PASADENA — Shotokan Karate of America will host its 57th annual Nisei Week Karate Exhibition and Tournament — the oldest karate demonstration in the U.S. — at the Braun Gymnasium of the California Institute of Technology on Saturday, Aug. 10.
Fighters and participants will come to Los Angeles from dojos nationwide and abroad to compete and give individual and group demonstrations.
SKA’s event started in 1957 when Tsutomu Ohshima, one of the most highly regarded karate instructors in the world, gave the first official demonstration of karate to the American public. He is a direct student of Master Gichin Funakoshi, the founder of modern-day karate, who brought the sport from Okinawa to mainland Japan. For over 50 years, SKA, under Ohshima’s leadership and guidance, has spread Funakoshi’s teachings and traditional karate-do.
Ohshima travels throughout the world teaching karate to thousands of students and is currently the head instructor of karate organizations in 15 countries, including Shotokan Karate of America, France Shotokan, Israel Shotokan, Canada Shotokan, Swiss Shotokan, Spain Shotokan, Belgium Shotokan and Morocco Shotokan.
The Nisei Week exhibition/tournament will be held from 11 a.m. to 1:30 pm. at Caltech’s Braun Gymnasium, located at 1200 E. California Blvd. in Pasadena. The event is open to the public. Admission and parking are free. Doors will open at 10:30 a.m.
SKA is a nationwide, nonprofit organization dedicated to the teaching of traditional karate-do since 1955. Its emphasis on development of strength in mind and character through traditional and rigorous training has led to its popularity in this country
For additional information, call (213) 437-0988 or visit www.ska.org.
