Born September 29th, 1947 in Tokorozawa City, Saitama Prefecture, Japan, Kancho Yoshiji Soeno is the founder and grand master of Shidokan Karate. From an early age he began his martial art training, studying Judo and Kendo. As a first year high school student he entered the Oyama Dojo (now the Kyokushin Kaikan), training under Masutatsu Oyama and becoming his number one student. After entering Jyosai University, Soeno established his own Karate-do club there, where he taught and trained in karate as well as kickboxing. His abilities in both styles were such that in his kickboxing debut fight he was considered a main contender and featured as part of the main event, and at the First All Japan Karate-do Tournament he finished as runner-up (he would later finish third at the next tournament and then fifth at the fourth All Japan Tournament). From these showings Soeno came to be called jyosai no tora (The Tiger of Jyosai) and kyokushin no mohko (The Brave Tiger of Kyokushin). Soeno has also trained in Bangkok, the home of Muay Thai, as well as traveling to the USA to train in Karate. In 1970 he opened the Kyokushin Kaikan Soeno Dojo and Soeno Gym. In personal pursuit of new martial art forms, Soeno in 1981 separated from the Kyokushin organization and established The World Karate Association Shidokan. Soeno has worked to spread Karate-do as a martial art as well as the traditional Japanese culture of the Samurai Spirit overseas. At present there are 68 branches with recognized dojos. Soeno spends half of the year overseas instructing and training. In Japan, his base of teaching and training is the Omuroyama Ikki Dojo in Ito, Shizuoka Prefecture.