INSTRUCTORS
ALL OF OUR INSTRUCTORS ARE AUTHORIZED INSTRUCTORS BY THE INTERNATIONAL SHOTOKAN-KENKOJUKU BUDOKAN KARATE-DO, WHICH IS BASED IN HACHIOJI, TOKYO PREFECTURE, JAPAN.
John Egan 7-Dan
Director/Chief Instructor
John Egan began his study of martial arts in 1961 under Tomosaburo Okano. Master Okano, who is designated a Living National Treasure by the Japanese government, awarded John Egan, in 1999 the rank of Fifth Degree Black Belt. He also trained with Takashi Akusawa-Sensei. Over the years, John Egan has studied various other combat arts, such as Shao-Lin Chuan (Chinese Boxing), Taijutsu (grappling), Kenjutsu (Japanese combative swordsmanship), Iaido (the systematized Japanese art of drawing the sword, cutting, and returning the sword to the scabbard), and Kyudo (Japanese archery), as well as Zen and Korean Taoist.
In 2012, Kancho Tomokatsu Okano, Chief Instructor of the Shotokan Kenkojuku Budokan Karate-Do in Tokyo, while on tour of the various member Kenkojuku dojos in California and the East Coast, promoted John Egan Sensei to rank of Shihan, Seventh Degree Black Belt.
Janine Marr Authorized 4-Dan Instructor
Janine Marr was born and raised in the Bay Area. She started training in Kenkojuku Shotokan Karate in 2000, under Shihan John Egan where she continues to train to this day. Her desire to continue to learn and improve her Karate training and education has been reinforced with constant participation in JKF, SKIF, HDK and Kenkojuku Karate seminars, classes, camps and mini training sessions, both locally and abroad. Janine, also traveled to the Kenkojuku honbu dojo (in Hachioji, Japan) for the 75th and recent 80th Anniversary Celebrations, to study Kenkojuku Karate with Kancho Okano. Janine also practices Aikido, and studies Kobudo, with particular focus on Bo, Jo, Sai, and Tekko weapons
Nicolo Caldera Authorized 3-Dan Instructor
Nicolo Caldera grew up in Italy and was first introduced to Shotokan Karate at the age of twelve under the coaching of European & World Champion Bruno Demichelis at the CSKS Shotokan Karate Dojo, part of the FESIKA Federation. At that time, Shotokan was taught using an extremely hard approach, often extending to full contact. As a young teen, he found the harshness overwhelming and subsequently decided to move on other sports. Although this initial experience of Shotokan was difficult, the exposure he had to the discipline was never completely forgotten. As such, he started to train again in 2003 under the coaching of Sensei Mayer Parry within the SKIF Shotokan style. In 2009 he joined the Shotokan Kenkojuku Karate-Do organization under the guidance of Shihan John Egan where he continues to train to this day.