Born in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan, in 1931. He studied Judo and Kendo as a child. He began karate at the age of 16 at Takushoku university, studying under Gichin Funakoshi and Masatoshi Nakayama. In 1955 he was appointed coach of JKA instructor trainee program. In 1961 he was sent to the USA by the JKA and he established a dojo in Philadelphia. In 1962 he created the East Coast Karate Association, which was a member of the All America Karate Federation under Nishiyama. In 1965 some of his black-belts left the AAKF, in order to follow Ohshima, and it was around this time that Okazaki also split with the AAKF and created the ISKF.