Henry Plée
| Henry Plée | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 24, 1923 Arras, France |
| Died | 19 August 2014 (aged 91) Paris |
| Other names | H.D. Plée Henri Plée Henry D. Plée Henry-Désiré Plée |
| Residence | 34, rue de la Montagne Ste Geneviève, 5th arr., Paris, France |
| Nationality |
 French |
| Style | Karate, Judo, Aikido, Kendo, Bōjutsu, French savate |
| Teacher(s) | Gichin Funakoshi, Murakami, Hiroo Mochizuki Enoeda, Yoshinao Nanbu, Taiji Kase, Fukuda Rikutaro, Tsutomu Ohshima, Tsuneyoshi Ogura |
| Rank | 10th dan Karate 5th dan Judo 4th dan Aikido 3rd dan Jujutsu 1st dan Kendo 1st dan Bōjutsu |
| Spouse | Léa Plée Jabri |
| Children | Henry Alcide "Ricou" Plée (deceased) Pascal Plée, 6th dan karate, teacher Thierry Plée, 2nd dan judo teacher Arnaud Elodie |
| Notable students |
Dominique Valera, 9th dan , 9th dan , 8th dan , 8th dan , 7th dan , 6th dan Jacques Delcourt, 4th dan Vernon Bell, 10th dan |
| Website | www.henryplee.com |
Henry Plée (also named H.D. Plée, Henri Plée, Henry D. Plée, or Henry-Désiré Plée, 24 May 1923; Arras, Nord-Pas-de-Calais–19 August 2014; Paris) was a French martial artist who is considered as the 'father of European and French karate'. He was one of the rare 10th dan karate masters living outside Japan, and one of the few Westerners who held this rank. At the time of his death, Plée was also the oldest and highest karate ranking Westerner alive, with more than 60 years of fighting arts, including 50 in martial arts. He was a pioneer in introducing karate to France and Europe, and has taught most of today's highest ranking karate masters in Europe.
Henry Plée was born in Arras, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France on 24 May 1923. His studies were interrupted by World War II in 1940.
An only son, Henry Plée started his sports career with gymnastics, weight lifting, French savate, English Boxing, Greco-Roman wrestling, Ju Jutsu, and Fencing with his father Alcide Plée, who was a sword master since 1912. He diversified into judo in 1945 at the 'Judo Club de France', Mikonosuke Kawaishi's second club. He was the 96th French black belt and is now ranked 5th dan at judo.
Physically, he demonstrated very powerful kicks and punches. So from 1946, he returned to French savate, also known as French kickboxing, at the club 'Banville' (the only remaining club at that time). He trained with famous fighters such as Rigal, Pierre Plasait, Cayron, and . Despite the high training quality, he was still feeling the need to go stronger and deeper, and was still looking for something else.
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