Sacramento Shotokan Karate Dojo

Tsutomu Ohshima

Originally this was the most important thing about martial arts – to reach a higher level, to become a strong human being. Strong doesn’t mean big arms. It means who can be a more strict human being with himself. That is the ideal of martial arts.

– Tsutomu Ohshima, founder, Shotokan Karate of America

Welcome to the Sacramento Dojo of Shotokan Karate of America. Shotokan Karate of America (SKA) is a non-profit organization teaching traditional Karate in the United States since 1955. SKA has more than 120 dojos in North America, and is affiliated with national Shotokan organizations in thirteen countries, including Canada, France, Israel, Spain, Switzerland, Hong Kong and Japan.

Sacramento Shotokan Karate is dedicated to teaching Karate in the traditional Japanese manner. We welcome adult students of any age and children from age 12. Class structure allows for the admittance of new adult students at any time of the year and of new children students at regularly scheduled dates.  Please check our “Come Try A Class!” page for more information.

SKA’s dan levels should not be equated to other systems simply by comparing the numbers (Shodan, Nidan, Sandan, Yodan, Godan), because dan requirements have been structured differently than other systems. Godan (5^th degree black belt) was the highest level Master Funakoshi awarded before his death in 1957. To honor Master Funakoshi’s memory, Tsutomu Ohshima structured our grading system so that Godan is the highest level possible in SKA. This does not mean students stop learning or become masters at the Godan level, or that our Godans are less skilled than 6^th, 7^th, or higher degree black belts in other systems. Our Godans include some of the highest skilled martial artist in the world today; however, even so they never stop improving their skills. In SKA self-perfection is a lifelong quest.

Where and When:

The Sacramento dojo practices are held in East Sacramento near McKinley Park. You’ll find us at: