Mr. Alan Sekiguchi

Digital Media, STEMworks – Basic/Advanced Tech Ed Teacher
McKinley High School, Honolulu, Hawaii

Chief Instructor
Hawaii Shotokan Karate
Honolulu, Hawaii

Mr. Alan Sekiguchi is a teacher in Hawaii serving in dual roles.  By day he is a classroom teacher at William McKinley High School; by night he is a karate instructor at Hawaii Shotokan Karate.  He is passionate about both roles with the singular goal of empowering his students to fulfill their potential.

Mr. Sekiguchi was preparing himself for both roles simultaneously while he was a student at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.  During his freshman year he enrolled in a karate class, and from that magical moment, he knew he had to learn as much as he could about this captivating martial art.

By the time he began his career as a mathematics teacher in 1972, he was already making a name for himself in the karate circles of Hawaii, having won numerous local and national tournaments.  In 1983 he decided it was time to establish his own karate school, thus founding Hawaii Shotokan Karate.

As chief instructor of Hawaii Shotokan Karate, Mr. Sekiguchi made a conscious decision to teach not only the physical art of the sport, but the essence and spirit of the Japanese culture from which it originated as well.  That is, he would use karate as a means to exemplify and teach the Dojo Kun (“training hall rules”), which are the tenets of Shotokan Karate, to all of his students.

Seek perfection of character
Be faithful
Endeavor
Respect others
Refrain from violent behavior

It is Mr. Sekiguchi’s heartfelt belief that the values imbued in the Dojo Kun have helped his students embrace an attitude of harmony and humility, transcending differences of culture, ethnicity, religion, and social status.

Aside from the daily classes in the dojo, Mr. Sekiguchi’s karate students have also had opportunities to support public service events in the community, participate in local and national karate tournaments, and attend/host seminars with visiting martial arts instructors.  Mr. Sekiguchi was presented with a commendation from the Hawaii State Senate for his efforts in promoting karate to the Hawaii community.  He was also featured on a television program called Sports People Hawaii, which features outstanding individuals in the local sports community.

In 2007 Mr. Sekiguchi took a group of his instructors to Japan to observe the annual All-Japan Karate Championship in Tokyo, attend a sumo tournament in Osaka and the Gion festival in Kyoto.  Another trip was planned for March 2011, but was canceled due to the devastating earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster.  With the trip thus canceled, Mr. Sekiguchi used the time to rally his students in a campaign to collect donations for the American Red Cross Japan Relief Fund.  By the end of a few weeks, $6500 had been raised and donated.

On the anniversary of the disaster this year, Mr. Sekiguchi again set up a collection drive among his karate students.  This time $5000 was raised and donated to the Japan-America Society of Hawaii, an organization which sponsors the “Rainbow for Japan Kids” program.  This program brings children who were directly affected by the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster to Hawaii for rest, recuperation, and physical/psychological relief.

Mr. Sekiguchi has devoted his life to being a teacher.  His career has taken him on a journey down two paths: that of classroom teacher and karate instructor.  He has traveled these paths with passion and enthusiasm, inspiring his students to realize their full potential.