Takayuki Kubota

, also known as Tak Kubota, is a Japanese-American karateka, known as the founder the Gosoku-ryu style of karate. He holds the title of sōke (grandmaster) for his development of the Gosoku-ryū, and is the founder and president of the International Karate Association. He is also the inventor and holder of the trademark of the Kubotan self-defense key chain. Kubota was a self-defense instructor for the Tokyo Police department in the 1950s, where he was noted for his expertise in practical karate. He has devoted his life to learning, creating, and teaching the application of self-defense techniques to military, law enforcement, and civilian personnel. He has earned black belt degrees in karate (10th dan), judo (5th dan), aikido (5th dan), kendo (2nd dan), and iaido. Early life Kubota was born on September 20, 1934, in Kumamoto, Japan, into the family of Denjiro (father) and Semo (mother) Kubota. He had four brothers, of which one became a kendo master, one a jujitsu master, and one the Japanese Olympic volleyball coach. In 1939, at the age of four, Kubota began studying martial arts under the direction of his father, who was a master of jujitsu and jukendo. The training included bamboo yadi, judo, keibo-jutsu (baton), and makiwara practice. During World War II, Kubota learned karate under the guidance of two Okinawans—Terada and Tokunaga—stationed in his village. They were teaching local people with basics in the martial art of te; there was no name "karate" at that time in Okinawa.