William Stockey-hanshi judan, tenth dan, began studying shotokan karate in 1968, and began studying under his most influential teacher, Hamada Hiroshi-sensei, in 1972. Hamada-sensei is the International Director of the most prestigious Dai Nippon Butokukai, and Stockey-hanshi remained a student of his until 1993. Training under Hamada-sensei was gruelling, and sessions could last anything up to eight hours in pursuit of Hamada-sensei's elusive perfectionism. Having trained in Japan and Okinawa many times over the past 30 years, Stockey-hanshi now combines 56 kata originating from the Shuri, Tomari and Naha regions of Okinawa, offering a comprehensive insight into Okinawan karate. Stockey-hanshi has no interest in competing for trophies, and believes that one should study the kata as the basis for one's karate training. Stockey-hanshi has trained with the famous, late Miyazato Eiko-sensei, and is close friends with the highly regarded Roy Jerry Hobbs-hanshi judan and Rudy Crosswell-hanshi judan, with whom Stockey-hanshi shares ideas, philosophies and training concepts. Stockey-hanshi also has extensive experience of gung fu, iaido and escrima. He is the Senior Master of the Kokusai Shoshinkan Budo Renmei based in Virginia, USA, and is also a member of the elite Hanshi no Iinkai and of the Technical Board, USA, of the Kodo Butoku Renmei. Stockey-hanshi travels regularly around the world to teach traditional martial arts.