SHORINJI Kempo sensei Russell Jenkins died peacefully and surrounded by his family on March 24, aged 63.

Mr Jenkins was an expert teacher of the Japanese martial art, emphasising self-defence, balance and meditation, which he began practising in 1974 as one of the first members of the newly founded Bournemouth Dojo at the YMCA, where the club was based for nearly two decades.

He took over running Bournemouth Shorinji Kempo as branch master when the founding sensei Toshi Yoshida returned to Japan in 1979, and by 2010 he had achieved the rank of 6th Dan.

Back when he first joined the club, Mr Jenkins worked for the Post Office and was living in Pokesdown.

Before starting Shorinji Kempo he had trained for four years in both Karate and Judo, but the then-rare martial art enthralled him when he went to see a demonstration in Bournemouth.

He and his long-term sparring partner Peter Moore, who now runs the Poole and Southampton clubs, travelled to Japan in 1980 to represent Britain in the world championships, the first time the UK had taken part.

They had to raise money themselves to fund the journey, and while in Japan they stayed at a Zen monastery, living the lives of monks.

He was the first Briton to reach the fourth Dan in the sport in 1988, and the following year again represented his country, this time at an international training seminar back in Japan.

Later in life he worked as a Bowen therapist dealing with sports injuries, running the business from his family home in Moordown.

When he first joined, the club had only six or seven members, but numbers soon swelled to around 100, in part thanks to the growing popularity of martial arts films.

He was the former president of the UK Shorinji Kempo Federation and did much to raise the profile of the sport over the course of his life.

In tribute the Federation said: “His drive, determination and spirit were always strong and he always spoke up for and followed what he believed in. He will be mourned and sadly missed.”

As well as the sporting and fitness aspects of training, Mr Jenkins cherished the social side and the friends he made through the sport.