Masami Tsuruoka was born in 1929 in Cumberland, BC, on Vancouver Island. During the Social Disorder of WWII he was interned with his family and hundreds of other Japanese-Canadians to New Denver, BC. After the war his family moved to Kumamoto Japan where he saw a Karate Demonstration and decided he wanted to learn. Studying with O Sensei Dr. Tsuyoshi Chitose, founder of Chito-Ryu Karate, he achieved his Ni Dan in 1956 and returned to Canada introducing Canadians to karate for the first time. Starting from a small rented office in Toronto with three students, to tens if not hundreds of thousands of people enjoying, studying, and practicing karate in many different styles who all owe him our gratitude.
It was his wish to return to New Denver but was unable to, so it is only fitting to have a class in honour of he who Black Belt Magazine calls ‘the Father of Canadian Karate’ Sensei Tsuruoka. Weather permitting it will be on the school field or beach (otherwise the hall) in New Denver, BC, Saturday, August 8th from 9:00 am to 11:00/11:30 am with a lunch break, then a tour of the Japanese Internment Memorial and a speech commemorating his contribution to Canadian Karate from local MP Alex Attemenenko, who also happens to be a 4th Dan in Shotokan from Sensei Maurice Doucet’s Castlegar Karate Club.
For more information or to register email ktkarate@hotmail.com. Registration is by donation. Sponsored by the Columbia Basin Trust and RDCK.
