Shotokan Karate of America

What Shotokan Karate of America does

Shotokan Karate of America (SKA) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1956 by Tsutomu Ohshima that teaches traditional Shotokan karate-do through a federated network of more than 140 affiliated dojos across the United States and Canada, with international affiliate organizations in 15+ countries. The core product is instructor-led karate training covering kihon (basics), kata (forms), and kumite (sparring), supplemented by twice-yearly intensive Special Training events, rank testing at no charge, and the annual Nisei Week Karate Exhibition and Tournament in Los Angeles. The curriculum and pedagogical authority derive from a direct lineage to Master Gichin Funakoshi through Ohshima, with operational leadership currently held by Shihan John Teramoto following the 2020 succession transition.

The business model is non-commercial and decentralized. SKA national generates revenue from a flat $75 annual membership that grants access to all affiliated dojos and special events, while individual dojos set their own locally-priced practice fees that they retain. There are no contracts, no grading fees, and no commercial sales — the organization is structured to remove financial barriers to traditional karate instruction. Distribution runs through semi-autonomous dojos coordinated by three US regional directors (Western, Central, Eastern) and supplemented by university karate clubs at institutions including Caltech (founded 1957, the oldest in the US), MIT, Columbia, and University of Michigan.

Marketing and community growth rely on grassroots channels: dojo-level word-of-mouth, the ska.org website, an online news portal, YouTube, Facebook, and the Nisei Week cultural event held at Terasaki Budokan in Little Tokyo. The organization explicitly positions itself as a non-commercial custodian of traditional karate rather than a growth-stage business, and the input data contains no disclosed revenue, headcount, or funding figures.

Name

Shotokan Karate of America

Legal name

Shotokan Karate of America

Website

https://ska.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1956

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Shotokan Karate of America is a 1956-founded nonprofit that teaches traditional Shotokan karate-do through 140+ affiliated dojos across the US, Canada, and 15+ countries, serving individual members via a $75 annual membership under the Funakoshi-Ohshima lineage.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Martial Arts Instruction

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162), Other Schools and Instruction (6116)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997), Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Traditional Martial Arts Schools (Karate, Taekwondo, Kung Fu, etc.) (HSADADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Combat Sports Gyms & Dojos (MMA, Boxing, Wrestling, Martial Arts) (MPAKAJAG), Competition & Tournament Team Training (HSADADAJ), Kids & Youth Martial Arts Programs (HSADADAG)

Keywords

• Traditional karate instruction
• Martial arts training
• Shotokan karate dojos
• Nonprofit martial arts
• Karate-do education

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Annual Membership Dues: SKA membership costs $75 for the remainder of the year, providing access to all dojos nationwide, rank testing opportunities (twice yearly at no charge for kyu ranks), black belt testing (by invitation, free), newsletters, and access to SKA online news resources.
2. Dojo Practice Fees: Each dojo determines its own affordable practice fees depending on location and expenses. This creates localized revenue at the dojo level rather than centralized to SKA national.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Shotokan Karate of America is a nonprofit organization that teaches traditional Shotokan karate-do through a nationwide network of 140+ affiliated dojos across the United States and Canada, with international affiliates in 15+ countries. Its core member offerings are in-person karate instruction covering kihon (basics), kata (forms), and kumite (sparring), supplemented by semi-annual SKA Special Training intensives, an annual membership granting cross-dojo access, and the annual Nisei Week Karate Exhibition & Tournament. Instruction is delivered under the Funakoshi-Ohshima lineage with no contracts, no grading fees, and locally set dojo practice fees.

Product overview

Shotokan Karate of America is a nonprofit organization offering traditional karate instruction through a network of over 140 dojos across the United States and international affiliates worldwide. The core offering is traditional karate-do instruction, which is divided into three aspects: kihon (basics), kata (forms), and kumite (sparring). Membership provides access to dojos nationwide, rank testing, Special Training events, and the annual Nisei Week Tournament. Additional offerings include a Japanese karate terminology glossary with audio recordings, and a dojo locator directory for finding practice locations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Traditional Karate-Do Instruction Year-round traditional Shotokan karate-do classes taught at affiliated SKA dojos across the United States and Canada, covering kihon (basics), kata (forms) and kumite (sparring) under certified black belt instructors, for students of any age, sex, or current physical condition.
• SKA Special Training Intensive semi-annual (winter and summer) regional training programs lasting three to four days with multiple practices per day, designed for advanced students (black and brown belts participate in closed practices) who seek rigorous traditional training that tests physical and mental limits.
• Nisei Week Karate Exhibition & Tournament Annual karate demonstration and tournament held each August in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, free to the public. The 67th annual edition is hosted at Terasaki Budokan (249 S Los Angeles St) and features competitors and demonstrators from dojos throughout the U.S. and abroad.
• SKA Annual Membership Annual SKA membership ($75 for the remainder of the calendar year) providing student guide, membership ID card, newsletters, practice access at all SKA dojos nationwide, and free participation in kyu rank testing and invitation-only black belt testing, with no grading fees or certificate fees.
• Dojo Locator Directory Online searchable directory of more than 140 SKA dojos across the U.S. (organized by state) plus international affiliate organizations in 15+ countries, used by prospective students to find and contact a dojo.
• Japanese Karate Glossary Educational resource on the SKA website providing brief audio recordings, definitions, and usage tips (including honorifics) for Japanese karate terminology commonly used in SKA practices.

Quantifiable outcome

• 67th Annual Nisei Week Karate Exhibition and Tournament - the oldest karate demonstration in the United States
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Shotokan Ohshima Dojo (Santa Barbara, CA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSKA opened the Shotokan Ohshima Dojo in 2000 as a central gathering place for students from groups worldwide that have sprung from Tsutomu Ohshima's leadership to regularly meet and practice together. This represents the physical embodiment of the international Shotokan Ohshima Karate-do network.
• International Affiliate Organizations (15+ countries)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSKA maintains affiliated national organizations including France Shotokan, Canada Shotokan, Switzerland Shotokan, Belgium Shotokan, and others. Each national affiliate maintains the Shotokan Ohshima karate tradition under the leadership of appointed shihans.
• Terasaki BudokanminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe 67th Annual Nisei Week Karate Exhibition and Tournament is held at Terasaki Budokan (249 S Los Angeles St, Los Angeles, CA 90012). This venue serves as the new home for SKA's annual event following its return to Little Tokyo in 2023.
• University Karate Clubs (Caltech, MIT, Columbia, etc.)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSKA maintains university karate clubs at Caltech (oldest university karate club in America, founded 1957), MIT, Columbia University, University of Michigan, and others. Caltech's club was started in 1957 and Mr. Ohshima was a faculty member for 37 years.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• International Shotokan Karate Federation (ISKF): Major Shotokan organization also tracing to Funakoshi's students (specifically Tsutomu Ohshima's contemporaries and Hidetaka Nishiyama); runs affiliated dojos and tournaments with a nearly identical traditional Shotokan product to SKA.
• Japan Karate Association (JKA): Headquarters of the Shotokan lineage that SKA descends from via Tsutomu Ohshima; runs the global Shotokan curriculum, dan testing, and instructor certification that most directly competes with SKA's traditional Shotokan instruction.
• USA Karate (USANKF): National governing body for sport karate in the US; comparable to SKA as a national karate federation with member dojos/clubs and rank testing, but oriented toward WKF sport karate competition rather than traditional karate-do.
• National Karate Association of America: Multi-style US karate membership body offering rank registration and instructor certification across styles; competes for traditional and sport karate practitioners and instructors who could otherwise affiliate with SKA.
• Shotokan Karate-do International Federation (SKIF): Global Shotokan federation founded by Hirokazu Kanazawa (Funakoshi lineage); offers an alternative traditional Shotokan pathway with international affiliates that competes for the same traditional karate student as SKA.
• Karate-do Shotokai: Organization directly descended from Master Funakoshi and Gigo Funakoshi in Tokyo; teaches traditional Shotokan kata/kihon/kumite with similar philosophical emphasis, serving as a comparable traditional karate-do network.

Broad incumbents

• American Taekwondo Association (ATA): One of the largest US martial arts membership organizations; comparable as a multi-dojo federation with standardized curriculum, rank testing, and instructor certification, but for Taekwondo rather than karate.
• World Karate Federation (WKF): International Olympic-recognized governing body for karate sport; competes for institutional affiliation and tournament prestige but focuses on WKF sport kumite/kata rather than traditional karate-do.

Others

• U.S. Judo Federation (USJF): National nonprofit judo membership organization with dojo affiliates, rank promotion, and youth programs; structurally comparable to SKA as a member-based martial arts federation, though serving judo rather than karate.
• USA Judo: US National Governing Body for Judo and a recognized nonprofit; analogous to SKA as a nonprofit martial arts governing body with affiliate clubs, rank testing, and youth/scholastic outreach, though for a different martial art.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/+skaorg1956
• Facebookfacebook.com/groups/113450445333772
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/shotokan-karate-of-america

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Shotokan Karate of America