Career
Steve Bellamy practiced judo and boxing at school. He began studying karate in the early sixties, crediting the book Karate the Art of Empty Hand Fighting by Nishiyama and Brown as his inspirational source. His first formal lessons were in the Wadō-ryū style under Masafumi Shiomitsu later changing to Goju-ryu style under Brian Waites.
He was a British All-Styles Karate Team member from 1970 to 1973.
He has lived and trained in Japan for more than 40 years. In addition to instructor ranks in karate, jūdō and aikidō, he holds advanced teaching licenses in several classical martial arts of Japan, notably Shindō Muso-ryū Jodō, Musō Shinden ryū Iaido, and Kasumi Shindō-ryū Kenjutsu He was made a freeman of the City of Sheffield in 1992.
In 1998 he was awarded a master"s degree in Advanced Japanese Studies. In July 2009 he was appointed to the Nihon Jodo Association (日本杖道協会) Board of Directors.
In September 2010 he was appointed to the All Japan Iaido Federation (全日本居合道連盟) Board of Examiners.
On March 24, 2013 he received 8th Dan and the title Shihan in Japanese calligraphy (Shodo) Steve Bellamy studied karate under: Tatsuo Suzuki and Masafumi Shiomitsu in Wadō-ryū Brian Waites, Steve Morris and Gary Spiers in the Gōjū Kai Morio Higaonna, Ei"ichi Miyazato and Koshin Iha in Okinawan Gōjū Kickboxing and Full Contact under Jeff Smith and Bill "Superfoot" Wallace Wing Chun under Joseph Cheng (United Kingdom) and Leung Sheung (Hong Kong) His teacher and mentor in Japanese classical martial arts and in Japanese calligraphy for many years was Ichitaro Kuroda.
