Hirokazu Kanazawa

was a Japanese master of Shotokan karate. He was the Chief instructor and President of the Shotokan Karate-Do International Federation, an organisation he founded after he left the Japan Karate Association (JKA). Kanazawa was ranked 10th dan in Shotokan Karate. He trained in judo during his school years, and held the rank of 2nd dan in that martial art. and was one of the last living karateka (practitioners of karate) to have done so.

Kanazawa was promoted to the rank of 1st dan in Shotokan karate with less than two years of training in the art; promotion to 2nd dan came three years later. That same year, he was promoted to 3rd dan. He reportedly won the kumite competition with a broken hand. In 1990, Kanazawa demonstrated his art at the 10th Traditional Karate Tournament International, held in Las Vegas. In 1994 and 1995, he demonstrated his art at the 14th and 15th Traditional Karate Tournaments International.

Kanazawa wrote several books on karate, which include: Kankudai (1969), Moving Zen: One man's journey to the heart of Karate (2001, co-authored), Karate: My life (2003), Karate fighting techniques: The complete kumite (2004, co-authored), and Black Belt Karate: The Intensive Course (2006), and Karate: The Complete Kata (2013). He was featured in Paul Walker's book, Lessons with the Master: 279 Karate lessons with Master Hirokazu Kanazawa.

The International Martial Arts Federation promoted Kanazawa to 8th dan in 1978, 9th dan in 1988, and 10th dan in 2000.