Kanazawa Kancho (10th Dan Black Belt) is one of the world most renowned and respected traditional karate masters of all time. He is the first karateka to have won the notorious All Japan karate Championship.
In 1957 kumite champion (while nursing a broken wrist)
In 1958 kumite and kata champion
Although trained in Judo in his early years, Kanazawa Kancho took up karate whilst at University under the late headmaster of JKA shotokan, sensei Matsatoshi Nakayama. Kanazawa Kancho is also one of the few remaining karateka privileged to have studied under Master Gichin Funakoshi, the famous Okinawin schoolteacher who brought karate to mainland Japan from Okinawa and founded the Shotokan style.
In 1978, Kanazawa Kancho set up SKIF (Shotokan Karatedo International Federation). SKIF is now the worlds largest Shotokan Karate Association under one chief instructor, having several million members in over 130 countries.