Takayuki Kubota (窪田 孝行, Kubota Takayuki, born September 20, 1934), also known as Tak Kubota, is a Japanese-American karateka, known as the founder the Gosoku-ryu style of karate. He holds the title of sōke (grandmaster) for his development of the Gosoku-ryū, and is the founder and president of the International Karate Association. He is also the inventor and holder of the trademark of the Kubotan self-defense key chain.Kubota was a self-defense instructor for the Tokyo Police department in the 1950s, where he was noted for his expertise in practical karate. He has devoted his life to learning, creating, and teaching the application of self-defense techniques to military, law enforcement, and civilian personnel. He has earned black belt degrees in karate (10th dan), judo (5th dan), aikido (5th dan), kendo (2nd dan), and iaido.