André De Rijck 06/08/1953-01/05-2021 - Kamigaito Yoshikazu Sensei, Wado-Ryu Karate Master

André De Rijck, Wado-Ryu karateka — André De Rijck

André De Rijck is a friend and partner of the first hour in the Wado-Ryu Karate in Leuven ( Belgium ).

André De Rijck studied Slavic and Eastern Philology at KU Leuven in the early 1970s and began his Karate career there just as Kamigaito Sensei was coming to teach there. He became a spirited friend and early supporter of Wado-Ryu Karate. After studying law at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel and the Moscow Institute of Economics, Politics and Law, he has been attached to the Belgian Embassy in Moscow since 1990 as the economic representative of Flanders. Although he retired, he still lived there and was active as a consultant.

André has made an important contribution to Wado-Ryu Karate in Belgium and Russia:

– co-coach with Peter Keijers at Tshinto Karate club of Leuven

– co-founder of the association VZW Wado Kamigaito Belgium ASBL in November 1979

– founder Tshinto Karate club Aarschot

– Dré got his 5th Dan in Japan and met the founder of Wado-Ryu, Master Hironori Ohtsuka

– founder of the Wado Karate club Moscow!!!

– Dré also produced a Russian translation of Kamigaito Sensei’s books Kihon-Volume 2 and Pin-An Katas-Volume 3
See an extract here….

Wado-Ryu Kihon and Pin-An katas in Russian language Télécharger

– In the 1970s, Dré conducted a very interesting interview of the, at the time, young Master Kamigaito

Dré was a jovial partner of Karaté and a bon vivant.

From his first marriage in Belgium he had a daughter, Sofie De Rijck and three grandchildren.

Dré had also integrated well in Russia. He was remarried to Nadezhda Gerasimenko with whom he had a daughter. In Moscow, all his Russian friends and Karatekas friends from his club in Moscow will certainly regret him.

Dré will remain in our hearts

Fly in peace to the stars,