Teruyuki Okazaki
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Teruyuki Okazaki (b June 22, 1931), a ninth degree black belt in Shotokan Karate, is the founder, chairman and chief instructor of the International Shotokan Karate Federation (ISKF), which functions under the Japan Karate Association (JKA).
Along with Funakoshi and Nakayama, Okazaki helped found the JKA Instructor training program. Okazaki has published a book on his experiences titled Perfection of Character.[1]
Teruyuki Okazaki was born in Fukuoka prefecture Japan. As a young man, he grew up studying judo, kendo, and aikido. In 1948, at the age of sixteen, he entered Takushoku University. It was here that Okazaki began his karate training. Teruyuki Okazaki studied primarily under Gichin Funakoshi (Shotokan's founder) as well as Masatoshi Nakayama. In 1953, Okazaki graduated and was immediately appointed coach of the Takushoku team. Later that year, it was decided that Okazaki would be trained as a "test case" for the still formulating JKA Instructor Trainee Program. In 1955, he was appointed head of the program, which produced some of modern Shotokan's most integral leaders. Takayuki Mikami, Takaura Eiji, and Hirokazu Kanazawa were among the first graduates from this program. As part of an effort by Nakayama to spread the practice of Shotokan karate internationally, Okazaki came to the United States in 1961, originally planning to stay only six months, but has since opened a dojo in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and setteled there permanently.[2] In 1977, Okazaki founded the International Shotokan Karate Federation.
