WELCOME

We seek tranquility
in the midst of conflict or danger, and
strive to control our bodies, minds, and emotions,
to be able to avoid conflict when possible,
defend ourselves when necessary,
and protect others when able.

• An administrative resource for AKDS club instructors;
• A method for increasing awareness of Mitsusuke Harada Sensei's innovative practice methodology.
• A resource to aid club members in their knowledge and practice.

Much of what we do is difficult to explain in words. For this reason, we encourage anyone who is interested in learning more to locate a club and come practice with us so you can actually feel what we are trying to write about! No prior experience is necessary and all are welcome!

We offer our deepest gratitude to Harada Sensei for his innovative and progressive insights into the mechanics of the human body and for his trust in allowing us to introduce KDS practice to America. In addition, we'd like to thank all of those who have given so much of their time, talents, and means in coming to the United States and helping us progress.

American KDS is an official 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that donates its services to the improvement and safety of our communities--no one in AKDS is paid, but instead offers their talents to all free of charge. We hope you enjoy your visit to our site, and look forward to training together in the future!

Mitsusuke Harada Sensei was born in Manchuria, China in 1928 and began his karate training in Tokyo, Japan at age 15. In 1948 he began his study of economics at Waseda University, where he was taught by the legendary founder of modern karate, Master Gichin Funakoshi. Shigeru Egami, a student of Funakoshi and pioneer in the martial arts, noticed ability in Harada and invited him to train with him one-on-one, daily, for a year and a half. In only eight years Harada received his 5th Dan (the highest grade possible) from Master Funakoshi. Wit Funakoshi's blessing, Harada lft to introduce karate in South America and lived in Brazil. Later in early 1960, Harada Sensei moved to England as the first karate master to reside there and formed the Karate-Do Shotokai (KDS), which he continues to direct today. In addition to those already mentioned, Harada Sensei is one of the few living masters to have actually practiced personally with Yoshitaka Funakoshi, Motonobu Hironishi, Wado Uemura, Yoshiaki Hayashi, Tadao Okuyama, Hioshi Noguchi, Masatoshi Nakayama, Tsutomu Ohshima, Taiji Kase, Hidetaka Nishiyama, Hoken Noriaki Inoue, Nobuyoshi Tamura, and Morihei Ueshiba! In addition to this unprecedented lineage, Harada Sensei does not just direct from the sidelines, but continues to personally practice on a regular basis with his clubs to this day, and we honor and thank him for his dedication and service!

Dr. Adrian Hutber, who trained in England where he received his black belt from Harada Sensei in 1989, moved to the United States and organized American Shotokai Karate in 1993 at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. At that time, ASK was the only Shotokai group in the Western hemisphere practicing under the direction of Harada Sensei. In 1999, 6 years after its initial inception, Harada Sensei officially adopted ASK as American KDS.

American Karate-do Shotokai operates as an official non-profit organization overseen by Dr. Hutber, Dr. Matthew Spackman, and Jeremy Crook. As an official arm of Karate-do Shotokai, we receive practice method updates and visits from Harada Sensei himself as well as the 5th Dan Technical Group and others through special training courses held in the U.S. and abroad. American KDS currently operates clubs or has members practicing in Utah, Idaho, New Jersey, Louisiana, Texas, Washington, Nevada, and California.