KBI STORY

Our beloved founder and original Grandmaster Mr. Chew Choo Soot.

HISTORY OF THE KARATE BUDOKAN INTERNATIONAL


Our beloved founder and original Grandmaster Mr. Chew Choo Soot.
This incredible man had the vision and determination to take a small family Karate Style and turn it into one of the leading clubs in the world. The following is the story of the birth and growth of our Karate Budokan International from it’s early days in Malaysia to it’s modern day presence in over a dozen countries.
As we have now reached the 45th” year of the birth of Karate Budokan International. We must reflect on our humble beginnings when we started our first training center occupying a small space on the 1st floor of a shop house in Petaaling
Our Founder Late Mr. Chew Choo Shoot, was presuaded by his friends to teach them karate so as too enable them to defend themselves in time of need. They found a suitable premises in Petaling Jaya for the purpose, and mr. Chew Choo Choot felt abvligated to start a karate class since his friends had gone to such an extent as to prepare a place for the dojo. The first course offered to the public was a “Karate Jodo Self-Defence” 3-Months Course, which would enable a student to defend himself under normal circumstance.

In two months time the mimbership grew from twelve enthusiastic students to more than three hundred and it was impossiable for Mr. Chew to find sufficient thim to train them, although he was assisted by his son Mr. Tony Chew. He then employed from japan two instructors Mr. T. Yoneda and Mr. T. Ishikawa of the Shitoryu style form Okasa, to assist him to conduct the classes as they could not in Malaysia for more than a few months the problem of getting replacement was very acute, as the more senior members in Malaysia were still new to become even assistant instructors. In the membership in the K.B.I continued to grow by leaps and bounds.

With Mr. Tony Chew and one employed Pilipino instructor to carry on with the classes in Kuala Lumpur, Mr. Chew then went to Tokyo and selected a new group of four Japanese instructors from Japan to build up the strength of the panel of instructors. In 1968 when K.B.I opened the gates of it’s first headquarters building at the Loke Yew Road, Kaula Lumpur, we were having four Japanese instructors, one Pilipino instructor and two Hong Kong Kung-fu instructors to assist Mr. Chew Choo Soot to handle a membership of more than 6000 in most of the major towns in Peninsular Malaysia. By then Tony Chew had already left for Australia for higher education. Besides Karate, the members, who held the rank of brown belt fourth kyu and above, were also taught oriental Wushu weapons.

The first official headquaters building of K.B.I at the Loke Yew road Kaula Lumpur, was declared open on 26th May, 1968 by the honorable Encik Mohd. Khir Jhohiri who was then the minister of education of Malaysia. We then had a couple of years of rapid progress until November 1970, when the Japanese instructors has completed their term of employement and returned to Tokyo. By then K.B.I was celebrating it’s fourth anniversary and many young black belt instructors in Malaysia has been trained by Mr. Chew Choo Soot to take over the classes from the foreign instructors. The young instructors were ready for the challenge ahead. With continuous training from Mr. Chew and other foreign visiting instructors brought in by him from time to time the local instructors improved steadily.

 

SRI LANKA
In 1972 Mr. E.R. Jacob, who was then the President of Ceylon Karate Association, invited Mr. Chew to Colombo and requested him to help the Association in the first ever karate-championships to be held in Sri Lanka by acting as the Referee and to teach the instructors there to be judges. Although the standard displayed was rather poor the 1972 Ceylon Karate Championships held at Colombo on the 15th of July, 1972, met with tremendous enthusiasm from the contestants and an audience of 5,000 people.
 
Today under Mr. Sarathsiri Desilva, Sri Lanka is able to boast of extremely high standard in karate, with “Budokan” leading in the size of membership, quality in organisation and standard of performance.
INDIA
India can rightly claim to have the largest K.B.I. membership in the world. More than 300,000 had received the training from more than 600 K.B.I. authorized instructors and assistant instructors in India it is, therefore, an undisputed fact that the Karate Budocan international is the largest and most active karate organisation in India and possibly in the World.
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
In the Sheikdoms of the United Arab Emirates Senior Instructors conduct karate classes in the cities, towns of Dubai, Ras-al Kamiah, Fujarah, Omal Quin, Kalbah and Dibab-Fujarah, with the assistance of a number of Black Belt instructors.
PAKISTAN
In Pakistan the K.B.I. is particularly strong with Zahoor Ahmed, National Instructor of Pakistan Budokan Karate. The team from Pakistan participated in the 1987, and the 1989 Budokan Karate Malaysian-International Karate Open Championships at Petaling Jaya, in November 1989. They were also participated in the 1981 Silver Jubilee International Karate Championships at Kuala Lumpur from 8th to 10th November, 1991. The Team performed creditably well by winning a few trophies in all the international meets. They have indicated their intention to participate in all future tournaments in Malaysia.
WORLD-WIDE

It was not the original intention of Mr. Chew Choo Soot to form a world-wide Karate organisation when he started the first Karate class in 1966. However, the demand for proper and honest Karate training, plus the popularity of his style of Karate, far exceeded his expectations; and he was forced to train more and more assistant instructors to cope with the requirements. Now, after 45 years of Karate Budokan International has stood the test of time and has grown from a small dojo into a respected international organisation, with more than 500,000 active members receiving training from K.B.I. Authorised Instructors in about three thousand branches and affiliated centers in different parts of the world including Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, Britain, Norway, Swedan, Denmark, Lebanon, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, USA, Nepal, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, U.A.E. and other middle east countries.

UNIVERSAL APPEL

KARATE BUDOKAN INTERNATIONAL: is a non-political martial art organisation and is not against any other style or body of karate or martial arts. It is sympathetic to those who have not been able to get proper instructions in karate prepared to accept into its fold the instructors who are not happy with the present organisation they are in and who wish to join K.B.I. for training in the correct are of karate-do. Authorised instructors of affilated centers may participated in Special Courses in karate, Waushu and Oriental Weapons at the International headquarters and at taining-camp organzied in india. Srilanka and other countries, subject to the written approval of the grandmaster. Each course covers a period of about two to three weeks and is held once a year. Only person of goods character and loyal to K.B.I. will accepted for the courses