Shihan · 7th Dan
Hiroshi Tanaka
Chief Instructor — Shotokan
Trained in Tokyo under the traditional Shotokan syllabus before opening KarateCorner. Still teaches the Tuesday beginners' class himself.
Est. 2009 — Northside
Every black belt
was once a
white belt.
KarateCorner is a traditional dojo teaching Shotokan Karate, Aikido and Shaolin Kung Fu. No experience needed, no contracts, no minimum fitness — just a open mind, patient instruction, and a willing to have fun.
- Students trained
- 600+Students trained
- Traditions taught
- 3Traditions taught
- Classes each week
- 30+Classes each week
The dojo
Three traditions. One mat.
We opened in 2009 with a borrowed tatami and a single Shotokan class. Aikido joined in 2016, Shaolin Kung Fu in 2021 — three lineages that disagree about almost every technique and agree completely about how a dojo should feel.
“The mat does not care who you were before you stepped onto it. It only asks that you bow in and begin.”
Hiroshi Tanaka — Shihan & Chief Instructor
Three things we never negotiate.
RespectRei
We bow entering the mat and bow leaving it. Rank decides the order of the line, never the worth of the person standing in it.
PerseveranceNin
Technique is earned in the thousandth repetition, not the tenth. The student who keeps returning always overtakes the student with talent.
HarmonyWa
Aikido taught us to blend rather than collide. We train hard without training against each other — nobody here gets hurt proving a point.
Disciplines
Three lineages, six ways in.
Every class runs on the same logic: fundamentals first, pressure only when you are ready for it, and competition only if you ever want it at all.
松濤館 · Empty hand
Shotokan Karate
Kihon, kata and controlled kumite in the Shotokan karate tradition. Deep stances, long lines, and the patient repetition every grading is built on.
All levels
合気道 · The way of harmony
Aikido
Irimi and tenkan, joint locks and throws — and just as much time spent on ukemi, so that falling well stops being frightening.
All levels
少林功夫 · Northern forms
Shaolin Kung Fu
Traditional taolu, stance training and staff work, taught alongside the qigong that has always travelled with them.
All levels
Ages 5–13
Kids Dojo
Karate fundamentals wrapped in focus games, mat etiquette and anti-bullying skills. Belts are earned, never handed out.
Ages 5–13
Your first eight weeks
Beginners' Course
A closed eight-week intake that starts everyone on the same day, in the same row. No prior training, no fitness test, no rush.
Absolute beginners
Breath and stillness
Qigong & Zazen
Standing qigong, mobility and seated meditation. Open to members and non-members, and popular with people who never intend to spar.
Open to everyone
The instructors
Taught by people who still bow in.
Three instructors, one for each lineage, holding a single shared standard. Between them: eleven years of Shotokan training in Tokyo, Aikikai certification through Hombu Dojo, and a Songshan transmission.
Sensei · 4th Dan Aikikai
Rafael Marchetti
Head Instructor — Aikido & Kids Dojo
Certified through Hombu Dojo and twenty years on the mat. Teaches ukemi first, on the principle that confidence starts with landing safely — which is also why he runs the children's classes.
Shifu · 16th generation
Chen Wei
Head Instructor — Shaolin Kung Fu
Ordained in the Songshan lineage and a decade of temple training behind him. Runs the forms class and the Sunday qigong hour.
Milestones
Sixteen years of quiet accumulation.
Grades, affiliations and the occasional medal. We do not chase any of it — but when the training is honest, it tends to follow.
2025
National Kata Championships
Team gold in the senior kata division, with eleven students placing across the junior and senior draws.
2024
Dojo of the Year
Named Regional Dojo of the Year by the State Traditional Martial Arts Council.
2023
Aikikai Affiliation
Formally recognised by Hombu Dojo, so grades awarded here are now registered internationally.
2022
Youth Program Accreditation
Full SafeSport accreditation and a Gold rating for the under-13 curriculum.
2021
Songshan Lineage Certified
Shifu Chen Wei's 16th-generation transmission formally recognised, bringing Shaolin forms into the dojo.
200+
Black belts graded
9
Certified instructors
600+
Students trained
Timetable & membership
Find your class. Pick your tier.
Doors open at 06:00 on weekdays and the beginners’ course starts fresh every eight weeks. No booking app, no queue — bow in and take a place in the line.
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| Tuesday |
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Membership
White Belt
$79per month
One discipline, twice a week. Where almost everyone starts.
- 2 classes per week
- One discipline
- Beginners' course included
- Free gi on your first grading
Most popular
Full Dojo
$129per month
Every class on the timetable — Karate, Aikido and Kung Fu.
- Unlimited classes
- All three disciplines
- Free gi and belt
- Open mat and qigong
- Grading fees included
Family
$199per month
Up to four people under one roof, training on the same mat.
- Unlimited for 4 family members
- Kids Dojo included
- Parent-and-child class
- Free gi for every member
- Grading fees included
No joining fee, no fixed contract. Cancel any time with 30 days’ notice. Concession rates for students, seniors and anyone for whom the fee is the only thing standing in the way — just ask at the front desk.
From the mat
What students actually say.
I had never done a martial art and assumed I would be the worst person in the room. I was — for about three weeks. Nobody once made me feel it.
Visit the dojo
Your first class is free. Genuinely.
Tell us what you would like to train and we will put you in the right class this week. No contract, no sales pitch, no need to own a gi — just a spot on the mat and someone to show you where to stand.
Find us
412 Ironside AvenueNorthside District
Springfield, 62704
(555) 014-2778train@karatecorner.example.com
Opening hours
- Monday – Thursday
- 06:00 – 21:30
- Friday
- 06:00 – 20:30
- Saturday
- 08:00 – 13:00
- Sunday
- Qigong & zazen, 10:00 – 12:00
Map embed