Koré Grate
Preferred Title: Shifu/Sensei Began training: Styles/Arts: Wu Chien Pai 8th Degree Black Belt, Aikitoho Iaido 2nd Degree Black Belt, SoshoRyu Iaido 2nd Degree Black BeltHall of Fame Award: 2012 - 30 years Other Awards: Email: Location: Minneapolis, MN Dojo: Five Element Martial ARts and Healing Center (FEMA) Website: | Biography:
She is a founding board member of PAWMA, served as PAWMA Vice-President, created and served as a PAWMA Elder Council , and received the PAWMA Martial Artist of the Year in 2005 and the esteemed Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011. In 1994-1996, Koré served as Chair for NWMAF (National Womens Martial Arts Federation) and is one of the founding mothers of the ARC Council (Anti-Racism Council/All Races Count). She is on the Keiko Fukuda Foundation Board of Directors as a link to AWMAI, NWMAF and PAWMA. In November 2016 she traveled to India with Sifu Sonya Richardson and Dr. Shelley Fernandez representing the Keiko Fukuda Judo Foundation to teach girls much needed self-defense in twelve schools in Patiala in the Northern Punjab Province. With deep gratitude for her teachers; Koré is a branch of Zhi Dao Guan with Grandmaster Alex Feng, Midwest Manager for Master Su Zi Fang, and Branch Manager of Jian Mei with Grandmaster Wen Mei Yu. She trained in Naginata with the late Miyako Tanaka Sensei, and trains in Nishio Ruy Aikitoho Iaido under Koji Yoshida Shihan and Michelle Benzamin-Miki Sensei. The late great Professor Coleen Gragen will always be her inspiration to "Stay True to the Path". To further deepen her roots in the arts, she traveled to China three times and trained with Professor Wang Pei Kun and his International Wu Shu Team. |
Shifu/Sensei Koré has been training in the martial arts for 49 years and was inducted into the AWMAI Hall of Fame in 2012 for 40 years of teaching and training. She has been serving as the Executive Director of the Association of Women Martial Arts Instructors from 2013 to present.