Template:Short description Template:Infobox martial artist
Keigo Abe (October 28 1938 – December 21 2019) was a Japanese master of Shotokan karate who founded the Japan Shotokan Karate Association in 1999 and is its Chief Instructor.<ref name="JSKA2009">Japan Shotokan Karate Association (c. 2009). Retrieved on March 27, 2010.</ref><ref name="JSKAAbe2009">Japan Shotokan Karate Association: ABE Keigo, 9th Dan, JSKA Chief Instructor (May 2009). Retrieved on March 27, 2010.</ref> He held the rank of 9th dan in karate,<ref name="JSKAAbe2009"/> was a direct student of Masatoshi Nakayama (1913–1987),<ref name="JSKAAbe2009"/><ref name="ShotokanWay2007">The Shotokan Way: Keigo Abe profile (c. 2007). Retrieved on March 27, 2010.</ref><ref name="HabersetzerHabersetzer2004">Habersetzer, G., & Habersetzer, R. (2004): Encyclopédie technique, historique, biographique et culturelle des arts martiaux de l'Extrême-Orient (p. 23) Template:In lang. Paris: Amphora. (Template:ISBN)</ref> and was a senior instructor in the Japan Karate Association.<ref name="JSKAAbe2009"/>
Early lifeEdit
Abe was born on October 28, 1938, in the town of Iyoshi, Ehime Prefecture (on the island of Shikoku), Japan.<ref name="JSKAAbe2009"/><ref name="ShotokanWay2007"/> Abe's ancestors included samurai;<ref name="Casale2000">Casale, T. A. (2000): An interview with Keigo Abe Sensei Retrieved on March 27, 2010.</ref> he has told of an incident from the past where two thieves had entered his family home, saying, "My family killed them; the two graves are still standing near my house."<ref name="Lowry1995">Lowry, D. (1995): "The Demon of Karate." Black Belt, 33(3):18.</ref> In 1953, aged 15 years, he began training in the martial arts of karate and judo.<ref name="JSKAAbe2009"/> He initially began studying the Shito-ryu style of karate.<ref name="ShotokanWay2007"/>
In 1956, Abe entered the Nihon University in Tokyo, studying engineering,<ref name="ShotokanWay2007"/> and graduated four years later.<ref name="JSKAAbe2009"/> He began training at the honbu dojo (headquarters training hall) of the Japan Karate Association (JKA) in 1958 under Masatoshi Nakayama.<ref name="JSKAAbe2009"/><ref name="ShotokanWay2007"/> In an interview in 2000, he said, "Nakayama Sensei was very serious. He trained us very hard and always encouraged us to not only train hard, but to intellectually study what we were training. He stressed understanding ourselves and being good human beings."<ref name="Casale2000"/>
Karate careerEdit
In 1961, Abe fought a notable tournament match against Keinosuke Enoeda, losing by decision after six extensions.<ref name="JSKAAbe2009"/> He graduated from the JKA instructors' training program in 1965,<ref name="Cook2001">Cook, H. (2001): Shotokan Karate: A precise history. Dragon Books.</ref> and was a long-serving member of the instructing team at JKA's honbu dojo.<ref name="JSKAAbe2009"/> Like other kenshusei (junior instructors) of the day, Abe would practice his techniques on the streets against local gangsters to improve his fighting skills.<ref name="Cook2001"/> Through Nakayama, Abe worked on the James Bond film You Only Live Twice (1967). Nakayama had been invited to appear in the movie, but was unable to do so due to prior commitments, and so recommended Abe instead.<ref name="Casale2000"/>
Nakayama wrote that Abe's strengths were his backfist technique and his use of distancing,<ref name="Nakayama1978">Nakayama, M. (1978). Best Karate: Vol. 3 – Kumite 1. Tokyo: Kodansha. (Template:ISBN)</ref> strengths also noted by others years later.<ref name="Lowry1995"/> He 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 (representing Tokyo).<ref name="JSKAAbe2009"/>
Abe had a close working relationship with Nakayama, benefiting from his technical knowledge and assisting him with teaching.<ref name="Robbins2007">Robbins, E. (2007): New interview with Ruben Cernuda (January 6, 2007). Retrieved on March 27, 2010.</ref> He was one of several instructors who demonstrated techniques in Nakayama's books on karate.<ref name="Nakayama1979">Nakayama, M. (1979): Best Karate: Vol. 4 – Kumite 2. Tokyo: Kodansha. (Template:ISBN)</ref><ref name="Nakayama1985">Nakayama, M. (1985): Best Karate: Vol. 9 – Bassai Sho, Kankū Sho, Chinte. Tokyo: Kodansha. (Template:ISBN)</ref> In 1985, two years before Nakayama's death, Abe was appointed as Director of Qualifications in the JKA.<ref name="JSKAAbe2009"/> After the division of the JKA in 1990, he became the Technical Director of the JKA (Matsuno faction).<ref name="JSKAAbe2009"/> He was responsible for formulating the ippon shobu tournament rules,<ref name="Casale2000"/> which are used by most Shotokan karate competitors today.
Later lifeEdit
Abe resigned from the JKA (Matsuno faction) on January 31, 1999.<ref name="ShotokanWay2007"/> On February 10, 1999, he formed his own organization, the Japan Shotokan Karate Association (JSKA).<ref name="JSKA2009"/><ref name="JSKAAbe2009"/><ref name="ShotokanWay2007"/> When asked about his organization in 2000, he said, "Unlike most leaders of Karate organizations, I do not want my organization to grow very large. Very large organizations mean very large problems. I want a smaller organization where I can be an active part of everyone’s life and a high degree of quality can be maintained."<ref name="Casale2000"/>
Regarding training in multiple martial arts, Abe has said, "In the old days the Bushi (warriors) would train in maybe 18 different arts out of battlefield necessity ... yes I would recommend cross-training."<ref name="Casale2000"/> Apart from karate, he has also practiced iaido for more than 30 years, and also teaches this martial art.<ref name="Casale2000"/> In his 60s, he was still training four or five mornings each week, involving karate practice and weight training, as well as teaching karate in Tokyo.<ref name="Casale2000"/> Abe visited Australia in January 2008 and Cyprus in May 2009.<ref name="JSKAAustralia2008">Japan Shotokan Karate Association: Australia, January 2008 (2008). Retrieved on March 27, 2010.</ref><ref name="JSKACyprus2009">Japan Shotokan Karate Association: Cyprus, May 2009 (2009). Retrieved on March 27, 2010.</ref>
In 2010, 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.<ref name="JSKACalendar2010">Japan Shotokan Karate Association: Calendar (2010). Retrieved on March 27, 2010.</ref><ref name="JSKAWKC2010">5th JSKA World Karate Championship (2010). Retrieved on March 27, 2010.</ref> Abe died on December 21, 2019, at the age of 81.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>