While Ken Read is the Northern River Karate School's Program Director, any black belt member of the Association can lead all or part of any karate class. Reaching the rank of Shodan, or first-degree black belt, is a significant achievement, representing at minimum four years of training and study. Learning to lead a class is part of learning how to be a good student, and is part of the training that leads to the black belt ranks. All NRKS seniors stand at the head of class with humility and gratitude.
The Uechi Ryu Lineage
Chinese Martial Artist Cho Tzu Ho was known to the Okinawans as Shushiwa. He is the oldest known teacher in the Uechi Ryu Karate Do lineage. Legend has it that Shushiwa was a master of multiple martial arts traditions and taught a mysterious amalgamation of Tiger, Crane and Dragon styles known to us by the somewhat generic designation, Pangainoon.
Uechi Kanbun was a brilliant Okinawan martial artist who trained in China for about ten years at the turn of the 20th century and was acknowledged as a Grandmaster in China – highly unusual for such a short training period, and for a non-Chinese.
Legends abound about Kanbun’s phenomenal martial abilities, which were balanced with his healing skill with herbal medicines.
Uechi Kanei was one of the great martial arts geniuses of the early 20th century.
Kanei modernized the Uechi Ryu Karate Do system with the addition of five training kata as well as Junbi Undo (warm-up exercises), Hojo Undo (supplementary drills) and Yakosoku Kumites and Bunkais (partner’s drills). Kanei’s practice was a remarkably pure expression of martial spirit.
Master Ryuko Tomoyose is George Mattson Sensei's teacher. He played a pivotal role in North American Uechi Ryu by obtaining Uechi Kanei's permission to teach North American students and accepting Mattson Sensei as a student. As Mattson Sensei brought Uechi ryu to America, Master Tomoyose has continued to play an active and pivotal role.
George Mattson Sensei (10th degree Uechi Ryu black belt) is the grandfather of Uechi Ryu in North America. A student of Tomoyose Ryuko and teacher to David Mott (and many other North American masters), he stands as the link between the old traditions and the newer generations of Uechi Ryu instructors. His position as the head of the International Uechi Ryu Karate Federation represents the successful rooting of Uechi Ryu in North America.
David Mott (8th degree Uechi Ryu black belt) is Ken Read’s teacher. David is the head of the Cold Mountain Academy of Martial and Healing Arts in Toronto. In addition to preserving and refining traditional Uechi Ryu karate, David has devised a Uechi qigong coiling silk set and a Uechi staff form.
NRKS Seniors
Ken is a student of David Mott (Hachidan, Renshi) at Cold Mountain Uechi Ryu and Healing Arts in Toronto. He is a professional musician, performing and teaching in Edmonton.
Jennifer is NRKS's most senior student. She acts as the school's Personnel Advisor and teaches the Yoga classes. Jennifer is a professional musician, performing and teaching in Edmonton, and leads the Strathcona String Quartet.
J.C. Jones started practicing Uechi Ryu for health and self defense at the NRKS in 1995. J.C. is a professional musician as well as a writer and a visual artist. In addition to his Uechi ryu karate, J.C. practices Qi gong, Kobudo and Yoga. J.C. is currently living in Wales, studying traditional Welsh music.
Dave Wall began his Uechi Ryu studies in July of 1994 after 6 years of Tai Chi training and a year of Aikido work. The training at NRKS satisfied Dave's interest in finding a martial art with a hard/soft balance built in. Dave is a guitarist and composer, and an unrepentant chocolate addict.
Joe Sacco started his Uechi Ryu studies at the Northern River Karate School in 1992 in the third grade. Joe has gone from being one of the youngest (and smallest) students in the program to become one of NRKS’s most formidable (and biggest) training partners. He holds and Education degree and is pursuing a Master's degree in Mathematics.
Ken and Jon met in Edmonton classical music circles, and they often found themselves talking about martial arts after a music event. It was close to ten years between their first conversation on the subject and Jon’s first class as a member of the Northern River Karate School. Jon is an avid amateur photographer.
Mark is the current NRKSA President. He is a musician and composer, and is studying to be a Physiotherapist Assistant at Grant Macewan.
Vedran began studying with Ken not long after his family moved to Canada from Croatia. He earned the rank of Shodan in 2008 while in his first year in the Engineering program at the University of Alberta.