Gabor Kurdi

Shihan Gabor Kurdi was born in 1942 in Budapest, Hungary. He graduated as an Electrical Engineer and worked in that field while studying a wide range of martial arts throughout the 60s and 70s. His interests and training have included Judo, Ju-Jitsu, Kendo and Shotokan karate. In the early eighties, he was privy to Hayashi-ha Shito-Ryu training when Hanshi Thiry arrived in Budapest for the World Cup being held there. Shihan Kurdi kindly offered his dojo as a place for practice for the American Team members training under Thiry. It was then that he made the decision to become a member of the Hayashi-ha Shito-Ryu organization under Thiry. A holder of a Roku-Dan, Kurdi was awarded the title of Shihan in 2005 in recognition of his contributions to the organization and karate communities at large.

• 1962 - 1973: Judo, Ju-Jitsu
• 1973 - Present: One of the Founders of Hungarian Karate
• 1987 - Present: President of International Hayashi-Ha Shito-Ryu Karate-Do Federation of Hungary
• 1977 - Present: ASE Head Sensei
• 1977 - Present: Vice President of Hungarian National Karate Federation
• 2003 - Author, Hayashi-Ha Shito-Ryu History Book
• 2008 - Present: Vice President International Hayashi-Ha Shito-Ryu Karate-Do Federation