Alliance

Takayuki Kubota, an ambassador for the World Martial Arts Council, was born on 20 September 1934 in Kumamoto, Japan. In 1939, at the age of four, he began studying martial arts under the direction of his father, who was a master of jujitsu and jukendo.  During World War II he learned karate under the guidance of Terada and Tokunaga, two Okinawan karateka stationed in his village.  At the age of 13 he went to Tokyo and on arrival discovered there was no work or anywhere to stay, but whilst in a queue for food he helped police to capture some criminals.  One of the police officers gave him a place to stay, helped him finish his education, introduced him to the school of Master Cai, and in return he taught the officer the art of taiho jutsu.  In 1947 at the age of 14 he was noticed by the Tokyo Police and began teaching officers of the Kamata Police Department, which he did for 10 years, and tested his martial arts skills by working as an agent in the dangerous districts of Tokyo.

Kubota opened his first karate dojo at 17 years of age, and from 1950 – 1959 he was an instructor for the US Army, Air Force, and Marines in kendo, karate, judo, and giyokute-jitsu.  Between 1960 and 1963, he taught pro-wrestling techniques at the Haneda dojo and as he became better known, the US military and government personnel at the American military bases stationed there invited him to teach self-defence and give demonstrations. From 1958 to 1960, he taught the US Military Police and other personnel at Camp Zama in Kanagawa in Japan.  In addition, from 1959 to 1964, he taught self-defence to the US Army personnel at Kishine Barracks in Yokohama.  During the period 1961 to 1963, he also taught the American personnel at Grand Heights Air Force Base in Tokyo and US Air Force Police at Fuchu Air Force Base, and also worked as a bodyguard to the US Ambassador to Japan.  Throughout 1964 he taught self-defence to other government personnel, including the CIA agents at the US military bases throughout Japan.

On August 2, 1964, Kubota was invited to give a demonstration at the First Annual International Karate Tournament in Long Beach, California, and later that year he permanently relocated to America.  Kubota taught self-defence at the Los Angeles Police Department Academy for several years, and developed his own style of karate named Gosoku-ryu meaning hard-fast style.  He became an American citizen in 1974, and in 1990 was inducted into the Black Belt Magazine’s Hall of Fame as ‘Weapons Instructor of the Year’.  In October 2010 he performed at the Koyamada Foundation’s United States Martial Arts Festival at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Centre in California.  Apart from being the founder of the Gosoku-ryu style of karate, he also founded the International Karate Association of which he is the president.  He holds the title of Soke for his development of the Gosoku-ryu style of karate, and has devoted his life to learning, creating, and teaching the application of self-defence techniques.  Currently he has black belt degrees in karate, judo, aikido, kendo, and iaido, and has complemented his martial arts training with studies in meditation, history, and other non-combative aspects of the arts.  He invented the five and a half inch Kubotan self-defence key chain designed as a tool for female officers of the Los Angeles Police Department, and developed the Kubotai, another self-defence weapon used to employ wrist locks and immobilise opponents.  He has also has written several books on the martial arts and has been featured in more than 280 films and television shows, and in over 180 commercials.

Brian Jacks won Britain’s first world championship judo medal when he took bronze in Salt Lake City in 1967, and then took a second bronze at the 1972 Munich Olympics.  He later achieved national fame for his outstanding performances on the BBC programme ‘Superstars’ in which he was one of the most successful competitors, and dominated the British and European version of the contest from 1979 to 1980, winning four titles.  He is famous for his amazing efforts in the gymnasium, where he repeatedly set records in gym tests that included 118 squat thrusts in the 1980 World Final, and 100 parallel bar dips in 60 seconds in the 1981 Challenge of the Champions. He was also very dominant in the weightlifting, canoeing, and cycling events, rarely being placed lower than second.  His first place victories in the British, European and International Superstars led to the creation of the computer games: ‘Brian Jacks Superstar Challenge’ and ‘Brian Jacks Uchi Mata’.

He was awarded 8th dan in judo, 6th dan in ju-jitsu, 2nd dan in karate, and dedicated forty years to the martial arts during which time he not only trained himself but also most of the British Judo Team.  He competed in Olympic Games from 1964 to 1976, was still the British Champion in 1980, and unquestionably achieved far more than anyone else in British judo.  Despite his outstanding achievements, and the fact that at least sixteen judoka comprised mostly of his students or his juniors were awarded Queen’s Honours, he received no recognition from his association, or even an invite to the London Olympics in 2012.  Understandably he became totally disillusioned with the way the martial arts in the United Kingdom are controlled by organisations motivated by greed, and in which egotistical attitudes and politics are endemic or deeply embedded.  Thoroughly disappointed with the system he retired from competitive judo, opened a fitness and martial arts club, and now resides in Thailand where he built a complex of affordable apartments for retired people on short-term visits, or for those wanting more permanent accommodation overseas.

The World Martial Arts Council was not surprised when it contacted him and was informed he wanted no further involvement with martial arts organizations, and had now taken up golf.  In some ways his experiences are similar to those of Keiko Fukuda who, like Brian Jacks, dedicated much of her life to judo, and received no recognition from Japan until her final years.  Both of these were exceptional martial artists and deserved far more than they received, hence the World Martial Arts Council has been determined to rectify the incomprehensible way these, along with many others, have been ignored by sporting authorities that should have no place in the martial arts world.  Due to her death in 2013, the World Martial Arts Council could only reward Keiko Fukuda with its Roll of Honour status posthumously.  However, in the case of Brian Jacks, there is much more that can be done following his decision to change his mind and register as an individual with the World Martial Arts Council. Although he is now largely involved with other activities, he offered to assist the World Martial Arts Council in achieving its aims.  Due to his vast experience and knowledge, he was inducted into the International Guild of Masters, and awarded Roll of Honour status for his forty years of dedication to judo and everything he achieved for his country at the highest level of competition.

The World Martial Arts Council has very strict criteria regarding the awarding of martial arts grades, one of which is time related and involves holding a grade for the same number of years as the next grade before it can be sanctioned.  This means a sixth dan must have been held for a minimum of seven years without exception before a seventh dan can be awarded, and so on.  Brian Jacks received his 8th dan on 22 November 1994, which means he was eligible for 9th dan in 2003 and 10th dan in 2013, but for whatever reasons he was ignored. Following discussions over two days the WMAC Technical Board decided unreservedly his outstanding achievements over forty years, his dedication to judo throughout this time, and the fact he has held the rank of 8th dan for twenty years, were sufficient for him to be appointed as a senior member of the WMAC Technical Board, to be awarded the grade of 10th dan within the World Martial Arts Council, and to be internationally recognized as such in all countries in which it is active, both now and in the future.