Club instructor
Sensei Craig Raye - 6th Dan
A video tribute to Sensei Craig Raye
compiled by Ged Moran: |
Sensei Craig Raye is a renowned British karateka who started training in 1978 and has been involved in Shotokan Karate for over 40 years. He continues to instruct and train weekly at Marshall Street Dojo, carrying forth Sensei Enoeda's legacy.
Sensei Craig’s career highlights include 1994 individual Kumite Champion, 1997 National Team Champion, 2003 Team Coach and Winning the National Team Championships at Birmingham N I Arena. Sensei Craig competed from 1981 to 2001, winning 18 individual championships and team events, first place medals in Kata and Kumite. He was part of the England junior squad in 1981 and trained with the England senior squad until 1996, competing in Italy, France, Germany, Prague, Sardinia and Japan. Sensei Craig has a continuing, long-standing association with the Marshall Street Dojo, founded by the legendary Sensei Enoeda (former chief instructor of the KUGB - see below). Sensei Craig currently holds the prestige position of chief instructor at Marshall Street and, during his competition days was twelve times kumite champion at our annual championships. As well as an illustrious competition career, Sensei Craig has vast teaching experience, having taught at Earls Court Dojo 1981 to 1984, Pimlico Karate School 1982 to 1984, Marshall Street Dojo 1986 to present, Kingston University 1992,1999, Makenki Karate club 2003, 2009 and Chingford Tora SKC 2015 to 2017. He has taught nationally in Birmingham, Leeds, Surrey and London and internationally in France, Germany and Italy. Sensei Craig has worked as a security consultant in the press industry for News of the World and Daily Mirror and he was responsible for arranging the fight scenes in the Rowan Atkinson TV commercial for Barclaycard. He has also worked in night club security for 12 years in the Old Kent Road, which involved dealing with many real life situations on a regular basis. Sensei Craig is ably assisted in class by a number of experienced black belts. |
Founding instructor
Sensei Keinosuke Enoeda 9th Dan
The Marshall Street Dojo was originally opened in the 1970s by the late, great Sensei Keinosuke Enoeda 9th Dan - generally regarded as a legend of the Shotokan world and one of the founding fathers of Shotokan karate in the UK.
Sensei Enoeda moved into the dojo in the early 1970s. He built it up to be one of the most successful, professionally run dojos in the country. Marshall Street Dojo, to Sensei Enoeda, was the equivalent of the JKA Honbu dojo in Japan. It was a full time karate club that was also his office, meeting place for business, and JKA headquarters for Europe. It is where he developed tough karateka with a strong bond amongst his regular and loyal students. The original Marshall Street Dojo closed in 2000 and sadly Sensei Enoeda passed away in 2003. In honour of his past master and to continue his legacy, the Marshall Street Dojo was reopened in 2011 by Sensei Craig Raye who was one of Sensei Enoeda’s most successful students as well as a trusted close personal friend and confidante. |