At the Shuri Dojo, our approach to Okinawan karate is grounded in over fifty years of study, training, and teaching. Our emphasis lies in practical application - karate that works, shaped by firsthand experience and a continued search for understanding. While we maintain valuable relationships within the wider martial arts community, what we teach comes from years of independent research and lived practice.
Originally established in the UK in 1999 as a reference resource for Karate and Kobudo, I was later asked to form a traditional martial art group to umbrella friends we had around the world who had become somewhat despondent with the politics of the groups they belonged to, all while staying true to the traditional values of Japan and Okinawa's past.
I then founded the ISKKS - a small association dedicated to preserving and promoting the practical application of Ryukyu karate. This platform reflects the principles we hold at the Shuri Dojo: clarity of purpose, combative realism, and a return to function over form. The Society exists to connect like-minded practitioners who value karate as a living, evolving discipline.
To support our mission as a pragmatic karate dojo, Adam Carter is a member of the IRKRS, established in 1989 in Japan by Patrick McCarthy, 10th dan Hanshi. The IRKRS is an information-based society dedicated to researching the origins, evolution, and tactical application theories of old-school (koryu) karate and kobudo.
In September 2023, I began a mentorship and exchange with Katsumi Tamaki, 10th dan Soke of Shinjin-Ryu Okinawa-Te Kyokai. While we are not formally part of his organisation, this relationship has offered valuable perspective and insight. Our interaction is based on mutual respect and ongoing dialogue, not affiliation in the formal sense.
