Nobuaki Konno

Nobuaki Konno (今野充昭)

Nobuaki Konno (今野充昭, Konno Nobuaki), born 1953 is a Japanese reciding in the Netherlands (Holland). Nobuaki Konno founded the KLM Karate Club on 10 april 1987. Since late 2001 or early 2002, he suddenly claimed to have received a 6th dan in Genseiryu by the founder Seiken Shukumine. He also claimed to have been awarded the rank of 6th dan in Koshiki given to him by grandmaster Hisataka, the founder of Koshiki Karate.

Family: (Two children), Tetsui (oldest) and Lisa (youngest).

Nobuaki Konno's current (as of writing in 2001) assistant is David Roovers, currently in possession of 4th dan by Konno and WKF (through KBN). On 20 April (year???) there was an examination held by the Dutch Karate Federation (KBN), where he was awarded 4th dan by Nobuaki Konno. The name of the style is unknown. Later on 19th May 2019 on the homepage of KBN it states that David Roovers was awarded a "special" rank of 6th dan. It does not say which style or who performed the examination if any was ever held that is. It is clearly one more promotion based on lies and false documents. First Konno claims that his student was promoted to 6th dan, then this is put towards the KBN through some documents most likely solely filled out by Nobuaki Konno and then put forward to the KBN for processing. Then David Roovers is awarded the rank without any testing or examinations but is awarded the rank solely on the trust put in Nobuaki Konno. If you have read this article in its entirety, you would now know, that Nobuaki Konno is one of the worst/best frauds in the karate-world, and these ranks are false and have absolutely no merrit in Genseiryu whatsoever. It is a pity that big organisations who states time and time again, that they promote fairness, friendship, truth and honesty etc., at the same time publicly promote and support the worst liers and frauds in the history of karate. If that does not set things into perspective and at the same time makes you angry, then I don't know what will. The students and followers of Nobuaki Konno are all in denial, and when big organizations such as KBN and the World Karate Federation promote these people, honest and true teachers and practitioners are forgotten. Thus true karate and martial arts dies by the hands of fake "masters". Nobuaki Konno is a disgrace, and the KBN as well as the World Karate Federation should wake up, admit their mistakes and wrong doings and then correct it instantly. These days corruption seems to be everywhere, and lies and fraud is the agenda of the day more than it is a rare fluke unfortunately. The point to also take from this, is that most ranks awarded by the World Karate Federation as well as national organisations such as the KBN in Holland the Danish Karate Federation in Denmark, solely base their promotions on documents given to them by what is considered to be the head teacher of that particular dojo or organisation. The promotions has absolutely nothing to do with any proves or genuine achivement. Just look at Konno. He was awarded 6th dan and 7th dan for doing nothing. It is this kind of people that is contaminating the true world of karate. Nobuaki Konno is a fraud and a lier who imposes himself as something he never was and never will be, despite his numerous fake promotions.

Background

Konno was born in 1953. In his childhood he copied his father with training judo. When Konno was 18 years old, he went to Saitama University. At this place, he met a strong Bogu-fighter and he came in contact with karate. The Bogu-fighter was Shigeo Suzuki and he became Konno’s teacher. Although Suzuki was a good kata-performer, his trainings emphasised on Bogu- and kumite-training.

In 1974 Konno came to Holland, as he asked Takahashi (Ryounkai) to promote Bogu karate. After coming to Holland, Konno was with Ryounkai for a number of years. After several years, an article in Taiko, issued in February 1983, was written by Edward Lease, Taiko (KBN-magazine), issue February 1983: ” ...at this time the Ryo Un Kai board were Norio Kayama - 6th Dan (Japan), Shigeo Suzuki – 5th Dan (Japan), Yasuo Takahashi – 4th Dan (Holland) and Nobuaki Konno – 3rd Dan (Holland)...”. Mr. Konno was in possesion of a rank of 3rd dan from Ryounkai. That same year, 1983, was for Konno a big breakthrough. During the 4-days walking in Nijmegen, he met T. Kaneko, chairman of the Japanese Walking Association. Through Kaneko, Konno met S. Sasegawa, who is the former chairman of WUKO (World Union of Karate-do Organisations, nowadays the World Karate Federation). Konno became a translator at the WUKO meeting. Through the secetary of Japan Karate-do Federation he met Kunihiko Tosa for the first time at the Budokan in Tokyo, during the All Japan Karate-do Championships at the end of 1984.

Konno left Ryounkai in that same year, as he himself wrote in a document in 1999: “...In 1983. Konno left Ryoun-Kai and traveling the world such as Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Japan, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Indonesia and Italy and searching the roots of Genseiryu and trained Bogu/Koshiki karate...”. It should be noted that Genseiryu never had roots in Canada, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Indonesia or Italy. Writing such gibberish serves only to confuse the reader, and make Konno look as a world explorer into karate. Something he certainly never was.

After Konno left Ryounkai, he went his own way. Since then, there was no cooperation between Konno and Ryounkai. After he went on his own, he founded in 1987 his own karateclub, the KLM Karate Club, and at the same time announced that he was practicing and would be teaching Genseiryu at that dojo, despite there was no evidence of any kind, that he had ever practiced Genseiryu.

On 26 April, 1992, the very first European Koshiki Karate-do Championship was held. Because it was the first Koshiki tournament in Europe, many VIP’s were invited. Among those VIP’s, were people like Kunihiko Tosa (Genseiryu) from Japan, Hisataka (founder of Koshiki Karate, Shorinji-Ryu Kenkokan) from Japan, Donivan (Shorinji-Ryu Kenkokan) from Canada, McKean (Shorinji-Ryu Kenkokan) from Australia and John Gaddy the first american to win the Gold Medal in Koshiki Karate (Shito-Ryu & Shorinji-Ryu) from U.S.A. Before the championships began, a ceremony was held for Konno, during which Hisataka (Koshiki) awarded Konno 6th dan.

Later in 1992, an article was published in the magazine “Oosterse Karate”, issue 28.. A photo was published of Konno and Kunihiko Tosa sitting next to each other. Above the picture, it was explained that Konno was awarded a 6th dan from Tosa. A quote from the article states: "..Hij werd tijdens dit evenement door Kunihiko Tosa (zevende dan), het hoofd van de Japanse gensei-ryu, voor al zijn werkzaamheden gegradueerd tot zesde dan.." Translated, it states that "he (Konno) was graduated during this event by Kunihiko Tosa (seventh dan), head of the Japanese Gensei-ryu, for his efforts to sixth dan.". This is all a clear cut lie, as it should be noted that Kunihiko Tosa was never informed by Konno about this article and Kunihiko Tosa did not give any interview or information to be used in the article. Kunihiko Tosa was not aware that this article even existed until he was informed of it by Peter Lee in 2001. The entire article is thus based solely on testimony from Nobuaki Konno and is a lie from start to finish as Nobuaki Konno never practiced/trained or even joined an examination for the chance to be awarded an actual rank in Genseiryu by Kunihiko Tosa or anyone else. Nobuaki Konno did not have any rank in Genseiryu at the time of the interview, and even to this day (21 FEB 2020) he still have never received any rank in Genseiryu by Kunihiko Tosa.

In 1994, Konno travelled to Japan together with a few of his students. There he went to visit Kunihiko Tosa to show his students where he allegedly had trained. According to an interview cunducted by Peter Lee with Kunihiko Tosa several times during the years 1999-2020, Nobuaki Konno has never joined serious training as a student in Genseiryu. Nobuaki Konno have visited Kunihiko Tosa, but never actually undergone any training. As Kunihiko Tosa used to describe it: "Nobuaki Konno was a social man who always liked to talk and seek acknowledgement, even though he never deserved such". When asked why, Kunihiko Tosa replied: "Because he never trainined, he was always so arrogant and lazy".

Diploma signed by Jackie Moos and issued to one member of Genbukai on 18 December 1999. The diploma was produced by Nobuaki Konno, and edited by Jackie Moos.

As Konno and Kunihiko Tosa had some kind of a relationship, Tosa was invited to come to Denmark in 1996. During this stay, Tosa found out there were diplomas published with his name among other names, including the name of Seiken Shukumine. These diplomas bought from Nobuaki Konno who produced them, and then used by several other dojos, who wanted to join Tosa. As Tosa never gave permission to use his name, these diplomas are considered false and Tosa cut off all connections with Konno in May 1996 due to this situation of fraud. Every one who used these certificates claimed (people such as Nobuaki Konno, Jackie Moos, Jan Christoffersen, Jan Madsen etc.) that they were official documents issued and approved by Seiken Shukumine and Kunihiko Tosa personally. The ranks given at examinations held by these people including Nobuaki Konno was "sold" as genuine even though this was fraud and served only to take money from the students. Anyone who joined such an examination was lied to, and awarded ranks and then this kind of diploma was issued as evidence of the "official grade" they had just "passed". All was a lie and based on arrogance from Nobuaki Konno's side and that of his "students" or rather followers such as Jackie Moos, Jan Christoffersen, Jan Madsen etc. None of them had ever received regular training in Genseiryu, nor had any of these people ever been awarded any rank in Genseiryu by Kunihiko Tosa nor Seiken Shukumine. Any such claims are clearly lies.

In the document Konno stated: “...In 1997 sensei Konno has gotten 6th dan and Shihan Diplomas from Sensei S. Shukumine directly...”. Notice that according to the article written in the magazine “Oosterse Karate” Mr. Konno already claimed ealier, that he got 6th dan in Genseiryu, from Kunihiko Tosa. Nobuaki Konno was at that time trying to change the focus from Kunihiko Tosa as Tosa did not want anything to do with Konno after the fraud and fake diplomas in 1996. Instead of comming clean, Konno simply invented yet another lie, this time claiming that he was awarded 6th dan by the founder of Genseiryu: Seiken Shukumine. But it was obviously just one more lie.

After Peter Lee gave a seminar in Holland in 2001, Peter Lee went directly from there to Japan in order to yet again practice in Japan under Kunihiko Tosa. Just before Peter Lee went to Japan, Konno asked Lee if he could bring a letter to Tosa. During Lee’s stay in Japan, there was sad news within the world of martial art: On 26 November 2001, the founder of Genseiryu and Taido, Seiken Shukumine, passed away after a long sickbed. Not long after Shukumine’s death, Tosa received several letters, including one from Konno who asked Tosa if he may join Tosa’s organisation. Tosa denied all of these letters (incl. Konno’s) as these were disrespectfull toward Genseiryu, Seiken Shukumine and Kunihiko Tosa respectively. Kunihiko Tosa did not want all these liers and scammers to be part of Genseiryu, as Kunihiko Tosa had spent his entire life building up a well known and the world over respected organization. These bad individuals were not welcome.

As a response to this denial, and now that his other big lies about having a relationship with the recently deceased Seiken Shukumine, Konno suggested in 2003 to establish the World Genseiryu Karatedo Federation with himself and some other fame seeking people.

Remarks

6th Dan

In 1999 Konno states the following in a private letter to one of his Dutch students: “...In 1997 sensei Konno has gotten 6th dan and Shihan Diplomas from Sensei S. Shukumine directly...”. This information is contrary to an interview with Nobuaki Konno, published in a Dutch martial arts magazine in 1992, in which Nobuaki Konno claims to have been awarded a 6th dan in Genseiryu by Kunihiko Tosa. Kunihiko Tosa has always denied any and all claims by Nobuaki Konno in this regard. Tosa always very clearly stated, that he never ever awarded any ranks nor licenses (grading licenses or otherwise) to Nobuaki Konno. All claims by Nobuaki Konno in this regard are false. Nobuaki Konno never had any authority whatsoever in Genseiryu and he never ever actually practiced or learned Genseiryu.

7th dan

On the 20th February 2020, an article named "Bijzondere promoties karateka" found at the homepage of the KBN surfaced. It seems to have been written 5 years ago. In this article in Dutch, it is written that the KBN has awarded "special" ranks to a number of people, including Nobuaki Konno. The article states: "Tevens kreeg sensei Konno een promotie als erkenning van zijn 7e dan die hij in 2006 had ontvangen van de “founding” Genseiryu organisatie in Ito, Japan.". The rough translation is, that Nobuaki Konno was awarded a 7th dan by the KBN in recognition of this already awarded 7th dan in 2006 by the "founding" Genseiryu organization in Ito, Japan. It should be noted, that no such organization ever existed, and certainly does not exist now. Further, no such rank was ever awarded to Nobuaki Konno or anyone else. Again, the KBN has based all their so called knowledge of Nobuaki Konno on one sole source, namely Nobuaki Konno himself and then awarded him for his lies by recognizing him as 7th dan in a style/organization that has nothing to do with Genseiryu. It should also be clearly noted, that no examination was held in regard to this promotion and recognition of a 7th dan to Nobuaki Konno. KBN has acted on a lie, and has yet again been frauded by Nobuaki Konno (or perhaps actively participated in the fraud). Nobuaki Konno is only an expert in one thing, namely lying. It is a pity, but people like Nobuaki Konno is spreading lies and is frauding students and corrupting everyone around him. He is placing himself on a pitestall where he does not belong and have never ever deserved to be. It is people like Nobuaki Konno who makes karate look bad, and make people believe that Genseiryu is something it certainly is not. Unfortunately the brainwashed students and followers of Nobuaki Konno is just adding to the lie instead of revealing the truth. Konno is nothing but a fraud, and that is the truth through and through.

Clubs

Konno opened his first club on April 10th, 1987 and called it KLM Karate Club. After that he opened dojo's in Amstelveen, Anna Paulowna, Den Helder, Schagen (new) and Uithoorn (new). There used to be a dojo in Osdorp, but later it was closed.