Back From Japan: Daisen, Yokohama and Fall 2026 at Seiwakai Karate Silicon Valley

September 5, 2026

After several weeks in Japan, the Seiwakai Karate Silicon Valley travelers are finally home in Silicon Valley. The luggage is unpacked, the dōgi (道着) are being washed, the jet lag is gradually losing the battle, and on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, we return to the dōjō (道場) for the beginning of another semester at Seiwakai Karate Silicon Valley Gōjūkan (誠和会空手シリコン谷剛柔館).

This year’s journey was much more than another trip overseas. Shiho, Christopher and Johnpaul spent August training, learning, competing, reconnecting with longtime friends, and representing our Menlo Park dōjō (道場) within the much larger international community of Gōjū-Ryū Karatedō (剛柔流空手道).

As is so often the case, Japan sent our group home with considerably more to think about than we packed for the flight over.

For our current members, this article is a look at where we have been, what we learned, and what we are bringing home. For prospective students in Menlo Park, Palo Alto, Redwood City, Stanford and surrounding Silicon Valley communities, it is also an introduction to the type of traditional Karate training and continuing education that shape Seiwakai Karate Silicon Valley.

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Fall 2026 Karate Training Begins September 9

Our Fall 2026 semester begins on Wednesday, September 9.

Seiwakai Karate Silicon Valley teaches traditional Gōjū-Ryū Karatedō (剛柔流空手道) to beginners and experienced practitioners. Our students include youth, teenagers and adults. Adults are not an afterthought within our program; they are an important part of the dōjō (道場) community.

• Beginners: Mondays and Wednesdays at 5:45 p.m.
• Experienced students: Mondays and Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m.
• Location: Arrillaga Family Recreation Center, Menlo Park, California

Registration is administered through the City of Menlo Park. Complete registration instructions, guidance for choosing the proper class, information about ordering a correct Karate dōgi (道着), and links to our calendar appear later in this article.

Jump directly to Fall 2026 registration and new-student information

For semester dates, holidays, seminars, grading information and schedule changes, bookmark our online calendar:

View the Seiwakai Karate Silicon Valley Calendar

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Back to Daisen: Seiwakai International Training, August 19–24

The first major portion of our 2026 Japan journey brought us back to Daisen (大仙), Akita Prefecture, for the annual Seiwakai international training program from August 19 through August 24.

Training in Daisen has become an important part of the continuing development of our dōjō (道場). Returning year after year provides something that cannot easily be reproduced through occasional seminars alone.

Repeated training at the source allows us to recognize changes in our Karate, compare what we are practicing at home with the expectations of senior instructors in Japan, and correct details that can gradually drift when most of the year is spent training thousands of miles away.

The seminar was led by Fujiwara Seiichi (藤原聖一) Sensei (先生), Seiwakai Shuseki Shihan (主席師範), whose instruction continues to influence the technical direction of our training in Menlo Park.

The seminar included kihon (基本), kata (形), technical refinement, posture, movement, timing, breathing, body mechanics and many of the small details that distinguish simply remembering a kata (形) from continuing to develop it.

Shiho and Christopher also attended, making this year’s journey an important opportunity for multiple Seiwakai Karate Silicon Valley members to experience the international organization together.

Why International Training Matters to a Local Dōjō

International training has limited value to a local dōjō (道場) if the knowledge remains exclusively with those who traveled.

One of the responsibilities of senior students and instructors is to bring those lessons home, examine them carefully, practice them, and transmit what is appropriate to the next generation.

That does not mean returning from Japan and immediately changing everything.

Traditional Karate requires continuity.

Instead, it means comparing, refining, correcting, asking questions and making certain that what we practice locally remains connected to the source of our technical instruction.

That process is one of the principal reasons our members continue returning to Japan.

Students training with us this semester should therefore expect material from Daisen to appear naturally within our kihon (基本), kata (形), kumite (組手), etiquette and technical discussions.

What is learned internationally ultimately has to return home to Menlo Park. Otherwise, the trip becomes little more than martial arts tourism.

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From Daisen to Yokohama: JKF Gōjūkai Training

After Daisen, our attention shifted to Yokohama (横浜) for the annual events of the Japan Karatedō Federation Gōjūkai (全日本空手道連盟剛柔会).

The JKF Gōjūkai seminar was held on August 28 and August 29, followed by competition on August 30.

These events provide a very different environment from the Seiwakai gasshuku (合宿). The technical relationship is closely connected, but the scale, federation structure, competitive expectations and formal examination environment create a different type of pressure.

That pressure is useful.

It is relatively easy for an instructor to become comfortable standing in front of students and discussing what everyone else should improve. Competition removes much of that comfort immediately.

On the tournament floor, titles, years of teaching and responsibilities within one’s home dōjō (道場) do not perform the kata (形) for the competitor. The competitor bows, announces the kata (形), performs, and accepts the evaluation that follows.

Our instructors believe there is value in continuing to enter environments in which they themselves are still students, competitors and people being evaluated.

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The Men’s Senior Kata Division and an Unexpected Lesson

Watch the Seisan (十三) Performance in Yokohama

Rather than discussing the competition without showing the performance itself, the complete Seisan (十三) kata from the Men’s Senior Kata Division is included below. Students, instructors, competitors and officials can watch the performance and consider the technical and judging issues discussed in this article.

Seisan (十三), Men’s Senior Kata Division, JKF Gōjūkai (全日本空手道連盟剛柔会), Yokohama, Japan, August 30, 2026. Watch directly on our Gōjū-Ryū YouTube channel.

One of our competition experiences this year came in the Men’s Senior Kata Division, where Seiwakai Karate Silicon Valley Director Johnpaul Williams performed Seisan (十三). The competitive result was disappointing. What happened surrounding that result, however, became one of the most educational experiences of the trip. Afterward, it became apparent that an official believed the kata (形) announced had been Kururunfa (久留頓破), although the kata clearly announced and performed was Seisan (十三).

A conversation provided additional context. No official will be identified here. There is no educational purpose in publicly embarrassing an individual over a misunderstanding, particularly when officials, competitors and coaches are all human and errors can occur on every side of the competition floor.

The far more useful question is:

What can competitors, instructors and officials learn when the kata (形) a competitor actually announces and performs is not the kata (形) an official believes was announced?

Competition Requires More Than Performing Well

Competitors tend to focus almost entirely on physical preparation.

We practice the kata (形) repeatedly – We refine timing – We work on posture, breathing, transitions, focus, balance, speed, strength and power

Yet both grading examinations and competition also require clear communication.

This experience reinforced something that we will emphasize even more strongly with our students: the announcement of the kata (形) must be clear and unmistakable. An individual auditioning for a higher grade or competitor cannot simply assume that every official heard exactly what the competitor intended to say. This is a relatively small detail until the day it is not.

Kata Judging Requires Established Criteria

There is also a broader lesson concerning how competitive kata (形) is evaluated. For educational comparison, USA Karate currently provides access to both its 2026 USA Karate Rules of Competition and current WKF Rules of Competition resources for athletes, coaches and officials.

Review the USA Karate and WKF Rules of Competition

USA Karate has described the recognized considerations used in evaluating WKF kata (形) performance as:

1. Stance
2. Technique
3. Transitional movement
4. Timing
5. Correct breathing
6. Focus
7. Conformance
8. Strength
9. Speed
10. Balance

Karate’s referee-development program also requires continuing education in kata (形) judging, including kata-specific guidelines, video evaluation, judgment calls, protests, current rules and technical elements officials are expected to recognize.

These WKF and USA Karate materials are cited here as an educational comparison. The Yokohama competition discussed in this article was a JKF Gōjūkai (全日本空手道連盟剛柔会) event, and this article does not claim that the WKF or USA Karate rulebook itself governed that tournament.

The underlying principle, however, is important. Competitive kata (形) cannot reasonably be reduced simply to whether the performance looks identical to the version practiced in an individual official’s home dōjō (道場).

Competitors may represent different instructors, associations, dōjō (道場), countries and technical lineages. Even within Gōjū-Ryū (剛柔流), legitimate organizational and technical differences can exist.

That does not mean every variation is automatically correct. Quite the opposite: objective standards become even more important when competitors come from different technical backgrounds. Officials therefore have a responsibility larger than personal preference, just as competitors have a responsibility larger than performing the kata (形) in whatever manner they personally prefer.

What Our Students Can Learn From the Result

• Our students will eventually encounter disappointing results of their own.
• Sometimes another competitor will simply perform better.
• Sometimes we will make a mistake.
• Sometimes an official will interpret something differently.
• Sometimes an unexpected misunderstanding will influence the outcome.
• All of these experiences are part of competition.

The more important lesson is learning to distinguish what we can control from what we cannot.

• We can control our preparation.
• We can control our etiquette.
• We can control how clearly we announce our kata (形).
• We can control the seriousness with which we train.
• We can control the quality of our performance.
• We can control how carefully we study the rules under which we compete.
• We can control how we respond when a result does not go our way.

We cannot control every interpretation made by another person.

Competition therefore has value beyond medals and placement. It creates situations in which character, technical understanding, emotional discipline, humility and critical thinking are tested alongside physical skill.

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Why We Continue to Compete

Some martial artists eventually reach a stage where competition is regarded as something exclusively for younger practitioners. That is not the philosophy we want to reinforce within our dōjō (道場).

Competition certainly changes with age, but the value of testing oneself does not disappear. An older practitioner may need to train differently. Recovery becomes increasingly important. Mobility must be maintained deliberately. Strength and flexibility require greater attention. Injuries need to be managed intelligently rather than ignored. Age, however, should not automatically become an excuse for disengagement.

One lesson we want our adult students to understand is that Karate can remain a lifelong practice. The objective at fifty, sixty or seventy does not have to be identical to the objective at twenty. What matters is continuing to move, learn, refine, participate and remain willing to be challenged.

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A Different Kind of Contribution: Building JKFGojukai.org

This year’s Japan experience also intersects with another project that has been developing for several years.

In 2024, the domain JKFGojukai.org was acquired and gifted to JKF Gōjūkai (全日本空手道連盟剛柔会). Seiwakai Karate Silicon Valley Director Johnpaul Williams is now leading development of the new website. The objective is not simply to create another Karate website. The project is intended to make authoritative JKF Gōjūkai information more accessible to an international and English-speaking audience while creating stronger pathways to Japanese primary sources, organizational history, technical information, seminars, competition coverage and international activities.

The internet contains an enormous amount of Karate information, but its accuracy varies dramatically. Organizations with substantial histories can sometimes have remarkably little authoritative English-language information available online. That creates a vacuum in which inaccurate secondary information can become more visible than the original source. JKFGojukai.org is being developed in part to help address that problem. This work represents another form of service within budō (武道).

• Not every contribution occurs on the tournament floor.
• Not every contribution takes place at the front of a class.
• Sometimes the contribution is technical.
• Sometimes it is administrative.
• Sometimes it involves research, translation, digital preservation and making accurate information easier for the next generation to find.

You can follow the developing project at www.JKFGojukai.org.

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Now We Bring the Lessons Home

Japan is important, but the real value of going is ultimately determined by what happens after we return. On Wednesday, September 9, we return to the training floor in Menlo Park.

• Our students will not simply hear stories about Japan. They will encounter pieces of what our travelers learned there through regular training.
• Some refinements will be technical.
• Some will concern etiquette.
• Some will affect how we prepare for kata (形) competition.
• Some will involve a greater emphasis on understanding the standards by which competitive performance is evaluated.
• Some will reinforce our connection to Seiwakai (誠和会) and JKF Gōjūkai (全日本空手道連盟剛柔会).
• And some lessons will simply reinforce what we have taught for years:
  • The Basics matter.

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Fall 2026 Training, Competition and Seminar Opportunities

Returning from Japan does not mean our outside training opportunities have ended for the year.

The Fall 2026 calendar includes several important opportunities for Seiwakai Karate Silicon Valley members, ranging from regional competition to national technical seminars and official Seiwakai (誠和会) and JKF Gōjūkai (全日本空手道連盟剛柔会) grading.

Students interested in competition, advanced technical development, Shodan (初段) preparation, or continued participation within Seiwakai (誠和会) and JKF Gōjūkai (全日本空手道連盟剛柔会) should take particular note of the following dates.

Three Weekends, Three Different Opportunities

Each of these events serves a somewhat different purpose:

• October 24 — FSKA: Regional competition experience and an opportunity to test skills under tournament conditions.
• October 30–November 1 — Houston: National JKF Gōjūkai technical instruction, elite kata (形) training and official examination opportunities.
• November 6–8 — Santa Monica: Direct Seiwakai instruction with Fujiwara Hanshi (範士), together with Seiwakai (誠和会) and JKF Gōjūkai (全日本空手道連盟剛柔会) grading opportunities.

We encourage students to look beyond regular Monday and Wednesday classes when circumstances permit.

Seminars and competitions expose practitioners to different partners, instructors, environments, expectations and pressures. Those experiences frequently reveal things that are difficult to recognize while training exclusively within one’s home dōjō (道場).

If you are interested in attending any of these events, let Sensei (先生) know early. We can discuss whether the event is appropriate for your present level, what preparation is required, and whether there are organizational or grading requirements that need to be completed beforehand.

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New Students Are Welcome

Seiwakai Karate Silicon Valley welcomes beginners who are completely new to Karate as well as experienced practitioners returning after time away.

• You do not need previous martial arts experience before joining the beginner class.
• You do not need to be particularly flexible.
• You do not need to arrive already physically fit.
• Training is where these attributes are developed.
• Our curriculum includes kihon (基本), kata (形), kumite (組手), bunkai (分解), practical applications, movement, conditioning, etiquette and the cultural traditions associated with Gōjū-Ryū Karatedō (剛柔流空手道).

New students are encouraged to ask questions. Beginning something unfamiliar inevitably involves uncertainty, and a healthy dōjō (道場) culture should make room for curiosity.

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Adults: You Are Not Too Old to Begin Karate

Many martial arts programs market themselves almost exclusively toward children. We do not. Adults are an important part of Seiwakai Karate Silicon Valley. People begin Karate as adults for many reasons:

• Physical conditioning
• Mobility and coordination
• Stress management
• Self-defense
• Personal discipline
• Cultural interest
• Competition
• Returning to martial arts after many years away
• Sharing an activity with family members
• Learning something difficult simply because it is worth learning

ADULTS:

• You do not need to become fit before beginning Karate.
• You do not need to become flexible before beginning Karate.
• You do not need previous martial arts experience.
• You do not need to wait until your schedule, fitness level or circumstances are perfect.
• You need to begin.

Our adults train within a traditional environment where progress is measured over years rather than weeks. There is always another detail to improve, another kata (形) to understand more deeply, another technical principle to investigate and another opportunity to become more efficient in movement.

Students regularly join us from Menlo Park, Palo Alto, Redwood City, Stanford and other communities throughout Silicon Valley.

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Returning Students: Welcome Home

To our returning members, thank you for continuing to invest your time and energy in our dōjō (道場).

• A strong Karate school is not created by the instructor alone.
• It is created through the accumulated behavior of its members.
• Senior students help newer students understand expectations.
• Experienced students provide examples of etiquette, consistency and technical development.
• Beginners remind experienced practitioners what it was like to encounter each movement for the first time.
• Adults bring different life experiences to the training floor.
• Younger members bring energy, curiosity and new questions.
• Everyone contributes.

That interdependence is one of the reasons we refer to the dōjō (道場) as a community rather than simply a class.

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Learn More About Seiwakai Karate Silicon Valley

Our principal online resources include:

• Gojuryu.net
  — our principal website, featuring club information, research, news, training resources and articles concerning Gōjū-Ryū Karatedō (剛柔流空手道).
• SKSV News
  — news, announcements, seminars, travel reports and other Seiwakai Karate Silicon Valley updates.
• Menlo Park and Palo Alto Karate Calendar
  — current class dates, holidays, seminars and event information.
• SeiwakaiKarate.com
  — our additional Seiwakai Karate Silicon Valley landing page, currently under reconstruction.
• JKFGojukai.org
  — the developing international English-language information resource for JKF Gōjūkai (全日本空手道連盟剛柔会).

As SeiwakaiKarate.com is presently being reconstructed, visitors looking for current club schedules, registration information and news should use Gojuryu.net as the primary resource for Seiwakai Karate Silicon Valley.

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Fall 2026 Begins September 9

Every trip to Japan reminds our dōjō (道場) that Karate is much larger than any single tournament, grading, seminar, instructor or organization.

We inherit something.

We spend a lifetime trying to understand it.

We share what we learn with one another.

And, if we do our job properly, we leave the tradition a little stronger for the people who follow us.

• Daisen gave our members another opportunity to return to the source of our Seiwakai (誠和会) technical training.
• Yokohama gave us federation training and competition.
• An unusual judging experience gave us an unexpected lesson about communication, preparation, standards, judging criteria and how we respond when competition does not proceed as expected.
• JKFGojukai.org gives our dōjō (道場) another way to contribute beyond the physical training floor.
• The FSKA Championship gives our students another chance to test themselves locally.
• Houston provides access to senior JKF Gōjūkai instruction and elite international kata (形) expertise.
• Santa Monica brings Fujiwara Hanshi (範士) back to California and provides qualified members with official Seiwakai (誠和会) and JKF Gōjūkai (全日本空手道連盟剛柔会) grading opportunities.

All of these experiences are connected. The purpose is not simply to accumulate seminars, tournaments, certificates, ranks or photographs. The purpose is continued learning.

• We go out.
• We train.
• We listen.
• We test ourselves.
• We make mistakes.
• We ask questions.
• We return.

Then we share what we learned with the people standing beside us on the dōjō (道場) floor. That is how a local club in Menlo Park remains connected to a much larger international tradition.

Training resumes Wednesday, September 9, 2026.

We look forward to seeing everyone back on the floor.

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– Johnpaul Williams
Director, Seiwakai Karate Silicon Valley Gōjūkan
誠和会空手シリコン谷・指導者
+1-650-394-6669 (text only for SKSV)