About Us

Bushido Karate School – since 2010

Bushido Karate School was founded in August 2010. Our aim is to forward the interest in karate in the Oulu region and to cherish the long traditions of karate. Our ideas are guided by “bushido”, i.e. “the way of the warrior”, that emphasizes, among other things, courage, goodness, justness, humility and respect. Despite the formality, one of our main principles is communality and through that the idea of having fun. We offer our students and other interested parties high quality karate teaching and also other kinds of interesting and relaxing auxiliary activities such as camps, sports activities, get-togethers.

We collaborate with other karate schools in Finland, Germany and England. The main language used in classes is Finnish, but we offer teaching also in English. Students with not so good language skills do not have to worry because you learn quickly new karate vocabulary and expressions both in Finnish and English, but also in Japanese. This develops language skills, giving our younger students skills for the future challenges in life.

Our instructors have years of experience in teaching karate to juniors and adults, and some of them are currently acting teachers in public schools.

We emphasise budo etiquette, both physical and mental training, communality, and also relaxing auxiliary  activities.

We welcome You into our growing karate community. Start the northern way of the warrior now!

Founders of the Northern Bushido

Tony

Tony has years of experience in martial arts. In resent years his main focus has been in karate but he has also trained ju-jutsu and yi quan in the past. Tony was awarded 2. dan grade in Shotokan karate in 2016 by the Finnish Karate Federation (Suomen Karateliitto).

Tony got acquainted with karate in 1999 when he started to train in Oulun Karateseura under the supervision of Sensei Ari Kaikkonen (1. dan) and Sensei Timo Tarvainen (1 dan.). At the time Sensei Tuomo Heinonen (4. dan) from Lahti visited frequently Oulu, being the only instructor, outside Oulun Karateseura, who represented Shotokan karate. It was customary to get influences from other karate styles also. Many well-known teachers like Sensei Ilpo Jalamo (6. dan, Yuishinkai) and Sensei Timo Klemola (2. Dan, Yi Quan, Wadoryu) visited Oulu frequently. Sensei Klemola presented some new ideas and philosophical aspects (i.e. Yi Quan and Zen) and thus brought meaning and depth into Tony’s training. Also Sensei Jalamo’s katabunkais and the aspect of self-defense gave boost into Tony’s training.

In 2000, Tony got introduced in Shukokai style by Sensei Jarmo Sakko (4. dan). Sensei Sakko’s ideas of producing amazingly fast and strong techniques without great muscle  power intrigued Tony, as in Tony’s opinion Shotokan karate lacked those dynamic and mobility at the time.

In 2002 Tony met Risto Kiiskilä (6. dan, DJKB). Kiiskilä had developed the post-war Shotokan’s mobility and dynamics into a new level. In part, because of these new features Tony continue with Shotokan karate.

In 2003 Tony started to train under supervision of Sensei Hannu Annunen (4. dan). Sensei Annunen represented Shotokan Ryu Kase Ha, a style that somewhat differed from the JKA –style main stream Shotokan. The style’s discipline, the ura-forms of katas and the versatile selection of techniques have on their part had an influence in Tony’s way to practice and teach karate.

During the years 2002-2003 Tony practiced under supervision of Sensei Jarmo Sakko, Sensei Hannu Annunen and Sensei Risto Kiiskilä. He took the 1. dan (black belt) exam in front of the Shotokan Dan Kollegio in Heinola 9.11.2003.

In August 2010, almost after 10 years of teaching and training in Oulun Karateseura, Tony with a group of his advanced students, founded the Bushido Karate School, Oulu. The new karate school focuses in communality, discipline, respect of traditions, and training that emphasizes not only physical aspects, but also includes self-defensive and the spiritual side of karate.

Currently, as a Sensei in Bushido Karate School, Tony practices and teaches karate by following the same path shown him by his own teachers. Nowadays he is practicing under Sensei Risto Kiiskilä (6. dan) and Sensei Jürgen Mosler (4. dan) both from Germany. Bushido Karate School is evolving rapidly, as in the beginning there were only 10 students and few months later in January 2011 there are more than 50 enthusiasts, both juniors and adults.

In Tony’s opinion, despite of its physical nature, karate is more of an art form than sports, but it can also be something else. It all depends on the trainee’s motives and way of seeing it. Karate is not supposed to be categorized, instead it should be evolving. Only the basic techniques in a given style can be categorized, apart from that the rest is just karate. Karate is for everyone regardless of his/hers age or other qualities. Tony thinks that karate training is not supposed to be tied to a certain time or space – and the training does not always have to be physical.

“Karate is like hot water. If you do not give heat constantly it will again become cold” –Gichin Funakoshi.

Alex

I was born and raised in Germany, but have by now spent 20 years away from my home country. As an exchange student at the University of Albany, New York in the USA, I enrolled in a Shotokan Karate beginners course. Sensei Curtis King (now 3rd Dan), who was the instructor of the University Club, was an excellent teacher and a man of exemplary kindness, and was able to awaken an interest in me for this martial art. The University Karate Club was closely associated with the Japan Karate Association (JKA) Albany , where I trained under Sensei Douglas Luft (6th Dan), and also Sensei Bert Eisen (4th Dan) and Sensei Carlos Medina (4th Dan) and other highly skilled Karateka. The JKA Albany has maintained strong ties with the JKA New York, led by Sensei Masataka Mori (8th Dan), a stern, humble and brilliant Shotokan Karate specialist (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRNznUEAlJI). Through this affiliation, I have also enjoyed training with Sensei Mori (although I doubt he remembers me) a few times at the New York Dojo as well as during training camps in New York City, Boston and Albany, where I also had the privilege to participate in classes lead by Sensei Enoeda. I earned my 1st Dan black belt in 1997. In 2000, I moved to Oulu, Finland, where I held advanced karate classes (yellow to brown belt level) for the University Karate Club for nine years, where I have on occasion also participated in training camps with Sensei Risto Kiiskilä (6th Dan, Frankfurt, Germany) and Sensei Olli Ortiz (5th Dan,Tampere). After a one year break, I am looking forward to continue practicing and teaching karate in the Bushido Karate School, Oulu. The study of Shotokan Karate has accompanied me through graduate student life in the US and helped to keep my mental and physical balance throughout the years. I hope to be able to transfer at least a fraction of the spirit, skill and knowledge of my instructors to my students, and where my talent fails, at least to make up for it with my enthusiasm for this martial art.

Minna

I have trained karate for ten years now. For most of that time I have acted as a person in charge of the basic training of adult and junior courses. As result of this fact I found my calling in teaching and I’m now studying in Oulu to be a teacher. As a beginners course instructor I have been able to see the impact of training in new trainees from up close. It has been great to follow the development of every trainee during the courses. Karate develops the trainees’ physical and psychological qualities. Better self esteem is one of the clearest impacts karate has to its trainees’. Through this better self esteem also the physical appearance becomes more self-confident (bearing etc). For me it was karate’s philosophy with the martial arts side of it that got me into the sport. I feel that the values that budo emphasizes are very important to me and this is why I find karate close to my heart. In my opinion one of the very important goals of our karate school is to create good team spirit and I wish that we all can contribute to that.

Asko

After sitting in front of computer my whole life I felt physically and mentally that I needed some kind of sports or outdoor activity. After my jogging was ended by knee troubles I ended up trying karate. My interest in karate started after my friends “forced” me to enroll into beginners’ course at the beginning of 2009. That gave me the spark and there was no turning back.

My physical condition had hit the rock bottom during the years, so it was a pleasant surprise how fast both the physics and skills developed. Right from the start karate seemed to be an excellent way to learn to know your own body and simultaneously a way to escape the stress of everyday life. Both the physical and psychological development has been very rewarding and for this reason I sincerely recommend karate for everyone. This all is simultaneously a great spring of motivation and that is why I want be involved in promoting this karate school.

Since the beginning my Sensei has been Tony, whose style of teaching and high requirements have set clear goals for me to set sights on. The knowledge of the fact that nothing comes for free in karate has further nourished my interest in it. Karate has clear way points to achieve and achieving some of those way points have kept my interest up and shown me that there will be enough challenge for a long time in the future.

Roope

As I recall, I started karate in autumn 2006. I thought that karate was cool at that time and I enrolled into a beginners’ course. That’s how it started and there no end in sight for it. I got my green belt in autumn 2009.

Right from the beginning I thought that Tony was the best possible instructor and it is because of that why I didn’t hesitate to join the new karate school. At the moment I train for the blue belt and act as an assistant instructor on beginners’ courses.

So, what is it that fascinates me in karate? At first it was the “coolness” of karate, but later on the things that keep me training are the versatility of the sport, its history and the endless possibilities to improve myself.

Tero

My first touch with karate was in 1987 when I started Shorin-ji ryu –style beginners’ course at Rovaniemi. At that time the hobby lasted for two years and ended with rejected orange –belt test. The main reason was probably the teenager’s short attention span but on the other hand I felt a bit lost when I “dropped-out”.
Twenty years past by and studying and work took me to Oulu and I met my future wife. One day my co-worker asked me if I was interested to join a karate seniors’ group that was meant for people who had trained karate earlier in their lives. After thinking a day or two I decided to give it a shot. So I dug out my yellow belt from naftaline and started to think about the old moves. But I had to take another approach to things since the style changed from Shorin-ji ryu to Shotokan. I started Shotokan karate from the to “keeping in shape” –point of view without any higher goals. At that time I met Tony who was the guest instructor of the seniors’ course and trained students at various belt-levels.
Tony’s uncompromising but just attitude as Sensei got me to set my goals a bit higher and autumn 2008 I got my orange belt. The appetite grows with what it feeds on and half a year later, spring 2009, I got my green belt. At that point I noticed that I was in better physical shape than for a long time. For these achievements I must thank my Sensei Tony who encouraged me to push on harder.  At the moment karate has been to the background for family reasons. Despite this I try to do everything possible within my powers for the club and hopefully be soon training too.
Karate functions well as a counterweight for work and stress. Karate gives you time to yourself, possibility to grow both mentally and physically and chance to develop discipline and sustainability.

Johanna

I tried martial arts for first time in year 2000 in Sodankylä. There was a rumour spreading around the village that a local judoka would start teaching judo after a long break. Most of my peers and I came back to the schoolhouse the afternoon the first beginner’s course started. I don’t exactly recall what it was that fascinated me in judo that got me into it, but I guess it was the refreshed and good feeling after the training session which I am nowadays familiar with after a karate session. But at the age of ten there seemed to be lots other more important things to do and my family’s sport shooting hobby usually came before judo. So there was a break in judo for a while until some of my classmates on the fifth grade talked me back into it.
I couldn’t do judo for a long time because my parents told me that we would move to Oulu. Moving to a BIG town and the start of the sixth grade took most of my time so I didn’t have time to think about new hobbies until after one year living in Oulu. I had thought for a long time to change from judo to karate and now in Oulu I had the chance. From somewhere an advertisement of a karate course bounced into my eye and before I noticed I had signed in.
I got into Northern Bushido Karate School both out of pure curiosity and in the hope of a change. Training in the new karate school has been a lot easier because the training has been more coherent and there are no different opinions how the techniques should be done. In addition to karate I have also tried Yi Quan and Ryukyu Kobujutsu. I try to train with my karate school as much as possible and besides that I try to participate as many camps as possible. Starting from spring 2011 I have also engaged in teaching karate at our karate school. I have now spent six years with karate.