Sensei Takayuki Mikami, 9th dan JKA

Sensei Takayuki Mikami, a native of Niigata, Japan, was the very first graduate of the Japan Karate Association Instructor Training Program, the largest and most influential Karate organization in the world. He became the first certified instructor sent overseas by the JKA when he was assigned to teach at Far Eastern University Karate Club, Manila, Philippines in 1957. In 1963, he moved to the United States firstly teaching in Kansas City and Los Angeles, and then New Orleans where he has been since March of 1965, all the while promoting Shotokan Karate training in the United States.

​

Sensei Mikami was a formidable competitor, winning and placing in the All-Japan Karate Championship in both Kata (forms) and Kumite (sparring) each year from 1958-1962. After these successes and experiences, he focused his efforts on instruction and training his students to be the best.

Sensei Mikami developed Karate training in the Southern region by creating the All South Karate Federation in 1965 and hosting the annual All South Tournament in New Orleans, now the longest running traditional Karate tournament in the United States. In 2008, he formed the Japan Karate Association/American Federation (JKA/AF) to better serve his members and to connect directly with the JKA World Federation in Japan.

In his efforts to assure that Shotokan Karate will continue to be taught and learnt at its highest level, Sensei Mikami has taught, and continues to teach, special JKA Instructor Training classes throughout the years to his Black Belt students and instructors. Students and instructors from around the United States have come to LKA specifically for these special classes.

He was promoted to 9th Degree Black Belt in 2011 and is the highest ranked JKA master in the United States. He serves as the Senior Technical Advisor to the JKA Headquarters in Tokyo, the second highest technical position after the JKA World Federation Chief Instructor.

​

In addition to his outstanding Karate resume and experience, Sensei Mikami is a graduate of Hosei University in Tokyo, Japan where he majored in Japanese Literature. His hobbies and interests include Japanese swords and swordsmanship, Japanese calligraphy, Japanese karaoke (Japanese singing), acoustic guitar playing, woodwork, gardening and reading.