Welcome to the home of Berkeley Isshinryu, a dojo serving San Francisco Bay Area students of Isshin-ryu Karate.
about the dojo
about Isshin-ryu
location and schedule
instructors
dojo history
contact us
Whether it is difficult or easy to practice, difficult or easy to understand, you can only practice.
-Dogen
The study of martial arts is the practice of finding balance between extremes.
This is true from the smallest details to the broadest principles. At our dojo, we seek the productive middle way between extremes of practice.
Our workouts are rigorous, but we emphasize safety (martial arts cease to be a source of self-defense if we injure ourselves in practicing). We are respectful, to each other and to the martial traditions in which we train, but we value dialogue, and questions.
Click here to view our workout schedule and location.
A person's heart is the same as Heaven and Earth.
The blood circulating is similar to the Moon and Sun.
-Tatsuo Shimabuku
The first character, 'I', means one.
'Shin' means heart or mind.
'Ryu' means way or path.
Isshin-ryu was founded in 1956 by Tatsuo Shimabuku, based on his decades of experience with a martial tradition that itself goes back for centuries. Isshin-ryu emphasizes direct and natural movements, mobility, and precision.
Our style is similar to other forms of Japanese karate in its focus on simple punches and kicks as a primary mode of practice and self-defense. It is unique among karate styles for its preference for straight movements and a vertical fist. Our stances and movements draw on the alignments of the Chinese internal martial arts.
Unbalance is the same as weight.
-Tatsuo Shimabuku
We meet every Monday and Wednesday from 7:30-9:00 pm.
Beginners and visitors are welcome at any time. If a class falls on or adjacent to a national holiday, contact us to make sure we will be meeting.
Our workout spaces are located in the Sawtooth Building at 2525 8th St. in Berkeley, just south of Dwight Way (
click here for a map of the location). Parking is available on the street.
Mondays we meet in Spring/Fall Studio. To get to Spring/Fall Studio, go through the
second double doors you encounter as you head south from Dwight Way. Head to the back of the entryway and Spring/Fall is on your left.
Wednesdays we meet in Wildcat Studio. To get to Wildcat Studio, go through the
first double doors you encounter as you head south from Dwight Way. Head to the back of the entryway and Wildcat Studio is on your right.
We welcome adult students of all ages, body types, and levels of (in)experience. Classes at our dojo are always small, allowing for detailed and personalized instruction for each student.
This requires thorough training and practice.
-Miyamoto Musashi
Our dojo was founded in November of 2000.
Since then, we have been practicing continuously at our Berkeley location. Several of our very first students are still part of the class.
2000: Dojo founded by Daniel Heath.
2003: Kichiro Shimabuku O'Sensei, 10th dan, son of Tatsuo Shimabuku and head of the Isshin-ryu World Karate Association, visits the dojo to lead two seminars.
2004: Justin Godey joins the dojo as an instructor, bringing expertise from a different branch of Isshin-ryu.
2005: Daniel Heath visits O'Sensei Kichiro Shimabuku at the IWKA headquarters in Okinawa.
2006: Don Hoffman, one of the very first students to join the dojo in 2000, is the first student from Berkeley Isshin-ryu to achieve the rank of 1st dan.
2009: Kirk Harding joins as an instructor, bringing an OKU background to the dojo.
2012: Sensei Don Roberts visits to lead two seminars; he promotes Sensei Kirk Harding to 4th dan.
2013: Angela Knotts and Jennifer Tu promoted to 1st dan.
When you are even with an opponent, it is essential to keep thinking of stabbing him in the face.
-Miyamoto Musashi
Daniel Heath
Daniel Heath began studying Isshin-ryu in 1992 as a student of Sensei Matthew Borthwick (5th dan, IWKA). In 1996 he became a student of Sensei Myoshu Wren (7th dan, IWKA), Borthwick-Sensei's instructor. He received his 1st dan in 2000. He has since been promoted by O'Sensei Kichiro Shimabuku to 4th dan.
Don Hoffman
Don Hoffman began his study of Isshin-ryu on the second day of class at Berkeley Isshin-ryu in November of 2000. After six years of continuous training, he was promoted to 1st dan by a panel of seven Isshin-ryu sensei on December 12, 2006.
Kirk Harding
Kirk Harding began practicing Isshin-ryu in 1990 in New York state, training with Sensei Richard Borrell (6th dan, OKU) and then subsequently with Sensei Don Roberts (9th dan, OKU). He was promoted to 4th dan by Sensei Don Roberts on May 23, 2012.
Justin Godey
Justin Godey received his 1st dan from Sensei Chester Holubecki (8th dan, AOKA) in Massachusetts in 2003. He has been training in martial arts since 1994, and has a background in Shotokan karate (under Sensei Lou Demas) as well as Isshin-ryu. He has studied with several different Isshin-ryu sensei, including Sensei Cedric Hardrick.
He was recently promoted to 3rd dan.
Angela Knotts
Angela Knotts began practicing in 2002 at Oberlin College with Sensei Frank Geric, then continued her practice with Sensei Matt Borthwick, Greg Banks, and Debbie Pitak before arriving in San Francisco to continue her practice at Berkeley Isshintryu. She was promoted to shodan on April 13, 2013.
Jennifer Tu
Jennifer Tu has been training in martial arts since January 2004. She has studied with several different Isshinryu sensei, most recently Sensei Myoshu Wren (7th dan, IWKA), before joining the Berkeley Isshinry dojo in August 2010. She was promoted to shodan on May 25, 2013.
visiting instructors, past and present:
Kichiro Shimabuku, 10th dan, IWKA
Don Roberts, 9th dan, OKU
Chester Holubecki, 8th dan, AOKA
MyoShu Wren, 7th dan, IWKA
Jan Roberts, 6th dan, OKU
Matthew Borthwick, 5th dan, IWKA
Jim Bobek, 4th dan, IWKA
To contact anyone affiliated with Isshin-ryu Berkeley, please send a message to karate [at] giantrabbit [dot] com. (Please replace the 'at' and 'dot' with the relevant symbols.) That address will go to me (Daniel Heath); I would be happy to answer any questions or forward your message to either of the other instructors.
New students are always welcome; please feel free to ask any questions you may have about the class. Also, we welcome all visitors, especially students of Isshin-ryu from other schools.
Strike when the opportunity presents itself.
-Tatsuo Shimabuku
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