A third generation martial artist, Simon Keegan has spent much of his life studying martial arts and now heads a Karate and Jujutsu system as well as a traditional family transmission of Jujutsu.

He became interested in martial arts around 1985, aged six. This was the height of the UK's Ninjutsu and Kung Fu boom, and his father, uncle and great uncle had studied Jujutsu.

Simon's great uncle Bill Nelson began studying Jujutsu after the second world war in Liverpool. His teacher was Gerry Skyner, a student of Mikonosuke Kawaishi, who came to Liverpool in 1928 and taught a system of Jujutsu based on Aikijujutsu and old pre-war Judo and Simon's dad first studied Jujutsu in school in around 1958.

As a youngster Simon was interested in many other martial arts including Spanish classical swordsmanship (Destreza) and in 1988 when Simon was 8 his father and uncle (a Karate blackbelt) went to China where Simon's dad first became interested in Tai Chi an art he later studied with Chinese masters.

Simon joined his first club over 20 years ago in 1990, and he was also guided by a professional boxer who lived nearby.

Throughout the early 1990s he studied various martial arts, from Italian Ravenna fencing to Chinese Dao.

In 1995 Keegan met Sensei Stephen Bullough, who was then teaching Bushido Freestyle Karate, and he studied this style until 2002. This style was a mixture of various arts including Shotokan, Budokan, Yoseikan, Shukokai, Judo, Aikido and Kobudo.

Simon had a moderate level of success in competition, becoming a British gold medalist and winning trophies for kata, kickboxing and points Karate. On this circuit he met several generations of competitors and teachers, from the legendary Alfie Lewis, to Peter Lewis to Joe Tierney to Chloe Bruce.

Simon competed against various world champions and turned down an invitation to join the Great Britain squad at the world championships in Italy.

In 1996 Simon served with the Territorial Army as a cavalry rifleman and in 1997 resumed his study of traditional fencing, this time French and Italian foil and Epee.

In 1999 Simon also joined his father in a traditional Tai Chi school in which they trained for around nine years, learning Yang Style, Sun Style, Hsing-I, Chinese sword and related forms, and training with the school president Professor Li De Yin on seminars.

In this year Simon was awarded his blackbelt 1st Dan.

Simon also competed in Tai Chi and Chinese sword competitions and also won a trophy for archery.

In 2001, founding the Bushinkai Academy, Simon commenced his study of Shotokan and Karate Jutsu under Shihan Robert Carruthers and Sensei Steven Brennan, and studying Jujutsu with Hanshi Jaimie Lee-Barron and Hanshi George Scarrott and attending seminars with Hakuda master Hanshi Joseph Carslake. At this time Simon began training with many other Karate, Jujutsu and Kung Fu masters which shaped the development of Bushinkai.

Under Hanshi Lee-Barron he studied 18 arts including Tai Jutsu, Aikijujutsu, Koppo Jutsu, Iai Jutsu, Kenjutsu, and Jojutsu, being awarded 2nd Dan and the traditional scroll Menkyo Mokuroku (equivalent to 2nd or 3rd Dan) and soon after 2nd Dan in Karate by his teacher Sensei Bob Carruthers.

His Jujutsu teacher had trained in Takenouchi Ryu, Shinden Fudo Ryu, Gyokushin Ryu, Muso Shinden Ryu, Shinto Ryu, Shindo Muso Ryu, Tomiki Aikido, Judo and many other arts.

In 2003 Simon joined the International Martial Arts Federation (Kokusai Budoin) in its Karate and Nihon Jujutsu divisions, where he was recognised as a 2nd Dan in both arts.

Kokusai Budoin is Japan's oldest martial arts fraternity and the only one recognised by the Shogun family with Tokugawa Yasuhisa its president, and previously the Japanese crown prince as chairman. Usually only instructors of at least 4th Dan with a Japanese pedigree are admitted to Kokusai Budoin as instructors. Despite being a 2nd Dan Simon was made a member because of his skills, experience and lineage.

He began training and teaching under Shizuya Sato's Nihon Jujutsu division (established by Minoru Mochizuki) and Mitsuhiro Kondo's Aikijujutsu division learning from teachers such as Hanshi Jack Hearn 8th Dan and becoming an uke of Judo teacher Ray Watts who taught him the traditional kata of Judo.


Simon also became the student of Renshi Reiner Parsons who had graded 5th Dan in Nisseikai Karate under Tadanori Nobetsu, and graded 6th Dan under Shoto Ryu master Ikuo Higuchi. Simon was graded 3rd Dan by Reiner. He was also appointed as an official officer of IMAF.


Following a schism in IMAF, the group known as IMAF GB became the United Kingdom Budo Federation and Simon was appointed international director.


At this time he also became friends with two of the UK's senior Japanese-graded masters, Hanshi Terry Wingrove and Hanshi Allan Tattersall, the UK head of the Dai Nippon Butokukai. Hanshi Wingrove is the UK's senior Karate master, as well as teaching rare forms of Jutsu and Yawara, and Hanshi Tattersall is the only westerner recognised as a headmaster of his own style of Jujutsu (Myoshin Ryu) by the Butokukai. Simon also had chance to train on seminars with various other legendary masters including Hanshi Patrick McCarthy, Shihan Alan Ruddock and Sifu Bruce Miller.


Simon represented his association as a founder member of the English Karate Federation and promoted a seminar marking 50 years of Karate in Europe with masters from Kokusai Budoin, Dai Nippon Butokukai and the Seibukan.


In 2007, as a 4th Dan Simon developed a system, based on the old ways of Karate, Jujutsu and Quan Fa called Hakuda Kempo Toshu Jutsu, a school of both Shoto Ryu and Nihon-den Jujutsu.


Simon was also appointed chairman of The Empire Martial Arts Association.


In 2008 the United Kingdom Budo Federation received the Butokukai mandate to awarded shogo titles. That year Bushinkai celebrated its 8th anniversary on 08.08.08 at the country headquarters of Dai Nippon Butokukai.


In 2009 Simon was awarded his 1st Dan in Taiji Quan, after ten years of studying Yang Style.


In 2010 he was awarded the title of Renshi in Shoto Ryu Karate Jutsu and heading up the International Toshu Jutsu Federation.


In 2011 he graded to 2nd Dan in Taiji Quan and was awarded the honourary grade of 2nd Dan in Kodokwan Judo by the Kodokwan in Zambia, recognised by Aiichi University Judo club in Japan. He also assumed further Bushin Ryu scrolls including the Kyoju Dairi (representative headteacher) and was a founder of the re-established British Jujutsu Federation.


He also began training in Abaniko Tres Puntas (classical Arnis), with his teacher Bob Carruthers, UK head Angelo Baldisonne and with the grandmaster himself Rene Tongson.

In 2012, some of Simon's articles were published by the head of the United States National Karate Association. Simon is currently training for his 5th Dan in Karate Jutsu.


Simon's primary instructors are:

- David Keegan (headmaster - Metal Tiger Academy)
- Robert Carruthers 7th Dan (Shotokan, Karate Jutsu, Abaniko)
- Reiner Parsons 7th Dan (Nisseikai Goju Ryu, Kobudo)

Other instructors Simon has trained with include:

- Shizuya Sato 10th Dan
- Allan Tattersall 9th Dan
- Tadanori Nobetsu 9th Dan
- Terry Wingrove 9th Dan
- Mitsuhiro Kondo 9th Dan
- Patrick McCarthy 9th Dan
- Li De Yin
- Joseph Carslake 10th Dan
- Zhang Xiu Mu
- Rene Tongson 8th Dan
- Angelo Baldisonne 8th Dan
- George Scarrott 10th Dan
- Jaimie Lee-Barron 8th Dan
- Steve Brennan 4th Dan
- Ray Watts 3rd Dan

Outside of martial arts, Simon has enjoyed a colourful 15 year career in newspapers that has often complimented his studies of martial arts. He has worked with the police, fire and rescue services. the Ministry of Defence and the NHS.  

He has worked on the Daily Express' sportsdesk as well as sub-editing on the Daily Star including the Fighting Talk page.

He worked on a Bruce Lee tribute edition of the Big Issue and has interviewed various martial artists for newspaper features.

He was invited to Leeds Armouries for a showing of Tokugawa Ieyasu's treasures and when Bushinkai was based in Salford, Simon also edited the Salford Advertiser where he led a campaign to raise a quarter of a million pounds for a new Christie Hospital. 

He currently works for a company supplying products for owners of Japanese Koi Carp (Nishikigoi).

 

Training timeline over the last 25 years

1986-1990. Informal training in various martial arts including boxing, fencing, basic Jujutsu, basic bokken, basic Karate. Around 1988, the Year of the Dragon, Simon's father lived and worked in China.

1990-1995. Training largely with weapons including Chinese broadsword, Spanish rapier, French epee and Japanese twin swords (Wakizashi and Tanto).

1995-2002. Training with Sensei Stephen Bullough in the Bushido Academy. Also, from 1999 training in BLJ Tai Chi school. Competes in various contests, awarded Blackbelt 1st Dan in 1999. 

2000: Year of the Dragon: Establishes Bushinkai.

2001-2004. Joins Bugei Renmei (and later Nippon Traditional Karate), training in Shotokan with Bob Carruthers, Shoshin Ryu with Steve Brennan and Kiai Yamabushi Ryu with Jaimie-Lee Barron. Awarded 2nd Dan.

2003-2006. Training with Kokusai Budoin Japan. As well as training with Bob Carruthers, also Judo with Ray Walker, Goju Ryu Karate with Reiner Parsons. Also with masters Tadanori Nobetsu, Shizuya Sato and Mitsuhiro Kondo. Awarded 3rd Dan.

2006-2010. Launch of the United Kingdom Budo Federation. Awarded 4th Dan in 2007. Trains with masters such as Terry Wingrove, Allan Tattersall and Patrick McCarthy 9th Dans, formulates the system of Hakuda Kempo Toshu Jutsu. Awarded title of Renshi in 2010. 

2011-2012. Broadens training to include Thai and Filipino martial arts. Awards Dan grades to senior students Jamie Tozer, Dan Sanchez, Ben Gaunt and Peter McHugh.

2012: Year of the Dragon