AFFILIATION
AFFILIATION
The Shuri Dojo International Kyokai is dedicated to the study, preservation, and education of the classical martial traditions of Okinawa, with particular emphasis on Ryukyu karate and kobudo as pragmatic systems of civilian self-protection.
Our work is rooted in historical context, cultural understanding, and careful examination of function over form. The Kyokai exists to support study and enquiry, rather than competition, sport, or modern performance-based interpretations of karate.
Independence
The Shuri Dojo International Kyokai is not formally affiliated with any external association.
After more than five decades of practice and teaching, the decision was made to move forward independently, allowing the work to reflect lived experience, continued research, and an honest reassessment of what karate was intended to be. This independence is not a rejection of others, but a recognition that meaningful study often requires freedom from institutional constraint.
While the Kyokai maintains no formal affiliations, we remain in contact with a small number of respected peers and senior practitioners. These relationships are informal and based on mutual respect, shared study, and continued learning, rather than organisational alignment or authority.
Context
Over time, karate and its kata have undergone significant modification. In many cases, these changes were driven by non-combative considerations such as competition, athleticism, aesthetics, and stylistic conformity.
Historically, karate developed as a method of civilian self-defence. Kata functioned as a means of recording principles, methods, and tactical solutions relevant to real interpersonal violence, not as choreographed exchanges between compliant partners.
Much of what is commonly presented as “karate” today reflects a post-modern interpretation shaped by sport and demonstration. While these approaches may have value in their own context, they differ fundamentally from the aims and methods of classical Okinawan practice.
Approach
The Shuri Dojo International Kyokai exists to support practitioners who wish to better understand karate as a pragmatic martial art, informed by history, context, and function. Our focus is on the physical, technical, and theoretical principles that underpinned karate prior to its modernisation and the introduction of sporting rules and structures.
This does not require adherence to a single style, lineage, or curriculum. Instead, it encourages thoughtful enquiry, critical examination, and personal responsibility in practice.
Moving Forward
Knowing when to turn a page is rarely simple. Traditional karate should imply authenticity, function, and purpose, yet this is not always the case in modern practice.
The Kyokai represents an ongoing commitment to study, reflection, and learning - grounded in the past, informed by the present, and approached with intellectual honesty.
Those who feel aligned with this approach are welcome to explore the Shuri Dojo International Kyokai further.
