About our Dojo

The NY Shidokan dojo was established in 1982 by Shozo Kato sensei and Tsuyoshi Inoshita sensei, initially under the name of Doshikan.

Kato sensei has been practicing kendo and iaido for almost four decades each. He served as head coach for the U.S. national kendo team for the 10th World Kendo Championships in Kyoto in 1997 and again for the 11th world championships in Santa Clara, Calif., in 2000. In 2006, he served as one of the judges for the 13th world championships in Taipei. In 2012 he served as team manager for the U.S. national kendo team for the 15th World Kendo Championships in Novara, Italy. As one of the highest-ranking iaido practitioners in the U.S., he has also served as head instructor for numerous regional iaido seminars.

At NY Shidokan, we welcome both novices and experienced students. We emphasizing the fundamentals that will enable practitioners to continuously develop their skills and hone their spirit for a lifetime of rewarding practice. We have classes specifically geared toward beginners to ease them into advanced practice.

Kendo is great physical exercise, but it is also much more than a sport. At NY Shidokan, we approach kendo as a budo - the traditional Japanese concept of martial arts that emphasizes proper etiquette and self-development.

At NY Shidokan, we firmly believe that focusing on fundamentals also eventually leads to competitive success for those who are interested in participating in tournaments and dan promotion examinations.

Officers, Honorary Members and Coaches

Honorary Shihan
Masaharu Kakehashi-Sensei
Kendo Hanshi 8th dan, Former Chief Shihan of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department
Director and Shihan
Shozo Kato
Kendo Kyoshi 8th dan, Iaido Kyoshi 7th Dan
Honorary Members
Duane Langenwalter
Kenichi Hatakeyama
Marvin Kawabata
Debi Farmer
Isabella Church
Chief Public Relations Advisor
Duane Langenwalter
Treasury and Accounting Secretary
Akiko Kato
Deputy Director
Taishi Kato
Team Manager / Instructor
Marvin Kawabata
Instructor
Michael Manning
Instructor
Masato Nakamura
Team Coach
Taishi Kato
Team Captain
Dunkin Adams
Iaido Instructor
Debi Farmer
Iaido Assistant Instructor
Paul Shin
Website Administrator
Mark Grey