Nationality French | Name Henry Plee | |
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Other names H.D. PleeHenri PleeHenry D. PleeHenry-Desire Plee Teacher(s) Gichin Funakoshi, Murakami, Hiroo Mochizuki Enoeda, Yoshinao Nanbu, Taiji Kase, Fukuda Rikutaro, Tsutomu Ohshima, Tsuneyoshi Ogura | ||
Sensei lavorato parle de sensei henry plee karate
Henry Plée (also named H.D. Plée, Henri Plée, Henry D. Plée, or Henry-Désiré Plée, 24 May 1923; Arras, Nord-Pas-de-Calais–19 August 2014; Paris) was a French martial artist who is considered as the 'father of European and French karate'. He was one of the rare 10th dan karate masters living outside Japan, and one of the few Westerners who held this rank. At the time of his death, Plée was also the oldest and highest karate ranking Westerner alive, with more than 60 years of fighting arts, including 50 in martial arts. He was a pioneer in introducing karate to France and Europe, and has taught most of today's highest ranking karate masters in Europe.
Contents
- Sensei lavorato parle de sensei henry plee karate
- Henry Plee Pionnier du Karate son oeuvre sa vie dedie aux arts martiaux France karate history
- Background
- Karate
- Ranks
- Judo
- Aikido
- Kendo
- Bjutsu
- Awards
- Teachers
- Students
- References
Henry Plee Pionnier du Karate, son oeuvre, sa vie, d'ediée aux arts martiaux - France karate history
Background
Henry Plée was born in Arras, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France on 24 May 1923. His studies were interrupted by World War II in 1940.
An only son, Henry Plée started his sports career with gymnastics, weight lifting, French savate, English Boxing, Greco-Roman wrestling, Ju Jutsu, and Fencing with his father Alcide Plée, who was a sword master since 1912. He diversified into judo in 1945 at the 'Judo Club de France', Mikonosuke Kawaishi's second club. He was the 96th French black belt and is now ranked 5th dan at judo.
Physically, he demonstrated very powerful kicks and punches. So from 1946, he returned to French savate, also known as French kickboxing, at the club 'Banville' (the only remaining club at that time). He trained with famous fighters such as Rigal, Pierre Plasait, Cayron, and Pierre Baruzy. Despite the high training quality, he was still feeling the need to go stronger and deeper, and was still looking for something else.
He discovered aikido with Minoru Mochizuki, then karate from an article in Life magazine with Fukuda Rikutaro, his Judo Kodokan magazine's translator. Fukuda Rikutaro confided in him that he learnt karate in Tokyo with Gichin Funakoshi. This was the start of his karate career in 1953, with help from Donn Draeger in Japan.
Karate
In 1955 he founded his dojo: the Karate Club de France (KCF), which became Académie française des Arts Martiaux (AFAM), which became 'Shobudo', also known as 'The Mountain/ La Montagne' (in French) or as 'Dojo de la Montagne Sainte-Geneviève' in Paris. It is the oldest karate dojo in Europe, which has won 32 French, Europe, and world championships since its creation.
Here he taught the four pillars of Japanese Martial Arts: karate, judo, aikido, and kendo. Plée instructed many black belts who, at a later stage, became the foundation of the European karate institutions, and are today some of the highest ranking karate masters in Europe.
He frequently traveled to Japan. There he met with and learnt from some of the most famous karate masters of all styles. He invited many of them to visit him in France. He even financed the visit to France of many Japanese and Chinese martial arts experts. They taught at the Shobudo, where the secrets of karate were being unveiled to Europe.
In 1956, he founded the 'French Federation of Karate and Boxing' (Fédération Française de Karaté et de Boxe Libre), which became part of the 'French Federation of Judo and Associated Disciplines' (Fédération française de Judo et Disciplines Associées - FFJDA) in 1960. Under his influence, the creation in 1966 of the 'European Union of Karate' (Union Européenne de Karaté), showed an independence of karate from the judo federations, and the decision of not favoring any karate style over another. He also served as a Technical Advisor to the 'European Karate Federation (EKF)', and as its General Secretary in 1967.
For 21 years (1950–1971) he financed and published the first bilingual (French/ English) karate magazine named Budo Magazine Europe. He also published another magazine named Judo Kodokan, which was a translation of the Japanese magazine of the Tokyo Kodokan. He wrote books, and appeared in the movie La Vie, l'amour, la mort.
He owns at 'The Mountain' the most comprehensive private Martial Arts library available in Europe. Also located there is his Martial Arts store named 'Budostore', which offers equipments, books, videos, and DVDs. Henry Plée heads a very exclusive European think-tank on Martial Arts, which studies the essence and spirituality of Martial Arts, and he regularly publishes his chronicles on-line.
From 200 karate practitioners in 1961, Henry Plée's efforts have led today to more than 200,000 practitioners in France. The French government considers him as one of the greatest international experts in Martial Arts, and has knighted Plée with the French Ordre national du Mérite in 2008.
Ranks
Since the 50's, numerous trips to Japan allowed him to meet some of the most famous karate masters of all styles, and to pass belts in various styles and disciplines:
Karate
Judo
Aikido
Kendo
Bōjutsu
Awards
Henry Plée has been granted the following awards:
Teachers
Henry Plée has traveled frequently to Japan in order to learn and meet with the most famous karate masters of all styles such as Gichin Funakoshi and many others. Along the years, he financed the visits to France of more than 17 Japanese and Chinese martial arts experts, including:
Inviting many Japanese masters to France allowed him to learn in continuity from his actual level, instead of starting from the beginning in every school in Japan. It also molded French karate with a unique blend of not favoring any karate style over another.
Students
Henry Plée instructed many black belts who became the foundation of the European karate institutions, and are today some of the highest ranking karate masters in Europe, including: