Shigeru Kimura was born on 2 March 1941 in Kobe, Japan. After successfully dabbling in judo and kendo, he took up karate at the age of 16 with Chojiro Tani. At the age of 21, Kimura won the All-Japan Shito-Ryu Championships, and the next year he took the title a second time.
Without the slightest knowledge of English, Kimura accompanied his instructor Chojiro Tani to South Africa in 1967 to teach Shukokai Karate. In 1969 he returned to South Africa again before going to the USA and opening his first dojo there. At 37, he was one of the youngest holders of the 7th Dan in an internationally recognised style of karate. In 1981, Kimura organised the first Shukokai World Championship in the USA. Kimura died on 7 July 1995.
