studies.
In July 2009 he was appointed to the Nihon Jodo Association (日本杖道協会) Board of Directors.
In September 2010 he was appointed to the All Japan Iaido Federation (全日本居合道連盟) Board of Examiners.
On 24 March 2013 he received 8th Dan and the title Shihan in Japanese calligraphy (Shodo)
On 12 June 2016 he was promoted to 9th dan Okinawan Goju Karate
On 12 June 2020 he was promoted to 10th dan Okinawan Goju Karate
Steve Bellamy studied karate under:
Iaidō (居合道), abbreviated with iai (居合), is a Japanese martial art that emphasizes being aware and capable of quickly drawing the sword and responding to sudden attacks.
Wadō-ryū (和道流) is one of the four major karate styles and was founded by Hironori Otsuka (1892-1982). The style itself places emphasis on not only striking, but tai sabaki, joint locks and throws. It has its origins within Tomari-te karate, but was also influenced by Shito-Ryu and Shotokan; however, its main influence comes from JuJitsu, which explains the emphasis on concepts such as tai sabaki, noru and nagashi sabaki.
Hironori Ōtsuka was a Japanese master of karate who created the Wadō-ryū style of karate. He was the first Grand Master of Wadō-ryū karate, and received high awards within Japan for his contributions to karate.
Nakayama Hakudō, also known as Nakayama Hiromichi, was a Japanese martial artist and founder of the iaidō style Musō Shinden-ryū. He is the only person to have received both jūdan and hanshi ranks in kendō, iaidō, and jōdō from the All Japan Kendo Federation. In addition, he held an instructor's license in Shintō Musō-ryū and a Menkyo kaiden in Shindō Munen-ryū making him the 7th sōke of that system. Nakayama was also one of the masters of the Shimomura-ha Musō Shinden Eishin-ryū, iaijutsu.
Shintō Musō-ryū, or Shindō Musō-ryū (神道夢想流), most commonly known by its practice of jōdō, is a traditional school (koryū) of the Japanese martial art of jōjutsu, or the art of wielding the short staff (jō). The technical purpose of the art is to learn how to defeat a swordsman in combat using the jō, with an emphasis on proper combative distance, timing and concentration. The system includes teachings of other weapon systems which are contained in Shintō Musō-ryū as auxiliary arts. The school is sometimes abbreviated as SMR.
Shindō Yōshin-ryū (新道楊心流), meaning "New Willow School" is a traditional school (ko-ryū) of Japanese martial arts, teaching primarily the art of jūjutsu. The first kanji of the name originally translated into "新=New", but in the mainline branch the kanji for "new" was eventually changed into the homophonic "神=sacred". The name of the school may also be transliterated as Shintō Yōshin-ryū, but the koryu tradition should not be confused with the modern school of Shintōyōshin-ryū which is unconnected.
Ikkaku-ryū juttejutsu is a school of juttejutsu that, as the equivalent to its sister variant Chūwa-ryū tankenjutsu (中和流短剣術), is taught alongside traditional school (ko-ryū) of Japanese martial arts, Shintō Musō-ryū. It is composed of 24 forms (kata) divided into two series. It was created by the third Shintō Musō-ryū (SMR) Headmaster, Matsuzaki Kinu'emon Tsunekatsu in the late 17th century.
Jōdō (杖道), meaning "the way of the jō", or Jōjutsu (杖術) is a Japanese martial art using a short staff called jō. The art is similar to bōjutsu, and is strongly focused upon defense against the Japanese sword. The jō is a short staff, usually about 3 to 5 feet long.
Kata is an old way of teaching traditional martial arts in Japan. Kata are used in many modern and koryū martial arts as a way of teaching advanced techniques and maneuvers using a series of scripted movements and actions against an opponent. In many of the older koryū martial arts, kata are at the center of what is taught with little or even no sparring as compared to more modern martial arts such as kendo and/or judo
Felton Messina started practicing Karatedo in 1966, while studying in the University of Puerto Rico, city of Mayagüez, supervised by his first teacher, the Puerto Rican Edwin Hernández in a style called Okinawan Kenpo Karatedo. In 1968 he was promoted to black belt 1st Degree and received the grade certificate from Edwin Hernández. In 1969, Felton Messina returned to the Dominican Republic having graduated as an electrical engineer. When he arrived in Santo Domingo, the only martial arts practiced there, were Judo and Taekwondo. When a group of young people heard of his arrival, they asked him to teach them the style of striking martial art that he had learned in Puerto Rico. In 1969 the Kenpo Karatedo Association was formed by Felton Messina, and this new style spread throughout the whole Caribbean nation. While being president of the Dominican Judo Federation,, he was advised by the president of the Dominican Olympic Committee, to form what to this day is known as the Dominican Karate Federation (DOKAFE), which was recognized as well by the Dominican Olympic Committee. With the recognition of DOKAFE by the Dominican Olympic Committee Felton Messina quits from his position as President of the Dominican Judo Federation and becomes the first president of the Dominican Karate Federation. In 1975, Felton Messina stops practicing Okinawan Kenpo and begins practicing the Nihon Koden Shindo Ryu style of Karatedo under the teachings of Hiroyuki Hamada, native from the province of Sendai, Japan.
Shintō Musō-ryū, or Shindō Musō-ryū (神道夢想流) is a traditional (ko-ryū) school of the Japanese martial art of jōjutsu, the art of handling the Japanese short staff (jō). The art was created with the purpose of defeating a swordsman in combat using the jō, with an emphasis on proper distance, timing and concentration. Additionally, a variety of other weapons are also taught.
Morio Higaonna is a prominent Okinawan karate practitioner who is the founder and former Chief Instructor of the International Okinawan Goju-ryu Karate-do Federation (IOGKF). He is a holder of the highest rank in Goju-ryu karate, 10th dan. Higaonna has written several books on Goju-ryu karate, including Traditional Karate-do: Okinawa Goju Ryu (1985) and The history of Karate: Okinawan Goju Ryu (2001). Martial arts scholar Donn Draeger (1922–1982) reportedly once described him as "the most dangerous man in Japan in a real fight."
Shindō Munen-ryū or Shintō Munen-ryū (神道無念流) is a Japanese koryū martial art school founded by Fukui Hyōemon Yoshihira (福井兵右衛門嘉平) in the early 18th century. The style rapidly gained popularity throughout Japan due to the efforts of Togasaki Kumataro, Okada Junmatsu, Saito Yakuro, and his sons Shintaro and Kannosuke.
Taiho-jutsu (逮捕術) is a term for martial arts developed by Japan’s feudal police to arrest dangerous criminals, who were usually armed and frequently desperate. While many taiho-jutsu methods originated from the classical Japanese schools of kenjutsu (swordsmanship) and jūjutsu, the goal of the feudal police officers was to capture lawbreakers alive and without injury. Thus, they often used specialized implements and unarmed techniques intended to pacify or disable suspects rather than employing more lethal means.
Soleiman Mehdizadeh is an Iranian master of Budō.
The Zen Nippon Iaidō Renmei (ZNIR) or All Japan Iaidō Federation is a national non-governmental organization in Japan, founded in 1948 by Ikeda Hayato. The ZNIR was officially formed and registered with the government on May 5, 1954 by Iaido practitioners from multiple styles. The ZNIR is Japan's oldest and largest Iaidō-only specialist organization. It holds yearly National Kyoto Iaidō Event in Kyoto, Japan typically from May 3 to May 5 and Hamamatsu National Iaidō Competition Tournament in Hamamatsu city in October. ZNIR also holds many other regional Iaidō tournaments regularly throughout the years.
Japan Karatedo Federation Renbukai is a Bōgutsuki Karate organization.
Bōgutsuki Karate is one of the competition formats of Karate. It is also known as bōgu karate, bōgu-tsuki shiai (防具付試合), bōgu-tsuki kumite.
Sosui Ichikawa, was a Japanese martial artist born in Ueno, Tokyo, Japan who was the 4th Sōke of the Zen Nihon Goju-Ryu Karate-do Renmei (全日本剛柔流空手道連盟) and founder of the Sosuikan (素水館). He would teach Goju-Ryu karate while still doing his research and development. Ichikawa's studies were often focused on the Bubishi (武備志), and would ultimately come to write his texts, the Kōshu-do (交手道) and other documents. Sosui Ichikawa was accepted as Hanshi (範士), Jūdan (十段) in 1983 by the Okinawan Karate-Do Renmei.