Taiji Kase
| Taiji Kase | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
9 February 1929 Chiba, Chiba Prefecture, Japan |
| Died | 24 November 2004 (aged 75) Paris, France |
| Style | Shotokan Karate |
| Teacher(s) | Gichin Funakoshi, Gigō Funakoshi, Genshin Hironishi, Tadao Okuyama, Masatoshi Nakayama, Isao Obata |
| Rank | 9th dan karate, 2nd dan in judo |
| Spouse | Chieko Kase |
| Children | Yumiko Inaba (née Kase), Sachiko Kase |
| Notable students | Keinosuke Enoeda, Hiroshi Shirai, Takashi Tokuhisa Dirk Heene, Vladimir and Ilija Yorga, Steve Cattle, Velibor Dimitrijevic-Vebo, , Mirce Opeloski, Pascal Lecourt, Pascal Petrella, Robert Péchalat, Gérald Dumont, Marcel Lancino, Jean Pierre Lavorato, Albert Boutboul, Camille Daudier, David Wilkins, Lauren Frearson, Frans Baggen. |
Taiji Kase (加瀬 泰治 Kase Taiji?, 9 February 1929 – 24 November 2004) was a Japanese master of Shotokan karate who was one of the earliest masters responsible for introducing this martial art into Europe. He taught his style of karate, Shotokan Ryu Kase Ha, in France from the late 1960s to the mid-1980s. In his later years, he travelled across the world teaching karate, but Paris remained his home. Kase held the rank of 9th dan in karate.
Kase was born on 9 February 1929 in Chiba, Chiba Prefecture, Japan. His father was Nobuaki Kase, who held the rank of 5th dan in judo. He began learning judo before he turned 6 years old, and later in boyhood also studied aikido and kendo.
In 1944, at the age of 15 years, Kase attained the rank of 2nd dan black belt in judo. That same year, he read a book on karate by Gichin Funakoshi, and was inspired to begin studying that art under Funakoshi himself. He also trained under Funakoshi's son, Gigō Funakoshi, before the latter's death in 1945.Genshin Hironishi took on most of the teaching duties from that point. Along with Hironishi, Tadao Okuyama also influenced the young Kase's development in karate. Of his four instructors, Hironishi taught him the longest—six years. Kase had been due to be tested for his 3rd dan in judo, but elected to focus on karate instead.
In March 1945, during the closing stages of World War II, Kase enlisted in the Imperial Japanese Navy and joined the Kamikaze corps. The war ended, however, before he was required to give up his life for his country. One of his biographers, Martin Fernandez, wrote: "[Kase] usually says that since he could have died in the war and is alive, he never has a reason to be sad. And this is so, because you can always see him smiling or with a special inner mood" (p. 4). The Shotokan dojo (training hall) had been destroyed by bombing, and he was unable to find another karate dojo, so he returned to training in judo for a while. When the Shotokan students regrouped under Funakoshi, however, he rejoined them.
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