About the UGA Budokai

The Budokai is a dojo training in Ogasawara-Ha Shorinji Ryu, a traditional style of Japanese karatedo. Shorinji Ryu teaches methods of personal protection through striking, grappling, and throwing, as well as the use of kobudo weapons such as the bo, sai, and tonfa. The dojo operates as a University of Georgia Recreational Sports club and its scheduling, budget, and other activities are managed by student officers.

The club was established in 1982 by Wayne Van Horne, who trained in Shorinji Ryu Karatedo with Thomas Cauley in Orlando, Florida.

Currently based in Selmer, Tennessee, Thomas Cauley, hachidan (8th degree), serves as International Director for Ogasawara-ha Shorinji Ryu, overseeing dojos in all countries outside Japan. Cauley Sensei has trained in karatedo since 1957, including four Air Force tours served in Japan. Through Cauley Sensei, the rankings of Budokai members are recognized by the Zen Tohoku Karatedo Kempo Kumiai (All Northern Japan Karatedo and Kempo Union), a kaiha of the Japan Karatedo Federation. UGA Budokai members have the opportunity to participate several times each year in advanced training with Cauley Sensei.

The dojo's name, Budokai, describes its purpose. "Budo" may be translated roughly as "martial arts," "kai" as "club" or "association." The term "budo" is used to described modern art forms based on traditional military techniques ("bujutsu"). "Do" signifies a "way" or "path," with the connotation of personal development. The purpose of the Budokai is to train in karatedo as "a method of perfecting the character of its participants via mental and physical discipline" (Thomas Cauley).

No fees are charged for instruction in Shorinji Ryu Karatedo, but training requires a significant commitment of time and effort. Nominal fees are charged for testing and annual honbu dojo dues.

The branch instructor (Shibu Cho) for the UGA Budokai is Brad Cahoon, shichidan (7th degree black belt) and Southern U.S. Regional Director for Ogasawara-Ha. Dr. Cahoon began his martial arts training in 1975 and has taught Shorinji Ryu at UGA since 1992. The Budokai's faculty advisor and co-instructor is Dr. Lynne Seymour, who began her martial arts training in 1983 and is ranked as rokudan (6th degree black belt) in Shorinji Ryu.

About Shorinji Ryu Karatedo

Shorinji Ryu is traditional karate. Practice and instruction follow patterns that have evolved over hundreds of years in China, Okinawa, and Japan. This mode of study and training is inseparable from the goals and methods of Shorinji Ryu. The Protocol page describes expectations for behavior in the dojo.

Ogasawara-Ha Shorinji Ryu is kata-centered. Practitioners of Shotokan, Shito Ryu, Goju Ryu, and other styles of Okinawan and Japanese karatedo will recognize cognate forms of Pinan/Heian, Naihanchi/Tekki, Sanchin, and other classical kata. Learning, practicing, and applying kata is the core of Shorinji Ryu practice. Budokai instructors can train and teach more than 60 empty-hand and weapons kata.

Shorinji Ryu emphasizes functional personal protection. The defensive nature of karatedo is epitomized by the maxim karate ni sente nashi, "there is no first attack in karate." This statement reflects both a philosophy of non-violence and a tactical approach to preventing an aggressor from continuing his initial attack. Students in the Budokai learn functional fighting techniques and test them with each other in progressively more realistic scenarios to develop the capacity to unbalance, control, and incapacitate a stronger, resisting opponent. They also practice sport-style free sparring (jiyu kumite) to improve spontaneity and endurance.

Budokai instructors apply best practices of contemporary fitness and wellness research to make Shorinji Ryu training accessible and efficient. New students are coached to develop sound basic movement patterns that serve as the foundation for improving fitness and skill. Karatedo is a whole-body discipline integrating methods of breathing, core stabilization, postural alignment, and motor control. A paradox of karatedo is its use of rigorous training in unarmed combat to promote physical and psychological health, healing, and growth. Regardless of age, gender, or current fitness level, new students can begin karatedo training and, with patience and persistence, make safe, steady, and sustainable improvements in health and performance.

Students who gain basic competency in empty-hand karatedo begin additional training with traditional Okinawan weapons such as bo, sai, and tonfa. Kobudo training reinforces functional skills in body movement and control of combative distance; improves power, speed, and agility; and helps connect practitioners to traditions of Okinawan warrior culture.