TAKEI OGAWA - our first teacher

10. Dan karate

Ogawa Sensei was born on November 24, 1942 in Chiba near Tokyo. He first encountered karate when he was 10 years old when he played with a neighbor who practiced karate. However, he did not start training until he was 15 years old under the guidance of Sensei Urakawa and was later taught by Sensei Kikuchi. Both were students of Master Yamaguchi of the Japanese school / Kyuha / Goju-kai.

In 1969, two Sempai sensei Ogawa left for Europe. Sensei Yamashita went to teach in Spain and sensei Funasako to Germany. Sensei Yamashita went to teach in Spain and sensei Funasako to Germany. That year, an invitation came from Japan from a martial arts school in Vienna, led by Mr. Herzok. At that time, he already led a group of sensei Ishikawa / Kyuha Shorin at this school and called it Shudokan, practiced Pinan kata /, which was also attended by the Austrian national team member Hans Ellinger.

Ogawa sensei applied to be interested in a trip to Europe and at the age of 27, 3rd DAN karate came to Vienna. He had only karate-gi, a few personal things, and a 7-language dictionary with him. He began practicing at Herzog’s Goju-ryu school. Hans Ellinger joined his group.

At the concentration of Czechoslovakia. Ján Hrabina also met him with judoists in South Moravia, where he gave them demonstrations. Jano started training a group of enthusiasts in Bratislava, where they were:

Among others S. Hrabina, F. Šebej, V. Kopinič, P. Zemánik, R. Albert, P. Dubček, M. Mikuš, T. Mikuš, V. Kubovčík, J. Šimkovič, Cisár, M. Schwantzerová, J. Porázik, L. Divinec, P. Ondris, Ňaňko, J. Tokár and others. Hans Ellinger found a girlfriend in Slovakia and regularly went to Bratislava to train this group. First Shudokan and then Goju-ryu. At that time, the original group split and one part was led by F. Šebej, it was a circle at the University of Economics, where they went, for example. L. Klementis, J. Kováč, I. Aibek, J. Penthor, P. Grman, Z. Kindl et al.

On January 24, 1971, Hans Ellinger brought Sensei Ogawa to Bratislava at the invitation of Slovak karateka. It was a great holiday and a historic moment for the further development of karate in Slovakia. Ogawa sensei tested the members of the group and awarded the first stages of kyu / 8×5. kyu, 3x 6. kyu and 3x 7. kyu/. His visit aroused enthusiasm among the exercisers, enthusiasm for the next exercise and determined the direction of Slovak karate for many years. Ogawa sensei became a teacher and father of Slovak karate. His techniques, dynamics, kata training, preparation for Kumite, elegance, method of hitting, movement, personal example and talent for learning, friendship, and modesty have become a model for the first generation of Slovak
karatekas.

Ogawa sensei has remained permanently to this day in Austria, where he married / karateka Regina / and started a family/children Mária, ken, Takeo /. In 1980 he was the coach of the Czechoslovak national team at the European Championships in Barcelona at the first senior medal of T. Mikuš. / the team in Kumite was fifth and it was also a sensation in katata /. The fact that they had to train during the stop by the sea, as well as in the hotel rooms, also testifies to his seriousness, responsibility, and hard preparation of the representatives. But the whole coaching management was reflected in the hard work of his Slovak students and to this day it can be seen on them.

Ogawa sensei was later the Austrian national coach / 1985-1992 / instructor of the WKC World Federation for Goju-ryu. He has visited almost the whole world with karate. He taught karate mainly in Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Yugoslavia, Croatia, Russia, and of course in Slovakia.

During his coaching career and learning in Slovakia, where karate spread extremely quickly, he sought opportunities for further development and information gathering. When two invitations to the Okinawa World Cup came in Ogawa, Klementis / recommended that the Slovak Federation take part in it and accompany it. It was his first encounter with his karate hometown – Okinawa, but also with masters such as Sensei Kiyuna and Sensei Kurashita. He was in Okinawa twice more and was there even with the greatest success of Slovak karate, when Lucia Šoltésová as well as the women’s team won the World Cup. It was Sensei Ogawa’s recommendation that some Slovak karatekas began to learn the secrets of karate from Okinawan masters.

In 1998, Sensei Ogawa’s extremely rich and successful karate tour was crowned with the awarding of the 10th DAN by EGKG / EUROPEAN GOJU-RYU KARATE FEDERATION /.