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The
oak tree on the shield
relates to the surname
Watt while the colours
red & white denote
the colours of the
Japanese flag and
recognises the armiger’s
award of the Order of
the Rising Sun.
The laurel leaves denote
the armiger’s personal
world championship
awards and those of his
students over the years.
The tiger is a symbol of
power and strength and
as such is the symbol of
the armiger’s Shotokan
style of karate.
The motto means "forward
braveheart" taken from
the braveheart warrior
tartan specially
produced for World
karate championships in
Aberdeen 2001.
The armiger is married
to Gail and they have
two children and one
grandchild.
Educated in Aberdeen he
armiger became an
Engineer until an
accident forced a career
change. As a result he
took up karate as a
means of aiding recovery
which lead to a total
life change. This led
him forming his own
karate academy and
studying in Japan; he is
now an 8th Dan..
Over the years he has
represented Scotland and
Great Britain in the
sport and is a coach and
a Director of one of the
major schools in karate.
During his 50 years in
the sport he has changed
the lives of many men,
women and children and
continues to do so: he
has personally and
single-handedly taught
and mentored more than
22,000 pupils in the
sport of karate (both
adults and children).
Mr. Watt was Scottish
team Captain from
1975-1978, representing
Scotland on the world
stage five times and
held the title of
Scottish Open Champion
in 1985. He was a
competitor for the
British Team and a squad
member on their visit to
Japan in 1988.
He personally organised
the ‘World Championships
2001’ in Aberdeen – the
first five styles
championships to be held
in the UK attended by
800 Black Belts from 46
countries throughout the
world. In 2002 he
organised the WKC
Britain and Ireland
Referee and Judges
Seminar attracting over
100 referees and
officials from
federations within the
UK.
He supports the mental,
physical and spiritual
education of children
along with support for
the empowerment of women
to feel confident in
themselves. He coaches
and mentors an ever
increasing number of
adult ladies from
beginner through to
world championship medal
winners, changing lives
and strengthening
personal confidence. In
addition he works with
schools and children to
introduce the values and
spirit of Shotokan
karate. Over the years
he has helped his
students to win 48 World
medals.
He is a member of the
Japan Society attending
events to strengthen the
bonds between Scotland
and Japan, and raising
funds for the Japanese
Red Cross to aid the
ongoing Tsunami relief
effort in Japan.
The armiger instigated
and has organised the
Scottish Samurai Awards
over the past 22 years
to celebrate those who
serve and excel. These
awards are ongoing and
recipients include Billy
Connolly, Sir Ian Wood,
Lord Elgin and Alex
Salmond.
In 2004 Mr Watt was
appointed as a Burgess
of Guild of the City and
Royal Burgh of Aberdeen.
In 2005 he was inducted
into the British Martial
Arts Hall of Fame. In
May 2010, on behalf of
the Emperor of Japan and
the Japanese government,
the Japanese Consul
General in Edinburgh, Mr
Masataka Tarahara,
presented him with the
Order of the Rising Sun
with Gold and Silver
rays. This was in
recognition of his
“outstanding
contribution to karate
and commitment to
strengthening the
relationship between
Scotland and Japan”. He
is one of only a handful
of Scots in history to
be awarded this high
honour.
In the New Year Honours
for 2011, Mr. Watt was
appointed as an Officer
of the Order of the
British Empire (OBE)
receiving his award for
HM Queen Elizabeth.
In 2014, he was awarded
a Commemorative Medal of
the Trnava
Self-Governing Region
(TSGR) of Slovakia by
the TSGR's president,
Tibor Mikus.
Recently he was made a
Knight of the
Confraternity of the
Knights of the Most Holy
Trinity.
In 2015 he is to be
inducted into the
European Martial Arts
Hall of Fame.
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