Three Lahaina Dojo students - Hanan Oleiwan, Caehlaen Wyatt Balmores, and Michella Cabingas tested for their first degree black belts in Lahaina on Thursday, May 20, 2021. Charles Lee Sensei, the head instructor of Japan Karate Shotokai based in Honolulu, Hawaii travelled to Maui to oversee the exam.

The class started with a warm-up after which the students who tested and those who came to support them went though Bassai Dai

and Empi kata review with Charles Lee Sensei.

JKS Hawaii head instructor Charles Lee, Lahaina Dojo head instructor Walter Chihara, and Lahaina Dojo instructor Dave Barca were the panel administering the exam. In the first part of the test, Hanan, Caehlaen, and Michella showed off their fundamental skills - block, punch, and kick combinations.

After completing the kihon portion, the students demonstrated JKS required Junro kata, and traditional Shotokan kata Bassai Dai and Empi.

All three students diligently studied karate for many years to get to the point of being ready for their shodan exam. Congratulations to the students who tested and to Walter Chihara Sensei for getting the students ready for the exam in a challenging year.

Since Shodan means first level in Japanese, Hanan, Caehlaen, and Michella have now learned the basics of the art of karate and will continue studying karate and refining their skills for years to come.

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