Sensei Christian Tapia Biography
Sensei Christian Tapia
Sensei Christian was born in Santiago Chile 1960. Sensei Christian started his Karate training at the young age of eight under the influence and tutelage of his father Sensei Hector Tapia, currently the Director of the Ken- Shin- Kan- Karate Do in Australia.
Sensei Christian showed great enthusiasm and intuition for the arts, imitating his father and joining him when ever he trained in the back room of the house, the designated Dojo at the time. Sensei Christian would spend hours rehearsing his learnt moves pretending to be a great martial artist.
At the age of nine his Father and Sensei would ask Sensei Christian to make a decision and choose an activity and follow it diligently, with honesty, with his heart and dedication. There was no doubt in Sensei’s Christians mind what the activity would be and the words were uttered from deep within “I want to do karate.”
`From then on the training of karate-Do would become his passion constantly practicing, jumping, kicking and punching with daily training on his own and further tuitions from his father Sensei. There was nothing more beautiful in Sensei’s Christian’s mind then to feel the sensation the practice of karate-Do gave him.
In the early seventies sensei Christian started attending lessons on a regular basis at the Ken-Shin-Kan Karate-Do Goju-Ryu (founded by Master Seiichi Yoshitaka Akamine) training under the tutelage of Sensei Raul and Roberto Fernandez de la Reguera, who currently hold the rank of 9th Dan and are international directors of the Ken-Shin-Kan Karate-do Academy.
In 1974 Sensei Christian arrived in Australia with his family now 14 years of age. Sensei Christian commences to train with his father Sensei at a park near home. The training was regular and a number of onlookers joined them for what was the beginning of the Ken-Shin-Kan in Australia.
A club was established with a regular number of students, where Sensei Christian helped his father Sensei to impart lessons.
At 16 years of age (1976) Sensei Christian receives his 1st Dan black belt. Sensei Christian now holds a 6th Dan degree black belt and currently is the manager of the two clubs in Sydney. (Cronulla & Menai)
Sensei Christian has acquired a 4th DAN in Japanese Swordsmanship with the Mushintodo Kenbukan under the tutelage of Takagi Tesshu Sensei. He also has a diploma in Shiatsu Japanese Massage therapy.
Also “Kobudo” has been an integral part of Sensei Christians’ training, teachings that have been passed down from Master Akamine to now days.
Sensei Christian has developed in the progress of the martial arts and along the way he has trained and became proficient in the training of Capoeira, Javara (hapkido), Philippino Knife fighting obtaining an instructor level, all of these being mainly an extension of personal knowledge and understanding of the arts. In saying this he never strayed from the main objective, to expand the teachings of the Ken-Shin-Kan-Karate-Do in Australia together with his beloved father and Sensei Hector Tapia.