Welcome to the CZWKA
Canada Zenkuren Wado Karate Association
Canada Zenkuren Wado Karate Association
About the CZWKA
The Canadian ZenKuRen Wado Karate Association (CZWKA) is the Canadian Headquarters for JKF Wado Kai in Canada approved by the Japan Karate Federation Wado-Kai.
The C.Z.W.K.A. was established during 1998 at the request of senior Directors of the JKF Wado Kai Headquarters in Tokyo, for an authentic, Wado Kai organization that is directly affiliated with JKF Wado Kai Headquarters and with Karate Canada. The founding directors were Ms. Norma Foster (Vancouver, BC), Mr. Roger Bartosh (Montreal, QC), Mr. Flavio Iammarino (Niagara Falls, ON) and Mr. Barry Welch (Calgary, AB).
It is the only association recognized by the JKF Wado-Kai as teaching authentic Wado Kai karate in Canada.
We are a vibrant national non-profit corporation federally registered in Ottawa by letters patent. We presently have JKF WADO KAI approved branches in BC, Alberta, Ontario and Quebec.
The Association provides its members with quality technical instruction, training and competitive opportunities in Canada, the U.S.A. and Japan.
Our members can attempt examinations for Dan (black belt) grades, Instructor certifications, and Referee certifications. Practical examinations for Dan grades up to third degree proceed in Canada.
The CZWKA maintains close relationships with other karate associations, athletes, and coaches within Canada and beyond, which enables its members to access a high quality of technical leadership and training. Our members can visit numerous Wadokai clubs in Japan and compete in large tournaments, including the Wadokai World Cup. We are a mixture of peoples, backgrounds, gender and creeds, and we welcome all who wish to study karate to join us.
The Canadian ZenKuRen Wado Karate Association (CZWKA) is the Canadian Headquarters for JKF Wado Kai in Canada approved by the Japan Karate Federation Wado-Kai.
The C.Z.W.K.A. was established during 1998 at the request of senior Directors of the JKF Wado Kai Headquarters in Tokyo, for an authentic, Wado Kai organization that is directly affiliated with JKF Wado Kai Headquarters and with Karate Canada. The founding directors were Ms. Norma Foster (Vancouver, BC), Mr. Roger Bartosh (Montreal, QC), Mr. Flavio Iammarino (Niagara Falls, ON) and Mr. Barry Welch (Calgary, AB).
It is the only association recognized by the JKF Wado-Kai as teaching authentic Wado Kai karate in Canada.
We are a vibrant national non-profit corporation federally registered in Ottawa by letters patent. We presently have JKF WADO KAI approved branches in BC, Alberta, Ontario and Quebec.
The Association provides its members with quality technical instruction, training and competitive opportunities in Canada, the U.S.A. and Japan.
Our members can attempt examinations for Dan (black belt) grades, Instructor certifications, and Referee certifications. Practical examinations for Dan grades up to third degree proceed in Canada.
The CZWKA maintains close relationships with other karate associations, athletes, and coaches within Canada and beyond, which enables its members to access a high quality of technical leadership and training. Our members can visit numerous Wadokai clubs in Japan and compete in large tournaments, including the Wadokai World Cup. We are a mixture of peoples, backgrounds, gender and creeds, and we welcome all who wish to study karate to join us.
Our Values
CZWKA Core Values are deeply ingrain principles that guide all our members actions and behaviour when related to the delivery and interactions of our business.
Integrity
Act and communicate honestly and transparently with members, officials, parents, coaches, and others.
Inclusion
Actively encourage participation for all.
Life-Long Learning
Continually strive to improve technical understanding and impart learning to others.
Mutual Respect
We respect and accept each other as individuals and recognize that different and unique perspectives can result in completeness.
Benevolence
Promote positive aspects of individual well-being, community and social involvement
generated through participation in karate.
Communication
Continually strive to provide and apply 7 principles of communication: clarity, timeliness, coherence, conciseness, correctness, courtesy and completeness by listening, clarifying, understanding and confirming.
Board of Directors
Norma Foster
President
Catharine Ritchie
Treasurer
Beth Bayley
Secretary
Simon Raybould
Vice President
Suzanne Jean
Membership Director
Murray Beauliua
Communication Director
Technical Committee
The Technical Committee of CZWKA preserves the technical standards of JKF Wado Kai by providing technical seminars and conducting examinations for black belt up to 3rd degree and for 4th kyu instructors.
Norma Foster is the only woman in the world to have achieved JKF Wado Kai 7th Dan. In the internationals all-styles arena she was the first woman to become a World Karate Federation (WKF) Referee and Kata Judge, paving the way for other women around the world to aspire to and achieve these qualifications. She was the first woman to be appointed to the WKF Referee Council and the first Chair of the WKF Gender Equity Committee, which became the current WKF Womens’ Sport Committee. She started studying karate in 1969 and spent eight years in Tokyo studying Wado karate with Mr. Toru Arakawa and Dr. Hideho Takagi.
She was born in Edinburgh, Scotland and currently resides in Vancouver, Canada.
Head instructor of Karaté du Plateau and has been a Karate instructor since 1989. He currently holds a JKF Wadokai 5th dan black belt.
Simon was the Captain of the Canadian team at the 1999 Wadokai Karatedo World Cup. He has trained with renowned karate experts: Toru Arakawa, Hideho Takagi, Tatsuo Suzuki, Yoshiaki Ajari, Hirukazu Kanazawa, Kenzo Mabuni and Morio Higaonna.
He currently lives in Gatineau, Quebec.
Sensei Neill Hudson is a 5th Dan with the JKF Wado-Kai and has over 40 years of Wado experience.
He started in 1983 with SKW England and moved to Canada where he continues to teach Karate at the highest level…
In 2015 Sensei Neill Hudson, who is the Chief Instructor at SAIKAIKARATE-DO WADO KAI in Newcastle, represented Canada at the JKF Wado Kai World Cup in Nagoya Japan. Competing in the Masters 50+ division, Sensei Hudson won 3 rounds on Saturday, then won the semi-final and the final on the Sunday becoming Masters 50+ World Kata Champion…
He currently lives in Omemee, Ontario.
7th Degree black belt and 2nd Kyu Instructor, JKF Wado Kai. Born, Yokohama Japan where he grew up as Wataru Shibata. He started training in Wado with Dr Hideho Takagi (8th Dan) at the age of six and remains very committed to Dr. Takagi, a world-renowned karate technician and member of the JKF Wadokai Technical committee. Nash sensei is the Chief Instructor for Wado Guseikai USA, an organization associated with Dr Takagi, and serves on the United States National Karatedo Federation Technical committee. He shares his vast wealth of Wado knowledge through teaching seminars worldwide. He currently lives near Seattle Washington, USA.
