Shihan Julius Thiry

The Washington Karate Association is the largest and most renowned school of martial arts in the Pacific Northwest. The instructors are of the highest caliber, whose accomplishments have been lauded nationally and internationally. The technical expertise and fine discipline of our organization is well known.

Headed by founder and President, Dr. Julius Thiry (Shihan) for over 40 years, we are proud of our tradition of excellence.

At the Washington Karate Association we teach the traditional style of Karate known as Hayashi-Ha Shito-Ryu, one of the strongest systems of Karate. The Washington Karate Association is the only organization in the State of Washington associated with:

• Japan Karate Federation (JKF)
• USA National Karate-Do Federation (USA-NKF)
• Pan American Karate Federation (PKF)
• World Karate Federation (WKF)
• Hayashi-Ha Shito-Ryu International

Background on the WKA
The Washington Karate Association is an American organization dedicated to the practice and promulgation of Karate-Do. The basic objective of the Washington Karate Association is to provide its members a means of developing character while being strengthened emotionally, physically and mentally. To attain this goal, the Washington Karate Association adheres to the highest standards and principles.

The guiding principles of Karate study are those elements included in "Karate-Do" (the Way of Karate): the development of sincerity, loyalty, etiquette, tenacity and self-control.

Washington Karate Association Mission Statement
The Washington Karate Association is dedicated to cultivating the individual excellence of each of its students. This is achieved through the process of instruction in Karate-Do. Herein the students learn skills and values necessary to develop their personal best, so that they will approach life with courage, confidence, and the will to prevail. In our 37 years of operation, we have succeeded in this mission by adhering tenaciously, and without compromise, to the following precepts:

• The Washington Karate Association will provide instruction that is true to the spirit of traditional Karate-Do, a code of ethical behavior having self-enlightenment and community betterment as its end goals.


• The Washington Karate Association will provide instruction in state-of-the-art technical skills, commensurate with worldwide standards of excellence, opening all avenues of opportunity to each student as he/she advances in his/her training.


• The Washington Karate Association will train and certify its instructors to insure that the instruction delivered to the students is current, consistent and of the highest quality.


• The Washington Karate Association will provide the same high quality instruction to all of its students - adults and children alike, without regard to age, ability or sex.


• The Washington Karate Association will provide a disciplined and structured educational environment in which all students are treated with respect, compassion and dignity.


• The Washington Karate Association will hold the physical safety of all students as one of its highest priorities.


• The Washington Karate Association will work with the community and private sector to advance a correct and proper understanding of the meaning and benefits of traditional Karate-Do.

Brief History of Shito-Ryu
The style of Karate known as Shito-Ryu had it's origins on the Island of Okinawa. In ancient time the art of Karate could not be practiced openly, however, and so those who chose to practice the art did so secretly, hidden from public view. Lacking formal names, people sometimes referred to the various schools of Karate by putting the names of Grand Masters and the Katas together thus creating a sort of label for the particular school. Sometimes schools of Karate were known by the districts and the three Meccas or most famous centers Karate on Okinawa were Shuri, Naha, And Tomuri. In the last 19th. Century the most famous Grand Master in Shuri was Mr.Itosu, and in Naha it was Mr. Higaona. These two men represented the highest Karate authorities of the time. There were however, significant differences between them. Mr.Itosu emphasized speed where as Mr. Higaona placed more emphasis en hardness of body.

The Originator of Shito-Ryu, Grand Master Kenwa Mabuni initially practiced under Mr. Itosu and then went on to study under Mr. Higaona. Mr. Mabuni was not only skilled in Karate, but also practiced weaponry such as Bo, Sai, and Nunchaku, etc. Mr. Mabuni founded his new stye of Karate by blending together that which he had learned from his two great teachers. This blending is reflected in the name of style. The two Grand Masters, Itosu and Higaona have two and three Japanese characters respectively representing their names.

The first character representing Itosu is pronounced SHI (SHE) and the first character representing Higaona is pronounced TO (TOE) the combination is the name of our style SHI-TO RYU (where RYU means style).

National tournament Karate did not appear in Japan until the middle of the 1950's. Prior to this it was believed that Karate tournaments on a large scale weren't feasible as Karate techniques allowed are too damaging, and so Karate training consisted only of small tournaments. basics and katas and one and three-step sparring. However, by limiting the techniques allowed and by introducing a scoring system, large tournaments became a possibility and a new sport was introduced in Japan, and the World.

In closing it must be emphasized that although Shito-Ryu had it's ancestral roots in Okinawa, it is nonetheless a Japanese creation. The same is true of the term "Karate" itself. The literal meaning of the two Japanese characters which make up a word "Karate" is "empty hands" - this term would have little meaning for the ancient Okinawan Grand Masters as there was no : formal name for their art. For them the art that they practiced was simply "te" - hand.