Mandurah karate legend Jim Wood MBE has been enshrined within the Japan Karate Association (JKA) after he was handed the prestigious title of Shihan (master instructor) earlier this month.
The new title is one of the highest possible honours awarded by the JKA, with only a handful of westerners worldwide achieving the feat.
To mark his promotion to Shihan, Wood was presented with a master silk ceremonial robe from legendary karate master Imura Takenori, a Shihan himself and the JKA's general manager of the technical division, who recently visited Mandurah for packed out training seminars.
Wood said he was honoured to receive the title.
“I am very humbled to be honoured with this prestigious award and share it with my loyal students worldwide,” he said.
Wood’s lineage with the JKA traces back to 1970, where he began his training with the organisation.
With 50 years of study, the Mandurah-based instructor hold the rank of seventh Dan, taking all his higher grading examinations at the JKA headquarters in Japan.
Over the years he has qualified to hold the highest accreditation examinations ever awarded by the Japan Karate Association, including A-class instructor, A-class world cup referee and A-class examiner.
Wood moved to Western Australia in 2001 and built his own custom-made Dojo in Mandurah, and has become one the most decorated instructors worldwide.
