Since the founding of Shorinjiryu Kenkokan Karatedo many thousands of practitioners have earned black belt degrees. All can not be listed within this brief list. Nonetheless, this list represents black belt holders of 3rd degree and above who are considered in good standing. Non-Japanese practitioners who have studied directly with the Hombu and have achieved ranking at the Hombu are also listed under “Japan” as well as their native location.
Kaiso-Founder
Shinan Masayoshi Kudaka, Kensei-10th Dan
JU DAN KENSEI (10th Degree – Red Belt)
- SHINAN Masayuki KUKAN HISATAKA (Kudaka in Okinawan)
JAPAN
NANA DAN KYOSHI (7th Degree – Red & White Belt)
- SO-SHIHAN Masamitsu KUDAKA
- Shihan Philippe NADEAU
ROKU DAN, RENSHI (6th Degree – Red & White Belt)
- Shihan Tadashi KONDO
- Shihan Kunio TANABE
- Shihan Laurence VANIKERK
- Shihan Masaki ENOMOTO
- Shihan Hiroshi HISATAKA
- Shihan Yoshisada YONEZUKA
- Shihan Kiyoshi SHIINA
- Shihan Defense Minister Tokuichiro TAMAZAWA
- Shihan Mega MARTINEZ
- Shihan Luc GILBERT
- Shihan Paul JACKMAN
- Shihan Dr. Jeffrey HENDERSON
- Shihan George MANOLI
GODAN, KENGO (5th Degree Black Belt)
- Shihan Hisanobu YAMAZAKI
- Shihan Yutaka HAYAKAWA
- Shihan Naoyuki OKABE
- Shihan Prime Minister, Keizo OBUCHI
- Shihan Douglas ROBERTS
- Shihan Philip HOOPER
- Shihan Hiroyuki OKAMOTO
- Shihan Tooru YOSHIZAWA
- Shihan Takechika MIYAZAKI
- Shihan Shigeru ISHINO
- Shihan Ichiro HOSOGAI
- Shihan Dr. Alain HOURDE-BAIGHT
- Shihan Murad LOUALI
- Shihan Alexey SHTURMIN
- Shihan Antipov VLADIMIR
- Shihan Minaev VADIM
- Shihan Luis Perez SANTIAGO
- Shihan President Eduard SHEVARDNADZE
- Shihan General Alpher Oumar KONARE
- Shihan Shaun O’LEARY
- Shihan Mamadou DIALLO
- Shihan Pierre INGRASSIA
- Shihan Dr. Hitoshi NAMEKATA
- Shihan Mario VENE
- Shihan Masahito KUDAKA
- Shihan Kihachirou ARATAKA
- Shihan Kenichi MABUCHI
- Shihan Takehiro HIGUCHI
- Shihan Jin MOTOJUKU
- Shihan Yukio SAKAMOTO
- Shihan Leonid TIMOKIN
YONDAN KENSHI (4th Degree Black Belt)
- Shihan Minoru MORITA
- Shihan Tamon KASHIMOTO
- Shihan Fujio MONJIYAMA
- Shihan Yashirou ISHIGAMI
- Shihan Hishiaki SAKAMOTO
- Shihan Brian AARONS
- Shihan Simon WEJER
- Shihan Robert DEAMEN
- Shihan Bill HAWTHORNE
- Shihan Norman WENNER
- Shihan Emanuel HAWTHORNE
- Shihan Jack KANNER
- Shihan Chris KLIESE
- Shihan Hajime ISHIKAWA
- Shihan Shigeru SUGITA
- Shihan Richard BRAYANT
- Shihan Dr. David CHU
- Shihan John SARCONI
- Shihan Eri AKATSUKA-OBARA
- Shihan Katsumi KUWABARA
- Shihan Curzio MARCONI
- Shihan Dr. Til STURMER
- Shihan Zurab RECHVIASHILI
- Shihan Karlo MUSHKUTIANI
- Shihan Nugzar NADARAIA
- Shihan Aslan ABHSHIDZE
- Shihan Givi LOBEHANIDZE
- Shihan George BORLE
- Shihan Hanspeter KRATTIGER
- Shihan Ning FREY
- Shihan Alex GRENACHER
- Shihan Andreas ZANELLA
- Shihan Chikara IIO
- Shihan Katsumi KUWABARA
- Shihan Takashi IIO
- Shihan Takeshi SUZUKI
- Shihan Warren BETTER
- Shihan Laptev VLADIMIR
- Shihan Mirsalayev INTIGAM
- Shihan Berzigiyarov TALIB
- Shihan Mustafayev YURI
- Shihan Hamdouche RABAH
- Shihan Alexander FILYUSHKIN
- Shihan Sergei PALBIN
- Shihan Alexander SOKOVIKOV
- Shihan Dmitry ALHASOV
- Shihan Yuriy POTAPENKO
- Shihan Sandra LEONI
- Shihan Nick KING
- Shihan Daisuke ONO
- Shihan Steven JACKMAN
SANDAN SHUSHI (3rd Degree Black Belt)
- Sensei Tory WISENBERG
- Sensei Gordon KLIESE
- Sensei Devraj RAMDUTT
- Sensei Mohammed Jameel ISMAIL
- Sensei Douglas P MACBRIDE
- Sensei Jose FERNANDES
- Sensei Pierre DELANIELLO
- Sensei Chris MILNE
- Sensei Sheldon ABRAMOVITCH
- Sensei Greg OVERTON
- Sensei Douglas HAWKINS
- Sensei Samy BOUKAILA
- Sensei Stewart HERSEY
- Sensei Steven R LEDUC
- Sensei Denis POMERLEAU
- Sensei David CONNOR
- Sensei Paul GAGNE
- Sensei Kazuya YAMAKAWA
- Sensei Luigi DIFILIPPO
- Sensei David HOLMBER
- Sensei James GRIFFIN
- Sensei Carole HOOPER
- Sensei Philip WATLAND
- Sensei Senri SENOO
- Sensei Chiharu TAKEHANA
- Sensei Miwako HISATAKA—HARADE
- Sensei Jean-guy GIROUARD
- Sensei John P MIRRIONE
- Sensei Heinz FREY
- Sensei Jose Sanyo RODRIGUEZ
- Sensei Emory KNODE
- Sensei Donald GOETE
- Sensei Albert J HERGENHAN
- Sensei Alex MIKHLIN
- Sensei Sergei BOULGAKOV
- Sensei Alex IVANOV
- Sensei Dominique BRAIS
- Sensei Richard BROWN
- Sensei Lamia LUALI
- Sensei Hikaru SHINJO
- Sensei Yuki HARUNA
- Sensei Eric SULIGOJ
- Sensei Souleymane KANTE
- Sensei Alexandra CHAMBER
- Sensei Vito CRISTOFARO
- Sensei Veronique RIEL
- Sensei HEIKE AHLBORN
- Sensei Yasuo KANAHARA
- Sensei Paul FORD
- Sensei Sherri EGBERT
- Sensei Hansjory HUBER
- Sensei Enver HAZARKHANOV
- Sensei Ralf LINDERT
- Sensei Jan KITEL
- Sensei Geffrey BASKWILL
- Sensei Michel RAPINSKI
- Sensei Nissim TSE
- Sensei Benoit DESCOMTRENX
- Sensei Alli WARR
- Sensei Peter LERK
- Sensei Kovaley MIKHAIL
- Sensei Masaru ITO
- Sensei Lorraine D’ARTOIS
- Sensei Victor LUKANKIN
- Sensei Alex MOSCOVIS
- Sensei Yoann KONGOLO
- Sensei Ciaran Liam MITCHELL
- Sensei Takuma INAMI
- Sensei Hiroaki TORIYABE
- Sensei Tomoki KAWASHIMA
- Sensei Joseph LEE
AMERICA
NANADAN KYOSHI (7th Degree – Red & White Belt)
- Shihan Philippe NADEAU
ROKUDAN RENSHI (6th Degree – Red & White Belt)
- Shihan Kunio TANABE
- Shihan Mega Edwin MARTINEZ
- Shihan Robin CAMPBELL
- Shihan Luc GILBERT
- Shihan Paul JACKMAN
- Shihan Dr. Jeffrey HENDERSON
- Shihan George MANOLI
GODAN KENGO (5th Degree Black Belt)
- Shihan Alain HOURDE-BAIGHT
- Shihan Wayne DONIVAN
- Shihan Douglas ROBERTS
- Shihan Mario VENE
- Shihan Tom Bellazzi
- Shihan Kevin Pelletier
YONDAN KENSHI (4th Degree Black Belt)
- Shihan Minoru MORITA
- Shihan Tamon KASHIMOTO
- Shihan Fujio MONJIYAMA
- Shihan Yashirou ISHIGAMI
- Shihan Brian AARONS
- Shihan Hishiaki SAKAMOTO
- Shihan Eri AKATSUKA-OBARA
- Shihan James GALLAGER
- Shihan Walter GECKLMAN
- Shihan Noel CASABONA
- Shihan Simon WAJCER
- Shihan Robert DEAMEN
- Shihan Norman WENNER
- Shihan Emanuel HAWTHORNE
- Shihan William (Bill) HAWTHORNE
- Shihan Jack KANNER
- Shihan Michel LAUREN
- Shihan Dalil MASCHINO
- Shihan John SARCONI
- Shihan Robin LEPINE
- Shihan George BORRE
- Shihan Philip GOODAL
- Shihan Warren BETTER
- Shihan Steven JACKMAN
- Shihan Yossi ABEHSERA
- Shihan Melanie CYR
- Shihan Martin Juteau
SANDAN SHUSHI (3rd Degree Black Belt)
- Sensei Bill DUWAYER
- Sensei Tory WISENBERG
- Sensei Jean-guy GIROUARD
- Sensei John P MIRRIONE
- Sensei Emory KNODE
- Sensei Donald GOETE
- Sensei Albert J HERGENHAN
- Sensei Dominique BRAIS
- Sensei Geoffrey BASKWILL
- Sensei Veronique RIEL
- Sensei Michel RAPINSKI
- Sensei Lorraine D’ARTOIS
- Sensei Victor LUKANKIN
- Sensei Philippe Mercier
- Jonathan Lefort-Lemire
EUROPE
ROKUDAN RENSHI (6th Degree – Red & White Belt)
- Shihan Olaf LOTZE
GODAN KENGO (5th Degree Black Belt)
- Shihan Mikhail KRYSIN
- Shihan Luis Perez SANTIAGO
- Shihan Eduard SHEVARDNADZE
- Shihan Mamadou DIALLO
- Shihan Olaf LOTZE
- Shihan Pierre INGRASSIA
- Shihan Baranov VADIM
- Shihan Leonid TIMOKIN
YONDAN KENSHI (4th Degree Black Belt)
- Shihan Curzio MARCONI
- Shihan Til STURMER
- Shihan Zurab RECHVIASHILI
- Shihan Karlo MUSHKUTIANI
- Shihan Nugzar NADARAIA
- Shihan Aslan ABHSIDZE
- Shihan Givi LOBEHANIDZE
- Shihan Hanspeter KRATTIGER
- Shihan Neing FREY
- Shihan Alex GRENACHER
- Shihan Andreas ZANELLA
- Shihan Mirsalayev INTIGAM
- Shihan Berzigiyarov TALIB
- Shihan Mustafayev YURI
- Shihan Hamdouche RABAH
- Shihan Alexander FILYUSHKIN
- Shihan Sergei PALBIN
- Shihan Alexander SOKOVIKOV
- Shihan Dmitry ALHASOV
- Shihan Yuriy POTAPENKO
- Shihan Sandra LEONI
SANDAN SHUSHI (3rd Degree Black Belt)
- Sensei Jose Sanyo RODRIGUEZ
- Sensei Ralf LINDERT
- Sensei Jan KITTEL
- Sensei Alex MIHALIN
- Sensei David IVANISHVILY
- Sensei Sergei BOULGAKOV
- Sensei Alex IVANOV
- Sensei Rene MUNSTER
- Sensei Eric SULIGEI
- Sensei Vito CRISTOFARO
- Sensei Peter LERK
- Sensei Heike AHLBORN
- Sensei Hansjorg HUBER
- Sensei Enver HAZARKKANOV
- Sensei Kovaley MIKHAIL
- Sensei Yoann KONGOLO
- Sensei Ciaran Liam MITCHELL
ASIA & OCEANIA
ROKUDAN RENSHI (6th Degree Red & White Belt)
- Shihan Laurence VANIKERK
- Shihan Scott BROWN
- Shihan Masaaki ENOMOTO
GODAN KENGO (5th Degree Black Belt)
- Shihan Philip HOOPER
- Shihan Shaun O’LEARY
- Shihan Pat McKEAN
- Shihan Pierre INGRASSIA
- Shihan Andrew RILEY
YONDAN KENSHI (4th Degree Black Belt)
- Shihan Richard BRAYANT
- Shihan Chris KLIESE
- Shihan Mark VANNIEKERK
- Shihan Gram BERDEN
- Shihan Nigel McREADDIE
- Shihan Nick KING
SANDAN SHUSHI (3rd Degree Black Belt)
- Sensei Gordon KLIESE
- Sensei Jim GRIFFIN
- Sensei Tom GRIFFIN
- Sensei Aashish KUWAWARA
- Sensei Richard A BRAWN
- Sensei Alexander CHAMBER
- Sensei Des PAROZ
- Sensei Matt REILLY
- Sensei Sherri EGBERT
- Sensei Darren BUTLER
- Sensei Nissim TSE
- Sensei Benoid DESCORNTRENX
- Sensei Alli WORR
- Sensei Alex MOSCOVIS
- Sensei Joseph LEE
AFRICA
GODAN KENGO (5th Dan Black Belt)
- Shihan Alain HOURDE-BAIGHT
- Shihan Murard LOALI
- Shihn Mamadou DIALLO
- Shihan Alpher Oumar KONARE
YON DAN KENSHI (4th Dan Black Belt)
- Shihan Alassone MAIGA
- Shihan Ayad DEKKAR
SAN DAN SHUSHI (3rd Dan Black Belt)
- Sensei Cheick Adamo TELLY
- Sensei Ousmane MAIGA
- Sensei Souleymane KENTE
- Sensei Nene CORY