The Jamaica Bas-I Kyokushin Karate Organisation is buzzing with excitement as its celebrated founder, Grandmaster Soke Newton James, who hails from Waterhouse will officiate at a two-day event on November 19-20 at the Movement Dance Studio, 23 Haining Road, Kingston.

The event, which starts at 9:00 am daily, will involve seminars, black belt promotion as well as the sanctioning and endorsing of local clubs. This is the first time in 41 years that the Grandmaster will be sanctioning and endorsing local clubs. Master Livingston Kelly, 10th Dan Ninjustu, 6th Dan Bas-I Kyokushin will also work alongside Soke James.

Kyokushin Karate, which started in Jamaica in 1964, is a form of self-defence designed for the streets. Its core tenets teach humility, love for oneself and others, respect and obedience.

Soke James’s stellar karate career has led to him being inducted in the World Martial Arts Hall of Fame in April 2008.

“I came out of the ghetto and Bas-I Kyokushin Karate took me all over the world and away from gang violence and negativity,” said the United States-based James who started his karate exploits in 1968 at the YMCA in Kingston. His autobiography

Journey of a Jamaican karate-ka chronicles his exploits.

Soke James has represented Jamaica and Kyokushinkai style all over the world. Most notably, he led the Jamaica full-contact fighting team in 1975 to the first World Tournament in Japan.

Soke James currently resides in Miami, Florida, where he has a full-time karate school (dojo) and after-school programme. He also owns and operates an investigation agency and bodyguards various celebrities, musicians, actors and politicians.

The Karate Grandmaster works closely and has been honoured by the State of Florida, for his specialised programmes for at-risk youth. Most notable of these programmes is the classes he conducts at the First Offenders Girls’ Power Facility, for first non-violent offenders ages 9-14. He was featured in the Miami Herald and on NBC News for his special dedication to at-risk youth, this alongside features and cover stories in a number of magazines such as Karate Illustrated, Black belt Illustrated andOfficial Karate.

This karate legend also worked on the movie sets of Countryman and The Rebel.

Bas-I karate has branches all over the world. Locally in Ocho Rios, Negril, Savanna-la-Mar, May Pen, Kingston and St Andrew. Internationally, in Russia, Canada, South Africa and the USA.

“I welcome this move as it will bring back true contact karate with an official link to Japan,” said Kyoshi Romeo Beam, who is the branch instructor responsible for the local clubs.