As most of you know, the United States National Karate Association (USNKA), which I am honored to serve as its President, just recognized legendary karateka Hirokazu Kanazawa with our Living Martial Arts Treasure Award. If you haven’t seen the post, photo of Hanshi Kanazawa with his award, and clip, here’s the link: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/group.php?gid=151512381539463.
In recent months, I’ve announced several Living Martial Arts Treasure Award recipients, with a few more to come. Hanshi Kanazawa joins other extraordinary martial artists Ronnie Colwell, Harry Cook, Patrick McCarthy, and Phillip Koeppel who have received Living Treasure awards during the current period. (This is still secret but the next USNKA Living Martial Arts Treasure Award recipient will be legendary UK karateka and jujitsuka, Hanshi Terry Wingrove. We are merely awaiting the arrival of his certificate to make the announcement.)
Several other martial arts greats have been designated as Living Treasures since the award’s initiation in the 90s. These include Soke Takayuki Kubota, Hanshi George Anderson, Professor Sig Kufferath, Hanshi Zenpo Shimabukuro, WUKO/WKF President and Co-Founder Jacques Delcourt, WUKO/WKF Co-Founder Ryoichi Sasakawa, Hanshi Tatsuo Suzuki, Hanshi Shugoro Nakazato, Hanshi Richard Kim, Hanshi Ryuko Tomoyose, and Hanshi Walter Todd.
I’ve been asked how we decide who will receive our Living Treasure Awards. As I work on my next blog installment of my life in karate, I will soon post an outline of the qualities they must possess to be considered. Thanks for following my humble ramblings.
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