JKA of San Francisco Bay

JKA of San Francisco Bay Traditional Japanese Karate-Do, as Taught by the Japan Karate Association—now located in Berkeley. Chief Instructor T.J. Stiles, 6th Dan. T.J.

Stiles, 6th Dan, teaches traditional Shotokan karate-do in this dojo in Berkeley, California. It is a member of the Japan Karate Association World Federation through JKA SKDI, led by led by Takahashi Shu Sensei, 7th Dan. Classes are for teenagers and adults, unless a parent trains with a child under 12. Stiles has practiced with the JKA since 1980, and trained under the late Mori Masataka Sensei, 9th Dan, as a member of his dojo for twenty years and from a distance for twelve more. The JKA of SF Bay tries to keep alive Mori Sensei's deeply traditional budo spirit and adhere closely to the JKA's exacting standards.

Today is the yahrzeit for the man I mention often, my teacher, Mori Sensei. He lived from 1932 to 2018, and died a 9th D...
09/08/2026

Today is the yahrzeit for the man I mention often, my teacher, Mori Sensei. He lived from 1932 to 2018, and died a 9th Dan in the Japan Karate Association. For a man of few words, he was superb with them. One night he stopped class, went to the desk in the office, put on his reading glasses, and flipped open a Japanese-English dictionary. He turned to us and bellowed, "Don't SWAGGER!" It was the perfect word for what he tried to train out of us: both top-heavy movement and a proud, bullying attitude. Indeed, it became a favorite of his.

He was uncompromising. That's what we came for. We each started in his dojo to change the answer to a question: "What can I do?" He did that, but all to change the answer to a question we never thought to ask: "Who am I?"

Photo from 2015.
—T.J. Stiles

09/06/2026

We lost Mori Sensei in September 2018, eight years ago. He was my teacher for 32 years, 20 of them in his dojo. There are and have been many great instructors in the JKA, and I've been lucky enough to train with a number of them. But Mori Sensei was unique. He wasn't just traditional. He wasn't just hard. He gave his students a path for life. As he said, "Karate-do is not just moving your arms and legs." —T.J. Stiles, Chief Instructor of the JKA of SF Bay

New schedule starts September 1.
08/12/2026

New schedule starts September 1.

08/08/2026

The contradictions of traditional karate-do.

Come train with us at the JKA of SF Bay!

08/03/2026

Glimpses of training at the JKA of SF Bay:
hands and hips in a maegeri/gyakuzuki combination, from a class earlier in 2026.

08/03/2026

Glimpses of training at the JKA of SF Bay:
Teaching jiyu kumite kamae to lower-level students, from earlier in 2026.

08/01/2026

The JKA of San Francisco Bay: A big name for a dojo with small classes for adults and teenagers.
1800 Dwight Way, Berkeley, CA.
Monday, Wednesday, Friday 7:00 to 8:30 PM.
September through December:
Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, same time.

New fall schedule! We sublet from a ballet school that takes over both studios on Friday nights in the autumn to prepare...
07/30/2026

New fall schedule! We sublet from a ballet school that takes over both studios on Friday nights in the autumn to prepare for a performance of the Nutcracker.

Starting in September and running through December, our Friday class is replaced by a Thursday class. Same time, 7:00 to 8:30 PM, in the smaller room.

Congratulations to our students Eugene and his senpai Liyou on their wedding! They brought cake to share at the dojo.
07/24/2026

Congratulations to our students Eugene and his senpai Liyou on their wedding! They brought cake to share at the dojo.

Address

1800 Dwight Way
Berkeley, CA
94703

Opening Hours

Monday 7pm - 8:45pm
Wednesday 7pm - 8:30pm
Friday 7pm - 8:30pm

Telephone

+19175843829

Website

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