Takayuki Mikami
| Takayuki Mikami | |
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T. Mikami
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| Born | 1933 (age 83–84) Niigata Prefecture, Japan |
| Residence | New Orleans, Louisiana, USA |
| Style | Shotokan Karate |
| Teacher(s) | K. Itoe, Masatoshi Nakayama |
| Rank | 9th dan karate (JKA) |
| Website | www |
Takayuki Mikami (三上 孝之 Mikami Takayuki?, born 1933) is a Japanese master of Shotokan karate based in the United States of America. He holds the rank of 9th dan black belt in the art. In 1958, Mikami tied for first place in the All Japan Karate Championships. The following year, he became the All Japan champion in kumite (sparring) as well as kata (patterns). In 1961, Mikami won first place in kata again. He was also the first person to graduate from the Japan Karate Association's (JKA) instructor training program instituted by Gichin Funakoshi and Masatoshi Nakayama.
Mikami was born in 1933 in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. As a youth, he participated in track and field sports, and was a short distance runner. Around 1952, Mikami began training in Shotokan karate under instructor K. Itoe. In 1953, he was promoted to the rank of 1st dan. In 1955, he was appointed Team Captain of the Hosei University karate club. He studied literature at the university, but spent most of his time training in karate.
In 1956, Mikami enrolled in the Japan Karate Association's (JKA) newly formed instructor training course under Nakayama. In 1957, Mikami graduated from the course and became a JKA instructor. There were only three students in the group; his classmates were Eiji Takaura and Hirokazu Kanazawa, who also graduated in 1957.
It was Nakayama's objective to spread the martial art of Shotokan karate around the world, so Mikami began to travel widely, teaching karate. In 1957, the JKA sent him to the Philippines to instruct in Far Eastern University in Manila. After nine months, he returned to Japan to train for and compete in the All Japan Championships.
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