In March this year Adam Higgins Sensei traveled to Japan to train at the headquarters for Chito-Ryu Karate under the guidance of Soke. During this training trip Higgins Sensei was tested for and successfully passed his Yondan grading and also his Shihan grading. In Chito-Ryu Karate the rank of Shihan is not handed out lightly and is only awarded after years of dedicated study. Higgins Sensei commenced training in Chito-Ryu Karate in 1996 so in this case it was 27 years of study. This was also a particularly important milestone for Australia with only four other active members of Chito-Ryu Karate Shihan or higher.
At the recent QLD Chito-Ryu Karate Camp Phillips Shihan had the honour of presenting Higgins Shihan with his grading certificates and a special gift of a new black belt embroidered with his new rank.
