Is it possible that a street could be named after a martial arts pioneer? Today, we find ourselves on Rue Henry Peuteuil. It is a street that perhaps holds more significance than its modest appearance suggests.
Rue Henry Peuteuil is a street in Ormesson-sur-Marne in France. But who was Henry Peuteuil?
Henry Plée, also known as Henry-Désiré Plée, was born in Arras in 1923. He died in Paris in 2014. He was a French martial artist. Many consider him the father of European and French karate. Plée was one of the few Westerners to achieve the rank of 10th dan in karate. At the time of his death, he was the oldest and highest-ranking Western karate master alive. He had over 60 years of experience in fighting arts. Fifty of those years were dedicated to martial arts.
Plée’s journey began with gymnastics, weightlifting, French savate, English boxing, Greco-Roman wrestling, Ju Jutsu, and fencing. His father, Alcide Plée, a sword master since 1912, guided his early training. In 1945, he branched into judo at the Judo Club de France. He earned the 96th French black belt. Later, he achieved the rank of 5th dan in judo.
Returning to French savate in 1946, Plée trained with renowned fighters. Yet, he sought something more profound. He discovered aikido. Then he found karate through an article in Life magazine. Fukuda Rikutaro, his Judo Kodokan magazine’s translator, connected him to Gichin Funakoshi. This marked the start of his karate journey in 1953.
In 1955, Plée established the Karate Club de France. It later became Académie française des Arts Martiaux. Eventually, it was known as Shobudo or The Mountain. This dojo became the oldest karate dojo in Europe. It secured 32 French, European, and world championships.
At Shobudo, Plée taught karate, judo, aikido, and kendo. Many of his black belt students became the cornerstones of European karate. They are now among the highest-ranking karate masters in Europe. Plée often journeyed to Japan. He learned from famous karate masters. He invited many to teach at Shobudo. This unveiled the secrets of karate to Europe.
In 1956, he founded the French Federation of Karate and Boxing. It later joined the French Federation of Judo and Associated Disciplines in 1960. Plée’s influence led to the creation of the European Union of Karate in 1966. This promoted karate’s independence from judo federations. It avoided favoring any single karate style. He also served as a Technical Advisor and General Secretary for the European Karate Federation.
For over two decades, Plée financed and published Budo Magazine Europe. He also published Judo Kodokan. He authored books. He even appeared in the movie La Vie, l’amour, la mort.
Plée’s martial arts library at The Mountain is the most comprehensive in Europe. His Martial Arts store, Budostore, offers equipment, books, videos, and DVDs. Plée also led a think-tank on martial arts. It explored the essence and spirituality of martial arts.
From 200 karate practitioners in 1961, Plée’s efforts expanded the field to over 200,000 in France. The French government recognized him as a leading international expert in martial arts. They knighted him with the French Ordre national du Mérite in 2008.
Rue Henry Peuteuil stands as a tribute to a man who dedicated his life to martial arts. He brought karate to Europe and shaped generations of martial artists.