Chief Instructor and chairman of the International Karate-do Organization’s Academy of Guyana, Sensei Jeffrey Wong, officially received the conferment of the Kodansha (High Dan Rank) from the International Karate Organization.
According to a release, the conferment which occurred at the Great Dojo in Winter Park Florida, was done by Chief Master Shihan Adrian Ellis and the members of his Shihan Kai Senate.
“The Shihan Kai consists of a small group of the IKO’s most senior instructors. They provide advice and counsel to the Chief Instructor on all matters Technical and Administrative. In addition, they review decisions by the Technical Committee and other committees and make recommendations to the Chief Instructor as needed”, the release divulged. The designation of Shihan is a Japanese term used in martial arts as a title for Master or “teacher of teachers,” who are responsible for the structure and standards of style taught by instructors under his authority or umbrella. Under the regulations of the International Karate Organization, Shihans must carry the rank of seventh ‘dan’ [7th black belt] or above.
Following his successful conferment, Wong stated that his primary aim and objective is to pass on information and knowledge to others.
“Sensei Jeffrey as he is popularly known, began his training in the early 1970’s at the Anglican Archbishop’s residence in High Street Kingston. At that time karate in Guyana was under the umbrella of the Japan Karate Association (JKA) and Shihan Wong was able to benefit from interaction with and teaching from the fathers and masters of karate Masatoshi Nakayama, Teruyuki Okazaki, Takayuki Mikami, Shigeru Takashina and Yutaka Yaguchi,” the release stated.
“For more than 50 years, Shihan Wong has trained between three and five times a week, and has not restricted his teaching to only Guyanese students but was also responsible for setting up a dojo in St. Kitts and training its students in the 1980’s. Shihan Wong’s capabilities in karate are clearly evident with many of his students blazing the trail, both in Guyana and across the globe, capturing many gold, silver and bronze medals and world championships”, the correspondence added.
The International Karate Organization is an authentic traditional Shotokan karate institution dedicated to the promotion and preservation of Shotokan karate. The IKO is the most professionally structured martial arts organization in the world.
With members in over 100 countries, it is the world’s largest and most prestigious karate organization and the only legal karate entity officially recognized by the Japanese government as an association of members for the promotion of karate.
