Born in Iwate Prefecture in Japan in 1931, Shihan Hirokazu Kanazawa is one of the best known and most widely respected Shotokan karate Masters in the world today.
Shihan Kanazawa's karate was honed during his time at Takushoku University, after graduating he joined the JKA in 1956 becoming a direct student of Sensei Masatoshi Nakayama, and he became one of the first graduates of the Japan Karate Associations legendary Instructors Training Program.
His victory in the 1957 "All Japan Karate Championships" and subsequent victory in both kata and kumite in the 1958 "All Japan Karate Championship" ultimately led the JKA to send Shihan Kanazawa overseas to Hawaii in 1961. While there he was to become the first Shotokan sensei to instruct Shihan Kenneth Funakoshi, 9th Dan, Chief Instructor, of the Funakoshi Shotokan Karate Association. Several years later Shihan Kanazawa would move to England to become the Chief Instructor for the Karate Union of Great Britain.
In 1977 in a surprising move Shihan Kanzawa left the JKA and formed his own organization the Shotokan Karate International Federation (SKIF). Shihan Kanzawa is currently ranked 10th Dan and is the only living Shotokan Master to currently hold this rank.
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