Nick Adamou
All I can say is that most of them had either stopped doing karate or had left SKI by 1978 which was a great pity for karate.

S.A.
So, with Mick Randall having left SKI in 1978, am I right in thinking that you were the highest graded UK instructor within Kanazawa sensei's organisation?

N.A.
Yes, that's correct.

S.A.
Where there any other changes because of this?

N.A.
As far as I can remember just before Mick Randall and the other high grade instructors left the SKI, Mick Randall and I and perhaps one or two others were going to be allowed to conduct the kyu gradings when Kanazawa sensei was not in the country. Therefore, when I remained in SKI I was allowed to carry out Kyu (junior) grade examinations on his behalf and this was the first time that he had authorised a non-Japanese instructor within the UK to oversee such gradings. I also organised many of his visits, having to correspond with all the instructors in my Kenshin group of SKI clubs in the south of England and also with Jim Hardy in Scotland, Tim Heart in Ireland, Mr. Blanchard in France, Mr. Arsenvic in Denmark and various other heads of karate groups in Europe and Africa. I continued to do this until 1988. Whenever he came to this country, my phone never stopped ringing, such was the man's popularity.

S.A.
You mentioned the word 'Kenshin' when you spoke about your group of clubs within SKI. Does this name have any significance Nick and who was in your Kenshin group?

N.A.
Well, as students joined my karate club at the Harrow Leisure Centre and trained under myself and on the courses that I arranged for Kanazawa sensei, they would inevitably reach the level of Shodan (1st Dan black belt) over a period of three to four years. Some of these students went on to start their own clubs whilst still coming to train under myself within SKI at my dojo at the Harrow Leisure Centre. Kanazawa sensei suggested that, in between his visits to the U.K. I would visit these clubs for courses and gradings and those clubs became part of my group of clubs which he named 'Kenshin'.

There were four clubs that became part of my Kenshin group that were run by students that had started as complete beginners under myself when I was Yondan (1978 SKI 4th Dan). These were the Greenford club run by John and Brenda Wise; the Northwick Park Hospital club, which I believe was run by Rosalind Rust and Stephen Hpa; the Chorley Wood Club run by Dr. Robert Anderson; and the Temple Fortune Karate club run by Ivor Anderson. There were also other instructors who had not started karate as beginners under me, but who had decided to join their club to my Kenshin group after having attended one of the many Kenshin SKI courses that I had organised for Kanazawa sensei. Those clubs and instructors were, Tony Sasso in Aylesbury, Manuel Tresperdene in Camberly, Fransico Espinoza of the Europa Karate Club in Watford, the Worthing SKI club run by Sue Langford, Andy Hibberd's club in Richmond and David Jones in Newbury all became part of my Kenshin group within SKI

S.A.
You also co-authored 'Kanazawa's Karate' with Kanazawa sensei didn't you Nick?

N.A.
Yes I did, in late 1977 I wrote the manuscript for this book which I presented to Kanazawa sensei when he arrived in the UK. After having consulted with Kanazawa sensei on various technical and factual details, the book was published in 1981 as "Kanazawa's Karate" and was re-titled "The Dynamic Power of Karate" later on.

S.A.
You said earlier on that, Kanazawa sensei performed a T'ai Chi kata in the Winchmore - Hill dojo, in 1976 I think it was. When did he start to introduce T'ai Chi into the many courses that you organised for him Nick?

N.A.
I believe this must have been around 1979 at a course which Kanazawa sensei suggested I organise at the Michael Sobell Sports Centre in Hornsey, London. Whilst in the process of organising the planned course, I had a phone call from the person who was acting as the agent for the T'ai Chi master, Mr. Chu who asked whether it might be possible for Master Chu to demonstrate T'ai Chi on Kanazawa sensei's course. This was a very strange coincidence as this was the first time that Kanazawa sensei had planned to teach T'ai Chi on one of his courses and no one else would have known about it. Anyway, I immediately phoned Kanazawa sensei in Japan and explained my conversation with Master Chu's agent. A meeting was organised at my flat in Muswell-Hill for Master Chu, his agent, Kanazawa sensei and myself which was set for when Kanazawa sensei would arrive in the UK, three weeks before the planned course.

Page 14