Our Masters in Okinawa, Japan

Kenji Nakaima (Soke*)

Nakaima Kenji is the fifth and current Soke (pronounced "soh-keh") of the Nakaima family and the Ryuei Ryu style of Karate. His father, Nakaima Kenko, was the first of the Nakaima family to teach the style to students other than those of direct family lineage.

*Soke (宗家): head of family and direct descendent.

Sakumoto Tsuguo (Doto Gosei* & President Ryuei Ryu Ryuhou Kai)

Sakumoto Tsuguo is a former renowned World Karate Champion. Sakumoto Sensei studied under Nakaima Kenko, and is the current President of the Ryuei Ryu organization (Ryuei Ryu Ryuhou Kai).

*Doto Gosei (道統五世): head of style, 5th generation.

Our Kyoshi in the Americas

TOMOHIRO ARASHIRO (Pan-American Chief Instructor)

Tomohiro Arashiro was born in Nago City, Okinawa, Japan. He began studying karate in 1968 with Nakaima Kenko, grandson of Ryuei Ryu founder Nakaima Norisato. A junior high school student at the time, Arashiro and his friend Matsuda Takeshi would train at Nakaima Sensei's home for two-hour sessions, twice a week. While training on school grounds, the two boys caught the attention of the teacher Sakumoto Tsuguo, who also began to train with Nakaima Sensei. With a growing contingent of students, the Ryuei Ryu style was officially made public by Nakaima Sensei in 1971.  
In 1979, after completing a degree in Physical Education at Chukyo University in Nagoya City, Aichi, Japan, Arashiro Sensei and his friend Kuniyoshi Tsutomu agreed to immigrate to the United States to teach Ryuei Ryu karate and kobudo. Their fledgling group expanded from informal gatherings in a park in San Diego, to sessions at local recreation centers and VFW halls, to a formal dojo in 1984. Arashiro Kyoshi is currently the Pan-American Chief Instructor of Ryuei Ryu. 

Our Instructors in Olympia/Lacey