Instructors

The Dojo Shihan Emeritus or retired chief instructor is Charlie Tanaka Sensei, Hanshi 7 Dan. Tanaka sensei has served two terms as the President of the AUSKF and numerous terms as the president of the NCKF. He was San Jose Kendo’s Chief Instructor for 41 years until his retirement in 2020.  Tanaka sensei’s bio can be found here from the Japanese-American Association of Northern California.

Additionally, the dojo has several other instructors, or sensei, with ranks of 4 Dan and above.

Unlike commercial dojos, our instructors volunteer their time and are not paid to teach. Additionally, 1 Dan (1st degree black belt) members do not teach. Instead, 2 Dan (2nd degree) and 3 Dan (3rd degree) members serve as assistant instructors under the guidance of sensei (4 Dan or higher).