Welcome to Ottawa JKA and JKA Shinseikan: Non-profit organizations teaching Karate-do for adults and children in the Ottawa area for over 30 years.  There are two schools offering Karate classes at this location: Ottawa JKA dojo provides training to adults whereas JKA Shinseikan dojo is dedicated to children (starting from 8 years old) and youth. Established in 1973 by Sensei Saeki, the Ottawa JKA is a member Dojo of the Canada JKA Karate Federation (  CJKF). Both organizations are responsible for maintaining the high quality of  JKA style by setting standards for kyu grading (belt levels from white to brown) and overseeing dan level exams (black belt). The CJKF also provides the opportunity to train and compete with students of other dojo at the tournaments that it sponsors periodically throughout the year. It also sponsors the annual CJKF Koyo karate camp in Ottawa which features senior instructors from Japan and attracts students from all over Canada.

The word karate is a combination of two Japanese characters: kara, meaning "empty", and te, meaning "hand", thus, karate means "empty hand". Adding the suffix "-do", meaning "way", karate-do implies karate is a total way of life that goes well beyond the self defense applications. In traditional karate-do, we always keep in mind that the true opponent is oneself. Shotokan founder   Gichin Funakoshi has said that "mind and technique become one in true karate."

Karate can be described as a martial art involving a variety of techniques including blocks, strikes, evasions, throws, and joint manipulations. Karate practice is divided into three aspects: kihon (basics), kata (forms), and kumite (sparring).   The Ottawa JKA offers quality instruction for people of all ages with training specifically geared to each individual potential. Our aim is to provide our students with a combination of high quality instruction and a friendly atmosphere that any member of the family can enjoy. Click here to see a virtual tour of our training. True karate-do is the trademark of the Ottawa JKA. We look forward to helping you develop, both mentally and physically, through training in traditional Shotokan Karate.