Vancouver Sh*to-Ryu Satokai Karate Hombu Dojo

Proud to celebrate 🇯🇵 culture through karate at today's Powell Street Festival! 💪🥋 Congratulations Powell Street Festival Society on your 50-year anniversary!



*toryukarate

Over the next few months leading up to the Canadian Black Belt Hall of fame Gala,we would like to induce the inductee’s for 2026.

Akira Sato Sensei
Born in Tokyo, Master Yoshiaki “Akira” Sato immigrated to Vancouver in 1970, transforming an outdoor training club into a 55-year legacy that shaped Canadian martial arts. A 9th Dan master, he served as a prominent instructor, coach, and official for Karate Canada and Karate BC, notably becoming the first Canadian to earn a WKF international judging license.
Beyond producing elite national champions, Master Sato’s global impact includes affiliated dojos across 16 countries and the annual international Sato Cup tournament, established in 1998. Recently recognized as an international pioneer by the Tokyo Budo-kan, he remains a dedicated teacher, community mentor, and philanthropist. His students proudly celebrate his well-deserved induction into the Canadian Hall of Fame.
Born in Tokyo, Master Yoshiaki “Akira” Sato immigrated to Vancouver in 1970, transforming an outdoor training club into a 55-year legacy that shaped Canadian martial arts. A 9th Dan master, he served as a prominent instructor, coach, and official for Karate Canada and Karate BC, notably becoming the first Canadian to earn a WKF international judging license.
Beyond producing elite national champions, Master Sato’s global impact includes affiliated dojos across 16 countries and the annual international Sato Cup tournament, established in 1998. Recently recognized as an international pioneer by the Tokyo Budo-kan, he remains a dedicated teacher, community mentor, and philanthropist. His students proudly celebrate his well-deserved induction into the Canadian Hall of Fame.

Highlights from our demonstration at last weekend 💪


Thank you to .kat for helping with photos!

Training hard. Posing harder 📸

It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of one of our long-time instructors, Wim Tewinkel.

Wim was a 7th degree blackbelt, founder of and instructor at the Pemberton Dojo, and dedicated practitioner of karate with decades of experience. He was an artist, writer, nature enthusiast, and passionate student of kobudo. Anyone who has met Wim will recall his warm, generous nature, quiet humility and infectious enthusiasm for learning and teaching.

Above all, Wim embodied the true spirit of karate - demonstrating integrity, kindness, and perseverance, and inspiring generations of students through his example.

We would like to extend our sincere condolences to Mary Jo, Wim's family and the Pemberton Dojo at this difficult time.

Spring is in the air, which means fresh energy and training opportunities!

Sato Sensei has just returned from a seminar in Portugal, where he trained and shared knowledge with our dedicated branch club members 🇵🇹 And he’s not slowing down! Next stop: Germany 🇩🇪

We’re proud to see our international dojo family continuing to grow, learn, and build friendships through karate!



*toryu

An outstanding performance by our athletes at the 7th annual Vancouver Island Karate Championships! 🏆🥋

Our dojo had a wonderful time exploring and competing on the island this past weekend🌊🚢

Special congratulations to our own athlete Charlotte Lau for winning the overall female athlete award for her performance in kata, kumite, and team kata! 💪🥰

See you at the next one‼️

A memorable trip to Pemberton with Sato Sensei and the team 🥋
Training hard, enjoying the views, and making great memories together. Thank you to our hosts and teammates at the Pemberton dojo for a great weekend!

An amazing performance by all of our dojo athletes at the KBC Provincial Tournament last weekend!🥋🏆😍

We love watching our athletes grow both on and off the tatami☺️

See you at the next one!