8TH DEGREE BLACK BELT- Hanshi
BOB HOLLINGER
ONE OF VERY FEW
AMERICANS.
WHO HAVE
LIVED.
AND TRAINED
KARATE.
IN JAPAN.
FOR 17 STRAIGHT YEARS.
HIS ROOTS.
HIS LINEAGE.
ARE REAL.
Toyama-kai Karate, Japan
Our Family Dojos & Instructors Throughout Japan
Toyama-kai Karate, USA
The First Branch of Toyama-kai
Karate in the United States
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Toyama-kai Karate USA has been teaching this traditional style of karate in America exactly how it is and has been taught by the Japanese Karate Master Instructors. It is TRADITIONAL OKINAWA KARATE TOYAMA STYLE. Classes are led by Bob Hollinger, and have been going strong for 17 years now in different places throughout the Lehigh Valley. Hanshi Hollinger and Sensei Fred Banuelos - 4th degree Black Belt, and an experienced martial artist in his own right who also holds black belts in Judo & Aikido, lead all the classes. Also having been promoted to the Black Belt yudansha rank are Rusty Soto, Doug Lloyd, Anna Soto, Rina Hollinger, Uriel Trujillo, Misa Hollinger & Three Henderson. This is a traditional but strong and powerful karate style with large, circular movements, and does not focus on full-contact sparring or MMA style fighting and sports style scoring. It stresses the defensive nature of Karate. As with many more traditional karate styles taught in Japan, it is not a sport but a martial art, and no scoring system is used or competitions held . Students are invited to train only after an interview process with only some students being allowed to join the group. The photos below are of some recent
students and trainings of Toyama-kai Karate, USA.
In The Spirit of Mikio Tanaka
Toyama-kai Karate, USA
Shares & Gives Back
Providing Karate Uniforms, Belts & Teaches Karate to the Young People at the
SCHOOLS of HOPE, in Chiang Mai, Thailand
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In the summer of 2013, Bob Hollinger and Sensei John McAuley - Toyama-kai 3rd Degree Black Belt, best friends and former roommates in Tokyo as well as karate students of Hanshi Tanaka while he led Toyama-kai in Japan, began a charitable project to give back and Pay it Forward to help the boys and girls at the orphanage/refugee school - Schools of Hope (click for website) The goal was for the young people to learn Toyama-kai Karate. Monies collected from Hollinger's Toyama-kai Karate Classes taught in America provided uniforms, belts and certificates while McAuley Sensei generously gave his time and money to teach classes both at the Schools of Hope which is a two-hour ride by car/taxi as well as in Chiang Mai, Thailand. This summer Bob Hollinger visited the Schools of Hope in Thailand with his 15 year old daughter, Rina, and along with Sensei John McAuley held a three-day intensive karate seminar. Both Bob and Rina were VERY impressed with the progress of many of the students and can't wait to see them again next summer. They look forward to training with them to continue and grow this wonderful program.
Please smile and enjoy the photos below taken this summer on the trip.