Seichou Karate Dojo

Richard Romero is a Japanologist and former full-contact Kyokushinkai-kan Karate champion with more than 50 years of experience, including 20 years as a disciple of renowned karate master Shigeru Oyama.

As a high school student in Connecticut, Georges Gautherin was smitten with Japanese karatedo when he trained under Kenji Fujiwara Shihan, who was a student of Romero Shihan’s instructor, Oyama Soshu. Although Gautherin Senpai was unable to train regularly during college, when he moved to Washington, DC for graduate school, he sought a dojo that was part of the Oyama karatedo lineage. Thus, when he found Seichou Karate® in September 2012, he had a solid foundation on which to build. While pursuing graduate studies in international affairs at George Washington University, Gautherin Senpai poured himself into his Seichou Karate® training and, in 2015, he requested that Romero Shihan accept him as an Uchideshi (apprentice instructor). After careful consideration and lengthy discussions, Shihan agreed and Gautherin Senpai began his apprenticeship in January 2016. Very happily, he continued to train hard and achieved his shodan in November 2016. Since then, he has steadily improved as karateka (karate practitioner) and instructor.

A juggernaut of enthusiasm, from Monday to Saturday, Gautherin Senpai inspires our students with superb karate skills, and exciting, insightful teaching. Most importantly, he has an exceptional human connection with our students who understand that he is deeply committed to their personal growth and appreciate his warm personality. For these reasons, Gautherin Senpai is on track to become an outstanding leader in the martial arts world. Outside the dojo, he is a loving husband who enjoys spoiling his lovely wife, Mary, and joining her in marathon running events. At all other times, the Gautherins are busy spoiling their beloved hound, Odin. Gautherin Senpai speaks English and German.

A native of Tottori, Japan, Kano Sensei began studying Japanese calligraphy (“shodo”) in elementary school, and she began teaching Japanese calligraphy and language at Seichou Karate® in 2003. With more than thirty years of practice and teaching experience, Kano Sensei is a licensed member of the Japan Calligraphy Education Foundation (JCEF). She has won numerous calligraphy awards from the JCEF and, under its auspices, is authorized to teach and submit students’ work for promotion and competition. She inspires our students to apply their karate skills in calligraphy class and to develop aesthetic sensitivity and an appreciation for beauty.

Kano Sensei holds a B.A. in literature from Kobe Women’s University, an M.A. in videographic arts from American University, and a high school teaching license from the Japanese government. She and her husband have three children who are current Seichou Karate® students. Kano Sensei has recently begun practicing Seichou Karate®. She speaks Japanese, English and is learning Turkish, her husband’s native language.