HISTORICAL PROFILE
Tsutomu Ohshima Sensei
Tsutomu Ohshima Sensei was the founder of Shotokan Karate of America and one of the most important figures in the international development of traditional Shotokan karate.
Ohshima Sensei was born on August 6, 1930. His martial arts training began very early in life. As a child, he practised sumo, kendo, and judo before later beginning karate at Waseda University.
His connection to Shotokan karate began at Waseda University in 1948. While training there, he studied directly under Master Gichin Funakoshi from 1948 to 1953. His development was also shaped by senior karate practitioners at Waseda, including Hiroshi Noguchi, Shigeru Egami, Toshio Kamata-Watanabe, Tadao Okuyama, and Matsuo Shibuya.
In 1952, Ohshima Sensei became captain of the Waseda University Karate Club. That same year, at the All-Japan Sandan promotion, Master Funakoshi personally awarded him sandan, or third degree black belt, with the highest score of any participant.
Ohshima Sensei also developed the four-corner judging system that continues to be used in modern karate tournaments. Even so, he cautioned students not to mistake tournament competition for the true purpose of karate itself.
In 1955, Ohshima Sensei left Japan to continue his studies at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. In January 1956, he led his first karate practice in the United States. In 1957, he established the first university karate club in the United States at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.
In 1959, the Southern California Karate Association was formed. The organization continued to grow and became Shotokan Karate of America, with Ohshima Sensei’s students and black belt instructors opening dojos across the United States and beyond.
Ohshima Sensei’s connection to Canada Shotokan Karate began in 1972, when Canada Shotokan Karate was formed with original dojos at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, the Westmount YMCA in Montreal, and Sept-Iles in Quebec.
He served as Shihan, or chief instructor, for Shotokan Karate of America, Canada Shotokan Karate, and several other international Shotokan organizations until August 2018. At the age of 88, he appointed successors in each organization.
For students of Shotokan karate, Ohshima Sensei’s influence is central to the practice, organization, and standards of Canada Shotokan Karate. His teaching connects the Funakoshi lineage, Waseda University karate, Shotokan Karate of America, and Canada Shotokan Karate into a continuing international tradition of disciplined practice.