The Kanto Sho Karate Club

A nice day was had by all. Congratulations to the students who competed at the tournament this weekend. You demonstrated your skills exceptionally. Highly skilled kata, powerful kumite. Thank you to the organizers for inviting us. We are grateful for the opportunity. To all the students keep training and let’s have a fun karate summer. Dojo is life. THE KANTO SHO KARATE CLUB “the most spirited”.

We had a nice night at the dojo welcoming back Derek Lai, a former Institute of Karate student who trained with Sensei Rob and Glen during the 1980s and 1990s. After earning his Shodan and representing Team Canada in Japan, Derek moved to Edmonton, where he served the city as a dedicated police officer for many years until his retirement. It was awesome to reconnect, catch up, and see him looking so youthful.
So many people remain deeply connected to “The Institute,” (Institute of Karate) which holds a fascinating place in local martial arts history. In a neat historical tidbit, many of our original students and teachers (Hienz and Manfred Rottman in particular) actually came from Simon Karate and Kung Fu, which was established in the mid-1960s as the very first karate dojo in Calgary. Back in the early 1960s, our school was known as The Institute of Karate and Kung Fu, becoming The Kanto Sho Karate Club, meaning the direct lineage of Kanto Sho runs all the way back to Calgary’s original roots. If you ever trained with us at any of our old dojos, please drop in and say hi

Okay, kind of a cool day for me. (Sensei Glen) Picking up a few groceries at the store. The lady in the picture was my first karate teacher back in 1978. When I joined the Institute of Karate, back in the day you were often taught by one of the junior instructors. (Over saw by seniors) Everybody got tons of individual attention. A tradition we still have today. (Because teaching teaches the teacher) Charlotte was a green belt at the time, I was fortunate to get a lot of training/learning with Sempai Charlotte which grounded my basics and formed part of my skills for the rest of my life. I have alway remembered the patience, enthusiasm and attention to detail she brought to every class. It just shows the positive effect you can have on someone for their whole life. I am so grateful, I felt rejuvenated kind of like a kid to see someone so cool again. It really is a wonderful life.

Congratulations to Frank on earning his yellow belt since starting in September 2025, proudly joining his son Chris and wife Li as an inspiring martial arts family at the Kanto Sho Karate Club. Families training together is one of the great things about dojo. Every parent or adult who joins always says “I wish I started sooner” but it is never too late to start training. Congratulations to Frank and thank you to all of the families for you continued support and hard work. A good dojo has longevity of students. Check out the qualifications of our instructors on our website, along with reasonable fees and compare. kantoshokarate

The longest running tournament in Alberta continues to be the best.
Thank you Sensei Hanratty for creating this all those years ago.
Sensei Meaghan and Hargreaves continue to referee with skill, fairness and integrity. More to come on this in a few days.
Needless to say impressive performances by all of the students who participated. And to the Sensei’s who supported the student this day Winter, Justin and Jason grateful. Special thanks to Justin for reffing.

Spring grading 2026. What an incredible night at The Kanto Sho Karate Club! 11 students graded and passed to the next rank after showcasing their skills in kihon, kata, and kumite (both full and non-contact). Our dojo celebrates its diverse community, united by a shared passion for karate. Mother’s, father’s, grandfather’s and children. You all performed exceptionally, and it's evident that your hard work and perseverance paid off. We're honored to guide you and share our love for karate.