Butokukan karate

Butokukan is a style of karate practiced mainly in the U.S. state of Washington and the Canadian province of British Columbia.
History
The style originated under the name of Shimpu-ren in 1940s Japan and was headed by Yon Pon Gun, a former student of founder Kenwa Mabuni. Yoichi Nakachi was a student of Yon Pon Gun and took over as head of Shimpu-ren in 1950 when Yon returned to Korea.
Yoichi Nakachi left for Seattle, Washington in 1959 to attend college on a scholarship. He started teaching and changed the name in late 1963 to Butokukan. Nakachi taught karate at the Seattle YMCA and met with a then-unknown Bruce Lee.
Robert Hill is the present of Butokukan Karate <ref name="Butokukan Karate Association"/>, having taken over as head of the style when Nakachi died in late 1998.
The Butokukan Open tournament in Bremerton, Washington is one of the oldest martial arts tournaments on the West Coast of North America.
 
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