Shudokan

Shūdōkan Karate was founded by Toyama Kanken (1888–1966), a man who bridged the old Okinawan traditions with the evolving modern art. He trained under masters such as Ankō Itosu of Shuri-te, Kanryō Higaonna of Naha-te, and Yabu Kentsū, absorbing both the hard and soft elements of Okinawan practice. When Toyama opened his Shūdōkan dōjō in Tokyo in 1930, he did not create a new style but rather a comprehensive method that combined the essence of the classical schools. His students carried this balanced, technical approach across the world, forming branches that remained loyal to his teaching spirit.

One such branch continued under Ishida Kenshin Hanshi, 10th Dan, who leads the Okinawa Seito Karatedo Shūdōkan Kyūshū Dōjō in Tagawa, Fukuoka, Japan. From his guidance emerged instructors like Elida Wagner Stewart Hanshi of the Family Karate Center in Eugene, Oregon. Her school represents the classical lineage of Shūdōkan in the United States, emphasizing traditional kata such as the Kyoku series, Ananku, Aragaki Sochin, and others passed down from Toyama’s curriculum. Stewart Hanshi’s brother, Jeff Wagner, and several of her students have continued to develop the art throughout the Pacific Northwest, ensuring the heritage remains active and connected.

In Portland, Reed Secunda Sensei of the Shūdōkan School of Karate maintains another strong branch of this same lineage. His training began under Morris Mack Hanshi of Yakima, Washington, one of the early figures to establish Shūdōkan practice in the region. The Portland dōjō keeps the same emphasis on kihon, kata, and bunkai while preserving the classical Okinawan character of the system. Together, these schools form a network that shares examinations, seminars, and gasshuku across Oregon and Washington, linking their students back to the Japanese source.

At the northern edge of this network stands Mt. Si School of Karate in North Bend, Washington, founded and led by Michael Morris Sr., a long-time practitioner and Fuku Shihan in the Shūdōkan tradition. His teaching reflects the same disciplined yet balanced approach envisioned by Toyama Kanken—direct, physical, and grounded in the values of character and humility. Through his leadership, the Pacific Northwest continues to carry the torch of Shūdōkan Karate, maintaining an unbroken line from the Okinawan masters to today’s students who bow on the hardwood floor of the Mt. Si dōjō.