Jürgen Seydel Explained

Jürgen Seydel
Birth Date:	12 September 1917
Birth Place:	Bonn, Germany
Martial Art:	Shotokan Karate
Students:	Elvis Presley

Jürgen Seydel (September 12, 1917 – August 3, 2008) was the father of karate in Germany according to the views of some people.^[1]

In 1939 Seydel began judo training at the University of Bonn. In 1955, he read an article in a French magazine about karate, which was still unknown in Germany at the time; he traveled to Paris to learn this art. In 1957 Seydel founded according to the JKA the first karate club in Germany in Bad Homburg^[2] and soon opened a studio in Usingen.^[3] Jürgen learnt from a textbook by Henry Plée and with the knowledge he had acquired on courses. In 1959 he passed the exam for the 1st Dan. Until 1965 he was the only Dan carrier in Germany. Seydel's most prominent student was U.S. musician Elvis Presley, then stationed in Germany during his military service.^{[4] [5] [6]}

Jürgen Seydel was awarded the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany by Federal President Richard von Weizsäcker for his services to karate in Germany.^[7]

Literature

• Werner Lind: Lexikon der Kampfkünste. China, Japan, Okinawa, Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, Burma, Indonesien, Indien, Mongolei, Philippinen, Taiwan u. a. Sportverlag, Berlin 1999,, (Edition BSK).

Notes and References

1. Web site: Black Belt. Active Interest Media. Inc. October 2, 1965. Active Interest Media, Inc.. Google Books.
2. Web site: Chronik des deutschen Karateverbandes. www.chronik-karate.de. 17 December 2017.
3. Rex und Elisabeth Mansfield: ELVIS in Deutschland. Collectors Service, Bamberg 1981,, Page 72
4. Web site: Black Belt. Active Interest Media. Inc. 1 March 1998. Active Interest Media, Inc.. 17 December 2017. Google Books.
5. Book: Tillery, Gary. The Seeker King: A Spiritual Biography of Elvis Presley. 9 September 2013. Quest Books. 9780835630863. 17 December 2017. Google Books.
6. Book: Elvis Presley, Reluctant Rebel: His Life and Our Times. Glen. Jeansonne. David. Luhrssen. Dan. Sokolovic. 17 December 2017. ABC-CLIO. 9780313359040. 17 December 2017. Google Books.
7. Bundesverdienstkreuz für Jürgen Seydel. In: Deutscher Karateverband (Hrsg.): karate magazin. Nr. 2, 1989, Page. 16 (PDF; 5,7 MB).