Starting in January

Initial classes of the JKA of the Golden Gate will begin in January. Previously announced plans for a December start-up proved to be too ambitious, given the holidays. Details will be posted here shortly. Insurance, a critical issue for any martial-arts instructor, has been settled, and the search is narrowing for a space that is appropriate, affordable, and convenient for students in the East Bay as well as in San Francisco and the Peninsula.

One of the reasons why December proved difficult is that I was away in New York for a week. Most of the work involved my writiting career, but I also attended the December instructor training and dan exam held by Mori Sensei, chief instructor of JKA Shotokan Karate-Do International. Recently JKA headquarters in Tokyo elevated Mori Sensei to 9th dan, and we had a party to celebrate.

From Left: Oleg (Brooklyn), Doug Luft (Albany), Bob Esquerre (New York, retired), Tony DeCaprio (New York), T.J. Stiles (New York 1986-2006, now San Francisco), Jacob Levitt (New York), Mori Sensei, Mano Dallas (Stony Brook), Alex (New York, retired). Photo by Ed Nau; all rights reserved.

This photo was taken of some of the longest-surviving of Mori Sensei's students. Bob Esquerre was training in New York even before Mori Sensei took over the dojo in 1968; he was a mentor to me when I showed up as a raw shodan in 1986. By mentor, I mean not only technically, but in terms of etiquette and expectations; he taught me a great deal about the spirit of Mori Sensei's dojo.

Karate-do is a serious thing. I think it's unfortunate that many today think of it as merely an activity for children. It is difficult, exacting, and dangerous if not practiced with discipline, respect, and close supervision. It is a life path, as captured in the word "do," or "way." This is the essence of what I have learned under Mori Sensei, above and beyond technical instruction, and it's why I wish to keep teaching. 

Organizing the JKA of the Golden Gate

Since moving to San Francisco from New York five years ago, it has been my goal to establish a dojo affiliated with the Japan Karate Association and JKA Shotokan Karate-Do International, the New York-based regional organization led by Sensei Masataka Mori, 9th Dan, my teacher for the past twenty-five years. We're now finally moving ahead.

In December, I intend to hold a few seminars for established karate-ka who study JKA-style Shotokan karate-do. In January, we hope to establish regular classes. We're currently arranging for space and settling other practical matters. Once confirmed, I'll be posting the class schedule here.

T.J. Stiles training for his 5th Dan examination under Mori Sensei's eye, July 2010

I will be instructing. My name is T.J. Stiles. I have a 5th Dan from the Japan Karate Association, and am licensed by the JKA as a class B instructor, class C rank examiner, and class B tournament judge. I have practiced karate-do with the JKA since 1980, for more than thirty-one years, and have been a student of Mori Sensei since 1986. I am a graduate of both the B (intermediate) and A (advanced) two-year instructor training courses taught by Mori Sensei.  I organized the JKA at Columbia University in 1986, and taught there until 2006, when I moved to California. For many years I was an active and successful tournament competitor, taught an after-school karate program in a private elementary school in Manhattan, and served for many years as an assistant instructor in Mori Sensei's dojo in New York.


The Japan Karate Association (homepage here) is the oldest Japanese karate organization, and the only one recognized by the Japanese Ministry of Education. Though there have been many splinter organizations formed over the years, it remains the flagship school of traditional Shotokan karate-do, the most widely practiced form of traditional Japanese karate.

Class at JKA Shotokan Karate-Do International's 2010 Summer Training Camp

In organizing the JKA of the Golden Gate, I have no desire to poach students from other Shotokan dojos. I do not assert any superior standing to any other JKA-affiliated dojos in the Bay Area, let alone Northern California. I have taught for many years, and wish to again. I believe in the high value of practicing karate-do. I also am acting out of a sense of deep loyalty to my teacher, Mori Sensei. In Mori Sensei's dojo, I learned the importance of the connection between teacher and student, as well as something of the spirit of traditional Japanese martial arts. I hope to impart not only technical skill, but as much of that spirit as I've managed to absorb.

from left: Adel Ismail, 5th Dan, JKA England; Mori Sensei, 9th Dan; T.J. Stiles, 5th Dan