Henry Plée
French martial artist (1923-2014)
ヘンリー・プレ
- Born
- 24 May 1923, Arras
- Died
- 19 August 2014, 13th arrondissement of Paris
- Citizenship
- France
- Sport
- karate, judo
- Occupation
- martial artist, judoka, karateka, aikidoka, savateur
Henry Plée (also named H.D. Plée, Henri Plée, Henry D. Plée, or Henry-Désiré Plée, 24 May 1923; Arras, Nord-Pas-de-Calais–19 August 2014; Paris) was a French martial artist who is considered the "father of European and French karate". He was one of the rare 10th dan karate masters living outside Japan, and one of the few Westerners to hold this rank. At the time of his death, Plée was also the oldest and highest karate ranking Westerner alive, with more than 60 years in the fighting arts, including 50 in martial arts. He was a pioneer in introducing karate to France and Europe, and has taught many of Europe's highest ranking karate masters.
Awards and honours
- Knight of the Legion of Honour 2008
- Hanshi
- Medal of youth, sports and community involvement
Teachers
Students
- Dominique Valera
- Roland Habersetzer
- Alain Setrouk
- Guy Sauvin
- Francis Didier
- François Petitdemange
- Jacques Delcourt
- Vernon Bell
External links
Facts from Wikidata Q1335481 (CC0); quoted introduction from English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Data retrieved 2026-10-22.
Data: Wikidata (CC0 1.0); Wikipedia (English) (CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.