Seko-Sensei
1952 – 2006

August of 2006 saw the end of an era for the World Kansuiryu Karate Federation with the passing of Seko-sensei, 8^th Dan and former president of the World Kansuiryu Karate Federation. He was just fifty-four years of age.

As the president of our style Seko-sensei was entitled to the honorific of sosai, a term which in English means both master and leader. In the dojo, however, he was referred to as Seko-sensei which might be better translated as ‘mentor’ or ‘teacher’ and it was in this role he will be most remembered by the thousands of Kansuiryu students in Japan and Australia.

Seko-sensei began his training as a teenager as one of the original students of Mizutani sensei, the co-founder of Kansuiryu karate. Whereas in the West the tendency is often to train in many styles of martial art without committing to any, Seko-sensei’s sole training was in Kansuiryu. As he progressed he took on students of his own.

Upon the death of Mizutani-sensei, Seko-sensei became the head of the World Kansuiryu Karate Federation by common consent, a position he was to hold until the role passed in 2005 to his longtime student Yukinori Moriyama, the current president of the World Kansuiryu Karate Federation.

During the many years of Seko-sensei’s leadership Kansuiryu evolved into a major system of karate in southern Japan. In 1990 Seko-sensei was the impetus behind the establishment of the World Kansuiryu Full Contact Karate Tournament, which has been held each year since, and in 2005 saw almost nine hundred entrants from dozens of styles competing. In 1995, with the help of our sponsors in Japan, he was instrumental in founding Kansuiryu Karate in Australia under Moriyama-sensei, thus establishing our style internationally.

Seko-sensei was very professional in promoting the advancement of Kansuiryu Karate. Yet, while dedicating so much time to the advancement of Kansuiryu Karate, he earned his living as an administrator in local government. His love of karate passed to his 3 children. Mrs. Seko once jokingly complained to visiting Australian students that a whole room in her house was given over to storing karate trophies.

Here in Australia, we were fortunate to have Seko-sensei visit on many occasions. Australian students will remember him as a man full of vitality, small of stature but with a booming voice and a personality which could instantly fill a room, quick with a deserved reprimand in the dojo and even more so with a joke or a kind word outside.