Ronnie Watt (9th Dan) OBE ORS
Ronnie Watt (9th Dan) OBE ORS
The Founder of the Scottish Samurai Awards, OSS.
Ronald Stewart Watt is a Scottish Master of Shotokan karate and holds the title 9th Dan Hanshi ‘master of masters’, the highest award bestowed by the International Karate-Do Shihankai. He is the chief instructor for the National Karate Institute Scotland and Director of Shotokan Karate for the World Karate-Do Confederation ‘ W.K.C.’. In his 57 -year career as a professional Instructor Mr Watt has trained over 20,000 students and qualified and taught over 3.000 Black Belts as high as 8th Dan. In 2010 on behalf of the Emperor of Japan, the Japanese Consul General in Edinburgh presented Mr Watt with the Order of the Rising Sun with Gold and Silver rays. The O.R.S. was awarded in recognition of Mr Watt’s outstanding contribution to Karate, and his commitment to strengthening the relationship between Scotland and Japan. He is one of a handful of Scots in history to be awarded this high honour. Ronald Watt has been a longstanding ambassador for his martial discipline and the broader understanding of Japanese culture. In 1994 Mr Watt established the Order of the Scottish Samurai, an awarding body recognising excellence, character and respect in alignment with the ancient spirit of budo. With now, over 250 samurai in Scotland, Japan and worldwide, the samurai community join together in initiatives for a closer and more peaceful global future.”
Ronnie & the OBE
The 5th of July 2011 was a very special day. Her Majesty the Queen presented Ronnie Watt with Officer of the Order of the British Empire for Services to Karate.
The ceremony was held at the Palace of Holyrood house, the historical and beautiful classical building in Edinburgh, capital of Scotland. Also attending the presentation was Ronnie’s wife Gail, daughter Roxanne, and very special guest Dr Fritz Wendland, long time friend and colleague.
Ronnie with HRH Queen Elizabeth II during the OBE ceremony
The OBE Officer of the British Empire award ceremony lasted approximately one and a half hours with several hundred guests and a full military orchestra. The Queen presented the awards to the well-deserved recipients and was so well briefed that she had a knowledgeable and kind word to all receiving their awards. Ronnie’s good friend Lord Charles Bruce was a body guard for the Queen at the Garden Party in the afternoon and had heard from several people at the investiture, that apparently the Order of the Rising Sun made quite an impact! He doubted that the Queen is often in the position of conferring an order on one of her subjects whose work already has been recognised so prominently by the Emperor of Japan!
Ronnie was delighted and greatly honoured by receiving the award in the form of a beautiful gold medal, which was the highlight of 46 years of very hard work. Ronnie organised the third world championships in 2001 and has worked with the WKC from the beginning of this organisation. This was a very special occasion for Ronnie’s Family and the Federation.
Ronnie is now one of the highest awarded instructors in the world but this does not distract him from his every day work at his club in Aberdeen.
Ronnie and the Order of the Rising Sun
On the 25th May 2010, Consul General of Japan Mr Tarahara, on behalf of the Emperor and Government of Japan, presented the Order of the Rising Sun with Gold and Silver Rays to Burgess Ronnie Watt 8th Dan WKC .
Twenty special guests attended the ceremony headed by the Lord Provost of Aberdeen, Peter Stephen, Gordon McIntosh, Director of Enterprise Planning & Infastructure with Aberdeen City Council, close friends of Ronnie.
This award makes Ronnie only the second Scot to receive Japan’s highest honour after the First Scottish Samurai Thomas Blake Glover.
An Honorary Masters Degree from University of Aberdeen
On 20th June 2019 Ronnie Watt received and Honorary Masters Degree from Aberdeen University.
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