Kenzo Uchiage Hanshi

One of the two people who received 5th Dan from Chojun Miyagi, given by Miyagi Sensei in Japan including Okinawa.

For over 400 years, Kenzo Uchiage's ancestors, the "Imata" family ruled five separate villages of the Kawachi district of Osaka province.

Kenzo's father, Naojiro Imata was born as the oldest son and heir to the Imata family but when he was a young boy, both of his parents died and he was adopted by the Uchiage family and became Naojiro Uchiage.

Mr. Kenzo Uchiage is Studied jointly under Chojun Miyagi in Okinawa and Gogen Yamaguchi while at Ritsumikan University in Japan. Under their direction he was one of the early Goju Ryu karate ka to have received Menkyu from the Butokukai and to date has been involved in the study and spread of Goju Ryu for over 63 years and was elected to the Nippon Budokan Budo Koroh-Sho (Japan Martial Arts Award) in 1987. Kenzo Uchiage was born (1920) eldest son to Naojiro Uchiage. Naojiro Uchiage was originally born Naojiro Imata however at an early age his parents passed and he was adopted by the Uchiage family. Originally, the Imata family politically controlled five villages of the Kawachi District of Osaka spanning 400 years.

Just as Chogun Miyagi, Kenzo Uchiage was succeptable to athletics. Martial Arts training started with Judo (3rd Dan) and Sumo while he still attended Imamiya high school. Instead of pursueing a career as a professional Sumo wrestler (as asked by Grand Yokozuna Champion Tamanishiki) he persued his education at Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto (1937) studing Law (post Gogen Yamaguchi having done so at the same School) and joined the University Karate club (originally founded by Jitsuei Yogi and Gogen Yamaguchi). In his fourth year he became the Ritsumeikan University team captain. (Shozo Ujita Sensei, former J.K.F. Vice-President and President of the J.K.F. Goju-Kai, was captain of the Ritsumeikan team one year senior of Kenzo. Uchiage Sensei and his classmate T. Kizaki Sensei later became Chairman of All Japan University Karate Federation).

During his attendance at Ritsumeikan University, Mr. Kenzo Uchiage joined the Japanese Imperial Army from 1941 to 1945 during WWII, as an officer leading an airforce ground crew. He eventually returned to Ritsumeikan University and finished his Law Degree and to revive his activities in the Karate Club. Later he would coached at the University for two years and build his own dojo next to his house on his estate in Osaka. During this time the Rutsumeikan University Karate team again selected Gogen Yamaguchi to coach them. The University competition team included previous class/team mates Shozo Ujita and T, Kizaki. It was at these "last man standing" University competitions that Mas Oyama (Goju Ryu / Kyokushinkai) witnessed and decided to begin his own style of Karate Do specializing in Knock down type training.

Unfortunally Kenzo Uchiage Hanshi passed away in october 2003, after spending 60 years of his life practising and teaching Goju Ryu Karate Do. Indeed a big loss for all the Goju Ryu fans all over the world.