| Teruyuki Okazaki | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 22, 1931 Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan |
| Residence | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Style | Shotokan |
| Teacher(s) | Gichin Funakoshi, Masatoshi Nakayama |
| Rank | 10th dan karate |
| Notable students | Tetsuhiko Asai, Frank Woon-a-tai |
| Website | http://www.iskf.com |
Teruyuki Okazaki (岡崎 照幸, born June 22, 1931), a tenth degree black belt in Shotokan Karate, is the founder, chairman and chief instructor of the International Shotokan Karate Federation (ISKF). Along with Gichin Funakoshi and Masatoshi Nakayama, Okazaki helped found the Japan Karate Association's instructor training program.
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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, Eiji Takaura, 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 settled there permanently.[1] In 1977, Okazaki founded the International Shotokan Karate Federation.
In April 2007 Okazaki proposed, as chief instructor of the ISKF, termination of the ISKF's relationship with the JKA and formed an external independent body. This motion was supported by 25 other countries which continued their relationship with the ISKF and discontinued relations with the JKA.
This decision came following Okazaki's concern that the JKA had not been conducting itself in the manner appropriate to the teachings of Master Gichin Funakoshi.
At the following Canadian National ISKF Championships in Toronto, Canada in October 2007, the ISKF technical committee announced Okazaki's promotion to 10th dan, the highest ranking karate master in the ISKF, and among only a couple others internationally at the time. Yutaka Yaguchi was also promoted to the rank of 9th dan and is now Vice Chairman and Vice Chief Instructor of the ISKF and Chairman of the Technical Committee of the ISKF.
Although Okazaki has spent most of his adult life promoting Shotokan throughout North America, he has also held a faculty position at Philadelphia’s Temple University since 1970 and is an instructor at the University of Pennsylvania, Drexel University, West Chester University, and Thomas Jefferson University.