Ronnie Watt

Ronald Stewart Watt (born 16 April 1947), is a Scottish grandmaster of Shotokan karate.

A World Karate Confederation (WKC) director of Shotokan since 2003, Watt is the founding president and chief instructor for the National Karate Institute Scotland.

Biography

Born and educated in Aberdeen, Watt was training as an engineer until 1965 when a life-changing industrial accident forced a career rethink.

Oddjob a character in the James Bond film Goldfinger provided his initial inspiration, since when Watt established "Shotokan Karate Club" before pursuing further studies in Japan, then becoming Scottish team captain (1975Ã¢ÂÂ78).

Having introduced thousands of Scots to karate, since 2024 Watt is accorded the style of 10th Dan.

Karate rankings

Watt has been bestowed karate Dan ranking as follows:

1st - 1969;
2nd - 1972;
3rd - 1976;
4th - 1981;
5th - 1986;
6th - 1994;
7th - 1997;
8th - 2005;
9th - 2015;
10th - 2024.

Order of the Scottish Samurai

In 1994, the Order of the Scottish Samurai (OSS), an "awarding body recognising excellence, character and respect in alignment with the ancient spirit of budÃÂ", was established by Watt.

Honours and awards

Throughout his career in karate, Watt has received various honours, including:

Honours

Officer of the Order of the British Empire (2011) "for services to karate"
Member of the Order of St John (2020)
Order of the Rising Sun with Gold and Silver Rays (5th Cl. Japan) (2010);

Distinctions

Trnava Self-Governing Region (TSGR) Commemorative Medal (Slovakia) (2014)
Knight of the Order of the Holy Trinity (Ethiopia) (2015)
Comendador da Casa Real Portuguesa (2015);

Awards

Fellow of the International Shotokan-Ryu Karate-Do Shihankai (2006)
European Martial Arts Hall of Fame (2015)
Hon. MUniv, Aberdeen (2019)
10th Dan Meijin Ryu Karate-Do (2024).