Takemasa Okuyama

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Master Okuyama is the head of the International Karate Association of Canada and has the Kancho title.

He began to train in Japan at the age of 7. In line with the family tradition, he practised sumo and judo. At the aged of 13 he started to learn karate from master Kinjo from Okinawa.

In 1960 he started to study at the Takushoku University, which became famous all around the world because of training the best Shotokan karate instructors.

He studied political science and foreign trade, regularly training karate with masters: Tabata, Hamanaka and Tsuyama.

In 1966 he arrived in the USA to continue his studies and started to train under the instruction of master Takayuki Kubota. Having recognised him as the greatest of the encountered karate masters he remains faithful to him up to this day.

In 1970 he moved to Canada, where he is the most important person in the Gosoku-ryu and Shotokan karate fighters environment.

In 1992 master Kubota awarded him with the Kancho title and 8 dan degree in karate.

In 1997 he published a book called Ultimate Karate (ISBN 0-9683373-0-9) that demonstrates karate techniques for the serious student, showing intricate applications of stances and hand techniques beyond the Heian katas and Tekki Shodan.

Apart from his karate activity, Kancho Takemasa Okuyama is a well-known businessman - president of Hachi-O-Zan Ltd. and an artist who occupies himself with traditional painting and playing the Japanese flute.

July 2007 Kancho led a class during the Cambridge Avenue street party. Video of this event is available here and here