Mr. Hiroyoshi Okazaki holds the rank of Hachidan (8th degree black belt). He has been training for over thirty-six years, having started in the Japan Karate Association headquarters in 1978. He graduated from the ISKF/JKA Instructor Training Program in 1995 and is an official ISKF Certified Instructor, Examiner and Judge. Mr. Okazaki has also been appointed as a member of the esteemed ISKF Technical Committee. He participated in Regional, National and World competitions for many years achieving numerous First Place and Best Competitor awards. At the 2015 ISKF International Board of Directors Meeting Mr. Hiroyoshi Okazaki was appointed by Master Teruyuki Okazaki to take his place as Chairman of the International Shotokan Karate Federation and this appointment was unanimously approved by the International Board of Directors. At the 2015 ISKF Technical Committee Meeting, Mr. Hiroyoshi Okazaki was also appointed Vice-Chief Instructor of the International Shotokan Karate Federation by Master Yutaka Yaguchi. This appointment was approved by all ISKF Technical Committee Members. Mr. Okazaki is an instructor at ISKF headquarters in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, as well as Temple University. He is also Chief Instructor at his club the Okazaki Karate Academy in Palmyra, New Jersey. Mr. Okazaki travels extensively nationally as well as internationally to conduct seminars and exams.


Individual Tournament Record

Amy Okazaki began her martial arts training in 1988 with a Boston branch of the International Shotokan Karate Federation (ISKF). After relocating to Philadelphia in 1990, Ms. Okazaki’s training began in earnest under Shihan Teruyuki Okazaki, 10th dan, founder and chief instructor of the Philadelphia headquarters (honbu) of the ISKF.
The following year, while a brown belt, Ms. Okazaki was selected to be an alternate for the Philadelphia Shotokan Karate Club women’s team. In 1992, after receiving her shodan, or 1st-degree black belt, Amy became an integral part of the women’s kata and kumite teams, representing the honbu dojo at regional, national, and Goodwill tournaments, consistently placing in the top three, respectively.
Ms. Okazaki continued her training in Philadelphia, culminating with achieving the rank of 6th-degree black belt, or rokudan, in early 2015.
Ms. Okazaki’s martial-arts endeavors have taken her to places such as Hawaii and, most recently, Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico, where she competed in the ISKF Pan-American Karate Championships, medaling in the Women’s Senior Division for Team Kata (1st place), Individual Kata (2nd place) and Kumite (tied for 3rd place).
Presently, there are about 70,000 members in the ISKF worldwide, and less than 1 percent of its female members hold the rank of rokudan or higher. For Ms. Okazaki, the achievement signifies a new beginning and, in addition to pursuing her training of Shotokan karate in Philadelphia, she has embarked on the rigorous training program toward becoming an ISKF-certified tournament judge and instructor.