Sensei Kimura was born in Kobe on March 2, 1941. After having tried judo and kendo, at 16 he began learning karate with Sensei Chojiro Tani (1921 - January, 1998). At 21 he won the All Japan Championships. He repeated the win the following year.
Even though successful, Kimura doubted the effectiveness of his karate, so he decided to try full contact fighting with other students. The punches were fast, but much less effective than he had expected. This frustrated him and he began his life long search for greatness.
Without the slightest knowledge of the english language, Sensei Kimura left Japan in 1965 for Africa. He taught in Zimbabwe, Mozambique and South Africa; the first country where he was to stay longer and have a considerable influence on karate. Wherever the Master was at work, successful schools with well-trained instructors were the result.
His search led him to Europe, where he then settled in England. Ultimately, his journey ended in the USA where, thanks to Sensei Kidachi - a renowned Judoka, he settled and opened his first Dojo. The dojo soon became too small and Sensei Kidachi was again at hand as they set about looking for a larger training establishment.
The two masters remained close friends and visited one another often. The Shukokai Headquarters were set up in Hackensack, New Jersey and would remain so for 18 years. Sensei Kimura was then 37 years old and one of the youngest ever to have held the 7th Dan with an acknowledged style.
Sensei organised the first Shukokai World Tournament in the USA in 1981 - an event that established itself and has since then taken place every two years. Shukokai Karateka from all over the world were now visiting the headquarters regularly. Even Karateka of other styles often sought advice from Sensei Kimura as well.
He continued to develop the Tani-Shukokai further, something which constantly challenged, irritated, and frustrated but above all brought his students further. He revolutionised his entire Shukokai once again. The manner of practicing Shukokai now differed considerably from the Tani style, which is why the term Kimura's Shukokai is used today. In 1991 Kimura's Shukokai was being practiced world-wide by 20,000 students in 14 countries.
Even in his later years, Sensei remained innovative and open. Students who were closed to developing further were out of place with him, proof of which were the numerous partings of ways. Sensei Kimura - a man of no compromise; his influence is still present in many large organisations of today, even though working together has ceased.
In 1987 Sensei Kimura had already begun contemplating the replacement of his Dojo, which was too small and somewhat run-down. To everyone's delight, he was able to fulfill the dream of having his own new headquarters, this time, in Tenafly, New Jersey. This Dojo was beautiful and professional, with a kitchen, recreation room, large training room and the option of overnight stays.
In 1995, Sensei Kimura, full of plans for the future, died suddenly of a heart attack at the age of 54.