Q1. What is Enshin Karate?
Q2. Who are e-bogu.com ?
Q3. When can I visit and see your class?
Q4. Is my child too young to start Enshin Karate?
Q5. Am I too old to start Enshin Karate?
Q6. How many classes per week can I attend?
Q7. What are initial costs to become a member?
Q8. What are monthly fees?
Q9. Are there any other costs to be required?
Q10. I have a black belt from another style of Karate, what is the equivalent belt in Enshin Karate?
Q11. What are the ranks and color of belts?
Q12. Can I purchase Enshin DVDs and books?
Q13. Who should I contact to ask other questions?
Q1. What is Enshin Karate?
Enshin Karate is a style of “full-contact karate”, founded by Grandmaster (Kancho) Joko Ninomiya in 1988. Its head quarter is located in Denver, Colorado and it is well known for the core emphasis of the Sabaki Method, a system of techniques employed with the goal of turning an opponent’s power and momentum against him or her and repositioning oneself to the opponent’s “blind” spot to counterattack from a more advantageous position.
You can find the latest information of Enshin Karate in www.enshin.com.
Q2. Who is e-bogu.com ?
e-bogu.com Inc. is a company that sponsor, manage and maintain the dojo facility. All instructors at are volunteers as the dojo itself is a Non-Profit Organization. The registration and membership fee required is to help with the operational costs.
Q3. When can I visit and see your class?
You can visit us anytime during class hours but please let us know beforehand so the office staff can inform the Branch Chief prior to your visit. Please e-mail karate@butokuden.com for the latest schedule. We encourage you to take a free trial lesson rather than coming to observe a class. You can join our class with any sporting outfit.
Q4. Is my child too young to start Enshin Karate?
We only enroll children who are 7 years old and up.
Q5. Am I too old to start Enshin Karate?
No. Although the oldest student in Irvine Branch was 55 years old, there are many people in Enshin Karate organization world wide who are in 60s or 70s when they started.
Q6. How many classes per week can I attend?
We currently offer three class opportunities per week. You can take as many classes as you wish at the same monthly membership fee.
Q7. What are initial costs to become a member?
Below are the registration, membership and Karate uniform fee as of 07/2012:
Registration: $75.00
Membership Fee: $50.00
Uniform $30.17 (tax included) Children, $40-$60 Adult (Depends on the quality of the uniform)
You can pay either by credit card (Master Card, Visa, American Express), cash or check (made out to Butokuden for membership fees, made out e-bogu.com, Inc. for other merchandise)
Q8. What are the monthly fees?
As of 07/2012, the membership fee is $50.00 per month and family members get a 10% discount from their grand total. (Two family members enrolled pay a monthly fee of $90.00) Please be advised that the fee can change in the future. You can pay the membership fee with credit card (Master Card, Visa, American Express), cash or check (made out to Butokuden). The membership fee is due on the 25th of the month prior.
Q9. Are there any other costs to be required?
We hold a promotion test every 4 months (Jan, May and September). Taking the test is optional and it costs $35.00 each time. You also need to have protective gears to spar in class. Children will not spar until they become a blue belt. The total set of protective gear for children costs around $30-$40 and it can be purchased through e-bogu.com. Adult students need hand, shin and groin protectors and they can be purchased through e-bogu.com. It only costs around $10-$15.
Q10. I have a black belt from another style of Karate, what is the equivalent belt in Enshin Karate?
If you come from another style, you will be considered a beginner and you will be wearing a white belt until you take a promotion test with us. People with prior experience usually promote in faster pace.
Q11. What are the ranks and color of the belts?
| Rank | Color of Belt |
| 10 kyu | White |
| 9 kyu | Orange |
| 8 kyu | Blue |
| 7 kyu | Blue with Stripe |
| 6 kyu | Yellow |
| 5 kyu | Yellow with Stripe |
| 4 kyu | Green |
| 3 kyu | Green with Stripe |
| 2 kyu | Brown |
| 1 kyu | Brown with Stripe |
| Shodan | Black |
To take the promotion test, you must attend 30 classes, pass evaluation and receive permission from the Branch Chief. Individuals usually need to train 4-5 years until they become a black belt.
Q12. Can I purchase Enshin DVDs and books?
Yes. All the products that can be found in the shopping pages of www.enshin.com can be purchased from us at members discount prices.
All the members are strongly recommended to purchase below tutorial DVDs to learn basics and forms of Enshin Karate.
Enshin Basics
Enshin Kata 1 (White and Blue)
Enshin Kata 2 (Yellow and Green)
Enshin Kata 3 (Brown and Black)
Q13. Who should I contact to ask other questions?
Send an email to karate@butokuden.com. Or, you can ask any instructors at our facility before or after a class.