Welcome to British Wadokai
British Wadokai is a friendly and traditional Wadoryu Karate organisation dedicated to providing the highest possible standard of support, guidance and benefits to all students and clubs in membership. It offers members a chance to get the best out of themselves at their own pace. The chance to train, to improve, to progress!
Why is British Wadokai Wadoryu different from others?
The Wadoryu of British Wadokai was the first Wadoryu to come to the UK from Japan. In 1963 Tatsuo Suzuki 8th Dan Hanshi, under the tutelage of the Founder of Wadoryu, Hironori Ohtsuka Meijin, introduced and established traditional Wadoryu in the UK. There is only be original Wadoryu, and that was the Wadoryu passed down by the master-creator of Wadoryu, Hironori Ohtsuka Meijin.
In 1982, after the passing of the Founder, Ohtsuka Meijin’s son, Jiro Ohtsuka, created another Wadoryu organisation known as the Wadoryu Renmei. Then in 1989 another organisation, Japan Wadokai, established a ‘revised’ version of Wadoryu as a ‘sport karate’ to be able to also compete in the ‘all-styles’ karate competitions.
The main changes were to the Kata and much of the original partnered-routines. It was felt that in order for Wado Kata to be more acceptable and to look more like the versions of the Kata of other styles in the competition circuit, significant modifications were made that often took the Wadoryu nuances & idiosyncrasies away from the original.
In 1991 the Wadoryu Renmei, under the leadership of Jiro Ohtsuka (now a private group), changed significantly and became independent from all the main Governing Bodies at the time.
The Wadoryu syllabus of British Wadokai has remained unchanged to that of Tatsuo Suzuki Hanshi’s Wadoryu. We have been doing the same syllabus that has been practised since 1963. All Tai-Sabaki has remained intact, including Sanbon-gumite, Ohyo-gumite, and Kihon-gumite, Kata etc.
Additionally, all our instructors teach the same authentic techniques, due to their regular immersion into the British Wadokai Standardisation Courses. Clubs in every region, covered by British Wadokai, will be teaching the same syllabus in the same way.
For the most able and committed there is the chance to join the British Wadokai Squad and compete nationally.
British Wadokai warmly welcomes enquiries from clubs and groups looking for a positive and genuinely supportive federation to affiliate to. British Wadokai adopts and implements strict vetting procedures when considering applications for new memberships or club affiliation.
British Wadokai will remain the same – The Original and Traditional.