About Us

THERESA NICHIPORUK SENSEI

Theresa Nichiporuk Sensei (5th Dan SKIF) is a Chief Instructor at the Mt Vernon Traditional Shotokan Karate Dojo. She has been training and teaching Karate combined for over 40 years. Sensei Nichporuk's credentials are as follows: She has won over 140 Championship competitions U.S. wide; is a graduate of L.I. University Karate Instructor Program; is a certified instructor, referee, and examiner both Internationally and by Japan, as well as a United States Karate Federation Key Referee. Sensei Nichiporuk is under the direction of Shihan Fujishima and a good standing member with several national, as well as international organizations. Sensei Nichiporuk does not believe in retaining her students with contracts; rather with her commitment to the students in the true teachings of Traditional Karate-do.

ANGELO SKORDOS SENSEI

Angelo Skordos Sensei (3rd Dan SKIF) is an instructor at Mt. Vernon Shotokan Karate Dojo. His passion for the martial arts started in his native Greece at the early age of 15, however, it wasn’t until much later and after permanently relocating to New York, that he began his study of Shotokan Karate-do under the guidance of Nichiporuk Sensei, Zegarra Sensei and Brathwaite Sensei. He was granted 1^st and 2^nd Dan by Hirokazu Kanazawa Soke, the founder of SKIF and one of the most renowned and respected traditional karate masters of all time. His 3^rd Dan awarded by the eldest son of Hirokazu Kanazawa Soke, Nobuaki Kanazawa Kancho, the current head of SKIF.

HIROKAZU KANAZAWA SOKE

The late Hirokazu Kanazawa Soke, 10th Dan (1931 - 2019), was one of the worlds most renowned and respected traditional karate masters of our time..
He was the first karateka to have won the notorious All Japan karate Championship.
In 1957 kumite champion,
In 1958 kumite and kata champion
...on one occasion winning the finals whilst nursing a broken wrist from an earlier event.

In 1957 kumite champion (while nursing a broken wrist)
In 1958 kumite and kata champion

Although trained in Judo in his early years, Kanazawa Soke took up karate whilst at University under the late headmaster of JKA shotokan, sensei Matsatoshi Nakayama. Kanazawa Soke was also one of the few remaining karateka privileged to have studied under Master Gichin Funakoshi, the famous Okinawin schoolteacher who brought karate to mainland Japan from Okinawa and founded the Shotokan style.

In 1978, Kanazawa Soke set up SKIF (Shotokan Karatedo International Federation). SKIF, now led by his son Nobuaki Kanazawa Kancho, is now the worlds largest Shotokan Karate Association under one chief instructor, having several million members in over 130 countries.

PAUL ZEGARRA SENSEI

Zegarra Sensei (4th Dan SKIF) is a Co-Chief instructor at the Mt Vernon Traditional Shotokan Karate Dojo. He has studied karate for more than 30 years.Sensei Zegarra's training was founded with the Japanese Karate Association of Peru. He moved to the United States, settled in the Bronx, and has been training and working with Sensei Nichiporuk for more than a decade. Sensei Zegarra's credentials are as follows: 2nd Dan certification with JKA of Peru, 4th Dan certification with SKIF Japan, internationally certified and licensed by SKIF Japan as an instructor and examiner, and a graduate of Long Island University's Karate Instructor Program.

HIROYASU FUJISHIMA HANSHI

Hiroyasu Fujishima studied Karate at Takushoku University, Japan’s leading collegiate Karate training center. In addition to being a professor at California State University at Northridge (C.S.U.N. Karate Club), where he teaches Karate as part of the university curriculum, he is the Chief Instructor in the US for SKIF. His Karate qualifications include: International recognition as a certified instructor, examiner and referee; technical advisor to the motion picture industry and a self-defense instructor for the Los Angeles Police Department. His rank is 8th Dan, the highest classified black belt in the Americas within the Shotokan Karate-Do International Federation.

WADE BRATHWAITE SENSEI

Wade Brathwaite Sensei (4th Dan SKIF) is an Instructor for Mt Vernon Shotokan Karate Dojo. He began studying Martial Arts at the age of 13 studying Chinese Kung Fu. He began studying Shotokan Karate in 1990 under Sensei John Mullan of the JKA. Sensei Brathwaite is under the direction of Sensei Nichiporuk since 1998. Sensei Brathwaite's credentials are as follows: He has trained in Aikido and Jujitsu and specializes in self-defense techniques.

NOBUAKI KANAZAWA KANCHO

Nobuaki Kanazawa Kancho (8th Dan SKIF) was born in May 1972 and is the eldest of three sons of Soke Hirokazu Kanazawa - 10th Dan Supreme Instructor and Founder of Shotokan Karate-Do International Federation. Nobuaki Kanazawa is the current head (Kancho) of Shotokan Karate-Do International Federation Worldwide and travels the world doing seminars and gradings. Kancho was educated at Taisho University and joined Karate-Do in his teenage years, Kancho quickly found his natural talent in Karate-Do and won many notable championships over the years.

The most notable achievement was Kancho won 2 Gold medals the SKIF World Championships in Bali in 2000, not alone winning the heavyweight gold medal, Kancho went on to win the coveted Grand Champion. Kancho also won a Silver Medal at the 1994 SKIF World Championships in Yokohama Japan and has represented SKIF Japan on several occasions.

Domestic Awards include winning the SKIF All Japan championships 5 Times (1996-2000), All Styles Japan National Karate Champion in 2004, Metropolitan Championships 3 times and the JKF All Japan Championships 6 Times a testament to Kancho's talent in Karate-Do.

SHOTOKAN KARATE-DO INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION

(www.skifworld.com)

Hirokazu Kanazawa Sensei founded the SKIF in 1978. With over three and a half million active members, representing over 130 countries, SKIF is the world’s largest and finest Karate organization. SKIF continues to grow worldwide, fostering the highest ideals and standards of Shotokan Karate-Do. Our traditional values are passed down from Sensei to student as we grow into the 21st century.
Hirokazu Kanazawa Soke was one of the last direct students of Master Funakoshi, founder of Shotokan Karate-Do. He achieved the All-Japan Karate Championship for three consecutive years and began as a Master Instructor in 1960. Since that time, Kanazawa Soke earned worldwide respect as one of the highest level and most popular Karate practitioners. He passed away peacefully in December of 2019 (RIP).

Established 2008 (member SKIF USA)