Master Ueki Masaaki, the third chief instructor, followed the second chief instructor Sugiura. He studied under Master Sugiura (the second chief instructor) since high school and then went on to Asia University. He joined the Japan Karate Association as the sixth trainee soon after graduating and excelled in various tournaments. As the headquarters’ chief instructor, he was dedicated to development and instruction both within and outside of Japan. He has been the executive director of the Japan Karate Association since July 22, 1995, and has made significant contributions to its growth. On May 29, 2010, he was appointed as the third chief instructor, a position he has to this day.
About Japan Karate Association
The Japan Karate Association is the only autonomous karate institution legally and formally recognized by the Japanese government as a member association (Shadan Hojin) for karate promotion. The JKA World Federation (JKA/WF) is the only other authorized institution that falls under the JKA’s umbrella. No other organization has this distinction. Similarly, the JKA does not rely on or report to any other group, organization, or entity. However, there are times when the JKA willfully collaborates with other organizations in an equal posture.
The JKA was established in November of 1948. By 1955, the first headquarters dojo in Tokyo had been completed, and the first JKA Chairman had been appointed: Saigo Kichinosuke, a member of the Japanese Diet’s upper chamber and the grandson of Meiji Japan’s greatest hero, Saigo Takamori. The JKA established the first-ever karate specialist instructor intern (kenshusei) training program at its headquarters dojo in 1956 and accepted its first batch of learners. This was the beginning of the best karate instructor training program ever devised, a program that has never been matched or even approached by any other karate organization. The JKA has established its unique cadre of notable karate instructors, all full-time salaried professionals, through this program, and their numbers have constantly remained around twenty.
On April 10, 1957, Japan’s Ministry of Education (now Ministry of Education, Science, Sports, and Culture) formally recognized the JKA as a membership organization dedicated to the promotion of karate and the spread and refinement of practical karate practice. Another karate organization was awarded legal existence twelve years later, based not on membership but on a gift by an individual foundation, primarily for the purpose of organising karate contests.
