Spring 2026 – Seiwakai Karate Silicon Valley Newsletter By Johnpaul Williams – Director, Seiwakai Karate Silicon Valley Gojūkan [caption id="attachment_3839" align="alignright" width="300"] Seiwakai Karate Silicon Valley competitors medaling at the Silicon Valley Open.[/caption] This past quarter, we finally returned to local competition and were incredibly pleased with our club's results.
Winter/Spring 2026 – Seiwakai Karate Silicon Valley Newsletter By Johnpaul Williams – Director, Seiwakai Karate Silicon Valley Gojūkan Classes are officially in session! Join us for the highly anticipated 2026 season of traditional Gōjū-Ryū Karatedō training in Menlo Park, California. Register online, view our expanded international calendar, and prepare for
December 2025 SKSV Karate Grading (Shinsa) Results By Johnpaul Williams – December 31, 2025 Karatedō is a profound Budo—a lifelong journey built upon patience, targeted goals, inevitable obstacles, and rewarding milestones designed to forge character. Karate training at our Menlo Park dōjō demands tenacity, mental pliability, and physical fortitude. Closing
Bōgu Bags & WKF-Approved Karate Gear in Menlo Park Presented by Seiwakai Karate Silicon Valley | Serving Menlo Park & the Greater Bay Area Bōgu (防具), literally translating to “armor,” is absolutely essential for practitioners of traditional martial arts like Karate (空手) and Kendō (剣道), where specialized sparring gear must
Fall 2025 – Seiwakai Karate Silicon Valley Newsletter By Johnpaul Williams – Director, Seiwakai Karate Silicon Valley Gojūkan Classes begin September 3, 2025! Join us for a new season of Gōjū-Ryū Karatedō training in Menlo Park. Register online, view the calendar, and see highlights from Japan and our recent promotions.
2025 Seiwakai in Daisen and JKF Gojukai in Sendai – Seminars & Competition By Johnpaul Williams – Director, Seiwakai Karate Silicon Valley Gojūkan Our Menlo Park travelers have returned from the annual summer expedition to Japan! We proudly participated in the weeklong seminar in the Omagari Daisen region of Akita
Seiwakai Karate Silicon Valley – June (Summer) Newsletter 新たな季節、新たな精神 — New Season, Renewed Spirit Cross-posted to email and on our website: www.gojuryu.net Summer, Summer, Summer Time 季節の変わり目には新たな意志と共に稽古に励みましょう。 暑さの中にも鍛錬の道を忘れず、汗と共に精神(こころ)を磨いていきましょう。 As the golden sun of summer stretches over California and Japan, our dōjō (道場) stands vibrant with purpose. Summer is a time
May / June 2025 SKSV Grading (Shinsa) Results By Johnpaul Williams – June 4, 2025 Karatedō is a profound journey fraught with obstacles and setbacks, yet filled with goals and milestones. Fortunately, rigorous Karate training inherently builds tenacity, mental pliability, and formidable physical fortitude. Congratulations to all those who successfully
Seiwakai Karate Silicon Valley – April / May Newsletter New Season, Renewed Spirit (新たな季節、新たな精神) Cross-posted to email and on our website: www.gojuryu.net Welcome to Spring 季節の変わり目には新たな意志と共に稽古に励みましょう。 As the days grow longer here in California and the cherry blossoms bloom in Kyoto, our dōjō (道場) enters a season of true renewal.
Official JKF Gōjūkai Newsletter (Kaihoshi Vol. 110) – July 2024 By Johnpaul Williams – Director, Seiwakai Karate Silicon Valley Gojūkan Preserving the Global Connection: The JKF Gōjūkai Kaihoshi As dedicated practitioners of traditional Japanese martial arts, staying connected to our organizational roots is vital. We are pleased to provide
Traditional Karate vs. Commercial Martial Arts: Why Authenticity Matters By Johnpaul Williams – Director, Seiwakai Karate Silicon Valley Gojūkan In today's diverse martial arts landscape, individuals face an essential choice between enrolling in a traditional Japanese Karate dōjō (道場) or opting for a generalized commercial martial arts club or mixed
Seiwakai Karate Silicon Valley – Winter 2025 Newsletter New Year, Renewed Focus (新年、新たな目標) By Johnpaul Williams – Director, Seiwakai Karate Silicon Valley [caption id="attachment_2531" align="alignright" width="300"] Traditional karate tournaments are back, and SKSV is in the house![/caption] As we step boldly into the new year, our dōjō is alive with
Does Karate Pedigree Matter? Bridging Tradition and Modern Science By Johnpaul Williams – Director, Seiwakai Karate Silicon Valley Introduction: Deconstructing the Karate Pedigree Martial arts, particularly those originating from traditional Japanese and Okinawan roots, place a heavy premium on lineage and legitimacy. In this context, a "karate pedigree" refers to
The world is a changing... Faster than profiteers can identify unique domain names and unfortunately faster that we can manage them at the same time. While we have consistently taken charge to grasp and hold on to our future we too must change. Last year we gifted the URL www.JKFGojukai.org to
March 2024 SKSV Goju-Ryu Karate Club Newsletter by Johnpaul Williams. Dear Club Members, I hope everyone is having a fantastic month! I want to remind you that after next week, we will have a 2-week training break, as indicated in our club calendar. Here are a few important updates for
Territorial Possessiveness in the Dōjō All Gojuryu Network (www.gojuryu.network) & SKSV (Gojuryu.net) cross-post By Johnpaul Williams - Feb 13, 2024 Introduction "At our club in the 1990s, I wasn't the 'King of the Dōjō'—that was a tacit moniker reserved for our Shihan (Sensei). I was the Big Man on Campus (BMOC)
2024 New Year Wishes All Gojuryu Network (www.gojuryu.network) & SKSV (Gojuryu.net) cross-post By Johnpaul Williams – January 3, 2024 Dear Members, Families, and Friends of Seiwakai Karate Silicon Valley, [caption id="attachment_1689" align="alignright" width="300"] Alexandra Alan (MP) Takahashi Satoru (JP), Johnpaul Williams (MP), Shiho Azuma Williams (MP) and Sanjit Mandal (TV). USA representatives in Japan 2023.[/caption]
November / December 2023 SKSV Grading (Shinsa) Results By Johnpaul Williams – December 7, 2023 Karate is a journey with obstacles and setbacks, goals and milestones. Fortunately, Karate training also builds tenacity, mental pliability and fortitude. Congratulation to those who successfully graded. Club certificates are not preprinted in anticipation however are created
Cross posted via email (club specific links included) Welcome and welcome back [caption id="attachment_1557" align="alignright" width="211"] Silicon Valley Gōjūkan dba SEIWAKAI KARATE SILICON VALLEY per JKF Gōjūkai registration[/caption] By Johnpaul Williams – September 12, 2023 To our new members, a warm welcome to our group. We typically send out informational messages to
Preparing for Your Summer Budo Gasshuku in Japan: A Guide for Participants All Gojuryu Network (www.gojuryu.network) & SKSV (Gojuryu.net) cross-post By Johnpaul Williams – August 31, 2023 Many Sensei and instructors have undoubtedly prepared their students for summer budo (Karatedō, judo, kendo, etc.) Gasshuku, but sometimes, written instructions can be invaluable. Some portions of
Do-gi Review for 10 Kata Model Dogi from 8 Brands All Gojuryu Network (www.gojuryu.network) & SKSV (Gojuryu.net) cross-post By Johnpaul Williams – August 29, 2023 Before my trip to Japan in August 2023, I decided to undertake the task of reviewing 10 Kata model dogi from 8 different brands. As someone who stands at 6'3"
Return to Japan 2023 Week TWO All Gojuryu Network (www.gojuryu.network) & SKSV (Gojuryu.net) cross-post By Johnpaul Williams – August 21, 2023 Continued from Return to Japan 2023 Week ONE August 16th, 2023 - Wednesday: Travel and Rest. Today marked a travel and rest day, although I use the term "rest" loosely. After a final breakfast at
Return to Japan 2023 Week ONE All Gojuryu Network (www.gojuryu.network) & SKSV (Gojuryu.net) cross-post By Johnpaul Williams – August 07, 2023 August 7th, 2023 - Monday: En Route to Narita Airport. As I begin this first entry, I find myself mid-flight on Japan Airlines, en route to Narita Airport. Despite some minor turbulence causing the
Calendar updates By Johnpaul Williams – August 05, 2023 I've long put off posting a club calendar because there simply wasn't an efficient app that was easily updateable, so I apologize for not just making a Google Calendar sooner and posting for everyone, so here we go. I'll post the full calendar
Spring 2026 Newsletter: Competition Medals, Registration, and International