Keigo Abe was a Japanese master of Shotokan karate who founded the Japan Shotokan Karate Association in 1999 and is its Chief Instructor.
18 Facts About Keigo Abe
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Keigo Abe held the rank of 9th dan in karate, was a direct student of Masatoshi Nakayama, and was a senior instructor in the Japan Karate Association.
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Keigo Abe initially began studying the Shito-ryu style of karate.
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In 1956, Keigo Abe entered the Nihon University in Tokyo, studying engineering, and graduated four years later.
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Keigo Abe began training at the honbu dojo of the Japan Karate Association in 1958 under Masatoshi Nakayama.
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Keigo Abe trained us very hard and always encouraged us to not only train hard, but to intellectually study what we were training.
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Keigo Abe stressed understanding ourselves and being good human beings.
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In 1961, Keigo Abe fought a notable tournament match against Keinosuke Enoeda, losing by decision after six extensions.
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Keigo Abe graduated from the JKA instructors' training program in 1965, and was a long-serving member of the instructing team at JKA's honbu dojo.
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Nakayama wrote that Keigo Abe's strengths were his backfist technique and his use of distancing, strengths noted by others years later.
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Keigo Abe had an accomplished record as a karate tournament competitor, taking first place in the inaugural JKA National Championship, first place in the team competition at the 1973 JKA International Friendship Tournament, and first place in the second and third Japan Karatedo Federation National Championships.
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Keigo Abe had a close working relationship with Nakayama, benefiting from his technical knowledge and assisting him with teaching.
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Keigo Abe was one of several instructors who demonstrated techniques in Nakayama's books on karate.
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In 1985, two years before Nakayama's death, Keigo Abe was appointed as Director of Qualifications in the JKA.
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Keigo Abe was responsible for formulating the ippon shobu tournament rules, which are used by most Shotokan karate competitors today.
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Keigo Abe resigned from the JKA on January 31,1999.
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Keigo Abe visited Australia in January 2008 and Cyprus in May 2009.
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In 2010, Keigo Abe is due to teach in several European countries, most notably at the 5th JSKA World Karate Championship in Portugal, as well as visiting Sweden, Estonia, India, Iran, Israel, Mexico, and the United States of America.