Hanshi Steve Arneil 9th Dan


Steve Arneil Hanshi (Honorable Master) Steve Arneil was born in South Africa in 1934. At the age of 10, his family moved to Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia), and there he began training in Judo and boxing. His mother made him stop boxing, but he continued studying Judo. After completing his engineering education, Hanshi Arneil went back home to Northern Rhodesia. Still fascinated with the Orient, he decided to go there and experience it for himself, and his Chinese friend gave him the names of people to train with in China. Fresh out of college and without any money, Arneil got a job as an engineer on a ship and worked his way from Dar es Salaam, Tanganyika (now Tanzania), to Kowloon, Hong Kong. From there, he went into China and traveled northward to the province of Manchuria, where he came to a monastery at which he studied Shorin (Shaolin) Kempo. The rigorous training, strict discipline, daily work in the monastery's fields and daily meditation was just what Arneil was looking for – he was in "seventh heaven." Around 1961 he heard of a karate master in Japan named Mas Oyama, and he was determined to go there and seek him out. He saved his money with great sacrifice and went to Japan. At first, Hanshi Arneil studied Goju Ryu karate under Gogen Yamaguchi. Don Draeger took him to Oyama's dojo, where he had to watch for 8 weeks without being allowed to train. Oyama told him he would have to start at the beginning regardless of previous accomplishments. By the time he left Japan in 1965, he had gained the rank of 3rd dan and had been the first person to complete the 100 man kumite (which he completed in one day not two as has previously been reported) after Mas Oyama. Steve Arneil was "adopted" by Mas Oyama, in order to allow Steve to marry a Japanese woman. After his marriage, Steve Arneil travelled with his new wife to Great Britain. In that year, he and Shihan Bob Boulton founded the British Karate Kyokushinkai (BKK) orginazation. The first full time dojo was located in East London. The number of clubs expanded world wide. His 8th dan was awarded to him, not by Japan or Mas Oyama and Kyokushin, but by the entire British karate community for his services to karate in Great Britain. On May 26th, 2001, Hanshi was awarded his 9th dan by the IFK Country Representatives at their meeting in Berlin. He became the adopted son of Oyama. A remarkable man, worth reading about. Truly worthy of his title.
Qualifications and Achievements
1949: Began studying boxing at first, then Judo and Karate, in Northern Rhodesia, (Zambia) with Sensei's: Alan Robinson (Judo) and Joe Grant Grierson.
1950's: Studied Judo and Karate in a small dojo in central Durban.
1959: Travelled extensively through South East Asia, including China and Korea.
1961: Studied various forms of Martial Arts in Japan. I joined Mas Oyama's (International Karate Organisation) Kyokushin-kai at his 1st ever dojo in Ikebukoro in January of that year.
1962: Graded to the "Shodan" on May 15th.
1963: Graded to "Nidan" on April 16th.
!964: Got married to my Japanese wife, Tsuyuko.
1965: Became the 1st person to complete the "100 man Kumite" at the new dojo Ikebukoro on May 22nd. Time recorded for the "Kumite 100" was 2 hours and 45 minutes. Graded to "Sandan" on July 10th. During my stay in Japan, I trained on average, 6 hours per day. Founded the "British Karate Kyokushin-kai.
1966: Promoted to "4th Dan" in May.
1966/1975: Manager/Coach of the British Karate Team. This team became the 1st team ever to beat the Japanese, at the "World Championships" in Paris.
1968: Promoted to "5th Dan" on January 15th.
1974: Promoted to "6th Dan" on October 7th.
1975: Presented (with the Title of) "Best Coach in the World", by the French Karate Federation.
1975/1977: Manager/Coach of the British Karate Team, which became the "World Champions" in Los Angeles, beating Japan for the 2nd time.
1977: Promoted to "7th Dan" on August 6th.
Early 1990's: Member of the "Technical Committee" for the "E.K.G.B".
Mid; 1970's/1991: President of the "European IKO Kyokushin-kai Karate".
1991: Became the "Founder and President" of the "Internation Federation of Karate". (Kyokushin-kai)
1992: Awarded "8th Dan" on May 30th.
1999: Committee member of the "English Karate Traditional Body".
2001: Awarded "9th Dan" on May 26th.
 Hanshi Steve Arneil 9th Dan