Ken-Shin-Kan

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Ken-Shin-Kan
Seiichi Akamine (founder) and the Ken-Shin-Kan logo
Date founded	c.1960
Country of origin	Brazil
Founder	Seiichi Akamine (1920–1995)
Current head	Roberto & Raúl Fernandez de la Reguera S.
Arts taught	Karate
Ancestor schools	Gōjū-ryū

Ken-Shin-Kan is a Gōjū-ryū karate school, founded by Seiichi Akamine. This school originated in Brazil and has spread to Chile,^[1] Uruguay,^[2] the United States,^[3] Argentina, Paraguay, Honduras, Spain, and Australia.[1] [2][3]

[edit] Founder

Seiichi Akamine was born in 1920 in Okinawa and began martial arts training as a child with his grandfather and, formally, under Chomo Hanashiro, Yabu Kentsū, and Chōtoku Kyan. Akamine practised Shuri-te until he met Chōjun Miyagi and devoted himself to the latter's Gōjū-ryū style. Within Gōjū-ryū, Akamine was most influenced by Higa Sekō (Miyagi’s right-hand man and also a disciple of Higaonna Kanryō or Higashionna) and Kanki Izumikawa (Izumigawa) (a senior student of Higa and close friend of Akamine). Akamine also learned other arts, including Kobudo, Kenjutsu, Judo, Uechi-ryū, Gensei-ryū, and Bugeikan Okinawa-te, as well as some traditional medicine like shiatsu, do-in, and kuatsu.[4]

Akamine moved to mainland Japan for university studies and then opened a dojo, calling it Shikan-Kan, as he was known also as “Shikan” Akamine. In 1950, Akamine joined other masters for a "Nippon TV" karate show: Hidetaka Nishiyama represented the Shōtōkan-ryū (Japan Karate Association), Ryusho Sakagami the Itosu-Kai Shito-ryū, Yasuhiro Koishi the Ryobu-Kai, H. Kenjo the Kenshu-Kai, Seiken Shukumine his Genseiryu/Taido-Kyokai, and Kanki Izumikawa and Akamine represented the Gōjū-ryū. [5]

In 1957, Akamine moved to Brazil, being one of the highest ranked masters to come to South America (8th dan from the Dai Nippon Butoku Kai) and the first Gōjū-ryū master in South America. He founded the Brazilian Martial Arts Association and influenced most of the Gōjū-ryū masters that still today teach karate and kobudo in Brazil. He later retired from this Association and in 1968 founded the Ken-Shin-Kan. Akamine died in 1995 in Brazil.[6]