Mitsusuke Harada
| Mitsusuke Harada | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
16 November 1928 Dairen, Manchuria, Japan |
| Residence | South Wales, United Kingdom |
| Style | Shotokai Karate |
| Teacher(s) | Shigeru Egami, Gichin Funakoshi, Gigō Funakoshi, Genshin Hironishi |
| Rank | 5th dan karate |
| Notable students | Tony Lima, Steve Hope, Marie Kellet, Roy Margetts, Mark Hallam, Bernard Mathieu |
| Website | http://www.karatedoshotokai.com/ |
Mitsusuke Harada, MBE (原田 満祐? Harada Mitsusuke, born 16 November 1928) is a prominent Japanese master of Shotokai karate who introduced this martial art to Brazil and is now based in the United Kingdom. He founded the Karate-do Shotokai (KDS) organisation in 1965 and is its President. Harada holds the rank of 5th dan, personally awarded by Gichin Funakoshi in 1956.
Harada was born on 16 November 1928 in Dairen, Manchuria, which was then part of the Empire of Japan; his father was a Japanese army officer. He lived there until the age of 9 years, when his family returned to Tokyo. Harada began training in karate in 1943 at the Shotokan karate dojo (training hall) in Zōshigaya, Toshima Ward, Tokyo. His first class was taught by Genshin Hironishi, then ranked 4th dan. He later met Gigō Funakoshi there, only two years before the latter's death due to illness. On 29 April 1945, an Allied bombing raid on Tokyo destroyed the Shotokan dojo; Harada wrote a letter to Gichin Funakoshi requesting to continue training if possible, and Funakoshi invited him to train at his eldest son's home, in Koishikawa. Harada studied directly under Gichin Funakoshi.
In 1948, Harada began studying economics and commerce at Waseda University. At the university, he trained under both Funakoshi (on Saturdays) and Toshio Kamata (Watanabe), and befriended Tsutomu Ohshima. In 1949, the Japan Karate Association (JKA) was formed; Harada was often escorting Funakoshi by taxi around this time. He also came into contact with Shigeru Egami (also studying commerce at the time) and Tadao Okuyama, then ranked 3rd dan, at Waseda. Harada trained under both men, and they had a significant influence on his karate style. Harada completed his Bachelor of Commerce degree in 1953 and went on to complete a master's degree in 1955. During postgraduate studies, he assisted Masatoshi Nakayama in teaching karate to US military personnel.
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