The association teaches Wado karate according to the curriculum set forth by the JKF Wado Kai Technical Committee and all black belt exams are conducted either in Japan, before the JKF Wado Kai Examination Board or by a visiting instructor, such as Mr. Toru Arakawa, technical head of the JKF Wado Kai and world recognized authority on the standardization of Wado kata for the purposes of WKF (World Karate Federation) competition. Successful black belt candidates are awarded dan certificates by the JKF Wado Kai Headquarters in Tokyo and these are signed by the current president of the JKF Wado Kai.

All Zenkuren Wado Kai dojo are registered directly with JKF Wado Kai in Tokyo and teach the Wado style of karate according to the rules, regulations and grading syllabus established by the Technical Committee of the JKF Wado Kai in Tokyo.

Senior Zenkuren Wado Kai black belts have undergone certification examinations either in Canada with Toru Arakawa, Technical Director of JKF Wado Kai, or in Japan, with the 8 members of the JKF Wado Kai examination board. Dan certificates are always signed by the head of JKF Wado Kai at the time of issue. The current acting president of JKF Wado Kai is Eiichi Eriguchi, the founding General Secretary of WKF.

Norma A. Foster (5th Dan)
E-mail: nfoster@egate.net
Phone: 444-3462

Roger Bartosh (4th Dan)
E-mail: bartosh@sympatico.ca

Barry Welch (2nd Dan)
E-mail: jmst@nbnet.nb.ca

Flavio Iammarino (3rd Dan)
E-mail: bartosh@sympatico.ca

Simon Raybould (2nd Dan)
E-mail: bartosh@sympatico.ca

Guseikai: Style and History

Among the myriad styles and variations of karate, four of them are considered the major styles that are practised throughout the world. The Japanese word for style is ryu, and the four major styles are Shotokan, Shito Ryu, Goju Ryu and Wado Ryu. Each of the styles has its own emphasis and unique distinctions. It may be said that Shotokan emphasizes strength with large movements and low, long stances. Shito focuses upon posture, short high stances and small subtle movements. Goju considers breathing, rooted stances and circular movement and Wado emphasizes relaxation and natural, practical movement. No one style is superior to another. There are only different body structures, situations and instructors. Usually a beginner does not choose a style, but rather a location, or a teacher that appeals. The style of karate practiced at Guseikai is Wado Ryu.

An Okinawan called Gichin Funakoshi is accepted as the founder of modern Japanese karate. He introduced his brand of karate, then called Tode (Eastern/Chinese hands) to Japan at a sports festival sponsored by the Ministry of Education in 1922. At that event, he evidently met 30-year-old Hironori Ohtsuka, who was by that time the fourth Grand Master of Shindo Yoshin Ryu Jiu Jitsu. By 1929, Hironori Ohtsuka had become Chief Instructor of the Shindo Yoshin Ryu Jiu Jitsu and an assistant instructor to Gichin Funakoshi. By 1929, Mr. Ohtsuka was a member of the Japan Martial Arts Federation (JMAF).

At that time, karate was reputedly taught by Mr. Funakoshi only as kata (form), so Mr. Ohtsuka had begun developing yakusoku (prearranged) kumite (fighting). Soon thereafter, he left Gichin Funakoshi to develop his own style of karate. On February 28, 1934, a son, Jiro, was born to Hironori Ohtsuka and, coincidentally, Wado Ryu was officially recognized as a new style of karate independent of that of Mr Funakoshi.

The style of karate personalized and established by Hironori Ohtsuka was registered with the JMAF in 1938 and in 1939 the JMAF called upon each of the styles to officially form a register of their names. At that time, the four major styles mentioned above selected and registered the names by which they are known today. Mr. Ohtsuka purportedly chose the name Wado Ryu, as it means harmony.

Due in great part to the efforts of Mr. Hironori Ohtsuka, karate began to be taught in the major universities of Japan. Even now, Waseda, Meiji, and Nippon Universities, for example, remain famous for Wado Ryu. In fact, karate was so disseminated throughout the universities, a major source of recruitment for the military, that this may have helped lead General MacArthur to outlaw Karate in 1945. However, Wado and other styles of karate continued to flourish despite these restrictions.

In 1963, three Wado instructors and others from the different styles, visited Europe to perform demonstrations that would lay the foundation for the spread of karate in Europe. Among the three from Wado, were Mr. Tatsuo Suzuki, who later formed his own world federation, and Mr. Toru Arakawa, who is currently technical director for the Japan Karate Federation Wado Kai, secretary general of the Japan Karate Federation, and technical advisor to the World Karate Federation. Mr. Arakawa is a graduate of Nippon University, where he studied Wado Ryu with Hironori Ohtsuka.

Canadian ZenKuRen Wado Karate Association was formed in response to the demand for an authentic national Wado organization that is directly affiliated with the JKF Wado Kai in Japan.

Guseikai Burnaby Lake, Burnaby, B.C.