Sensei Enoeda 9th Dan

Enoeda Sensei gained a reputation as having the strongest punch in Japan - quite a reputation. Because of his tremendous fighting spirit, awe inspiring skill and dominating ability, he gained the nickname ‘Tora’ or the Tiger.

Like so many of his peers and seniors, Enoeda Sensei started his path in the Martial Arts at the early age of seven through judo achieving the grade of nidan by the age of seventeen. Thankfully for the karate world, Enoeda Sensei then happened to watch a demonstration by Master Okazaki, and he was won over and was highly impressed by karate and so he joined the Takushoku University – renowned throughout Japan for its karate club – and he studied for a degree in commerce, which he achieved in 1957.

Like many famous competitors before and after him, he was made captain of the karate team, and was enthusiastically enouraged to think about entering the famous JKA instructor’s programme, which he proceeded to complete over the next three years under the tuition of M. Nakayama and H. Nishiyama.

He was a natural winner on the tatami and had taken a clear interest in competition, gaining a reputation for his leg sweeps, gyaku-tsuki, and anything else he decided to through coupled with a terrifying fighting spirit. He came third in the kumite division of the J.K.A. All-Japan Championships. The following year he improved, placing second - losing to Hiroshi Shirai. In 1963, Enoeda returned determined to win and left after defeating Shirai in the kumite as the All-Japan Champion.