| Takayuki Kubota | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | September 20, 1934 Kumamoto, Japan | ||||
| Died | August 14, 2024 (aged 89) Glendale, California, U.S. | ||||
| Style | Gosoku-ryu Karate, Kubojitsu, Kubotactical, Toshin-ryu Iaido | ||||
| Teacher(s) | Terada, Tokunaga, Cai | ||||
| Rank | 10th dan karate, 10th dan kubojitsu, 5th dan aikido, 5th dan judo, 2nd dan kendo | ||||
| Notable students | James Caan, Chuck Norris | ||||
| Website | http://ikakarate.com/ | ||||
| Japanese name | |||||
| Kanji | 窪田 孝行 | ||||
| Hiragana | くぼた たかゆき | ||||
| Katakana | クボタ タカユキ | ||||
| |||||
Takayuki Kubota (窪田 孝行, Kubota Takayuki, September 20, 1934 – August 14, 2024), also known as Tak Kubota, was a Japanese-American karateka, known as the founder of the Gosoku-ryu style of karate. He held the title of sōke (grandmaster) for his development of the Gosoku-ryū, and was the founder and president of the International Karate Association. He was also the inventor and holder of the trademark of the Kubotan self-defense key chain.[1]
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 devoted his life to learning, creating, and teaching the application of self-defense techniques to military, law enforcement, and civilian personnel. He earned black belt degrees in karate (10th dan), judo (5th dan), aikido (5th dan), kendo (2nd dan), and iaido.[2][3]