ICHIGOKAI
West London Karate and Kobujutsu
BALWANT SAHANS
Instructors• Balwant Sahans
Sensei Balwant Singh Sahans - 8th Dan Shotokan Karate
Sensei Sahans was introduced to martial arts in 1960 when he started learning Judo in his hometown of Nairobi. In 1962, he met Sensei Inada Takahashi, a senior official at the Japanese Embassy in Nairobi and a member of the Japanese Karate Association (JKA). Sensei Takahashi was a 1st Dan in Shotokan Karate, so the dojo became a Karate dojo. Sensei Takahashi had friends who practised Wado-Ryu, Judo, and Ju Jitsu, and the dojo benefitted from this diversity of study. As Karate spread across Nairobi and other cities, Sensei Sahans was able to develop his competition skills through inter-club tournaments.
In 1969, Sensei Sahans gained his Shodan (1st Dan) through a panel grading with Sensei Takahashi and instructors from other styles of Karate. That same year, Sensei Sahans moved to England, where he was re-examined by the British Karate Association (BKA) to confirm his Shodan. In 1970, Sensei Sahans was graded Nidan (2nd Dan) by the BKA.
He started teaching Karate at the social club where he worked in Sunbury-on-Thames. In 1970, he met the late Sensei Jim Alkin, who trained him to Shodan in Tomiki Aikido and helped him develop his club coaching skills. Sensei Sahans would eventually become an accredited referee and coach with the World Union of Karate Organisations and referee at European-level competitions.
Sensei Sahans then opened other karate clubs in Southall at Southall College and Featherstone School. As the number of clubs and his karate teaching commitments grew Sensei Sahans, after 1975, could not continue with Aikido. He delved deeper into karate by visiting and training with other Japanese instructors. He also integrated aspects of yoga and aikido into his karate teaching.
In 1974 Sensei Sahans, along with Sensei Jack Warner, co-founded the Amateur Shotokan Karate Association (ASKA). As Chief Instructor he helped the organisation achieve considerable success in competitions internationally. Within the UK there were clubs in London, the South-East and the Midlands.
In 1998 Sensei Sahans parted ways with ASKA and formed the Shotokan Karate Organisation. This was a London-based organisation. Separately from this, in 2002, a few of his senior students formed the Ramgarhia Karate Club. The original Ramgarhia Karate Club run by Sensei Harvinder Sagoo from the 1970’s to 90’s had strong success in competitions. We now continue the practice of karate and deepen it through Kobujutsu, cultivating the values and character at the heart of traditional martial arts.
Sensei Sahans, although retired now, still advises and supports our club. We are committed to his teachings of valuing yourself, others and the wider communities that help shape our lives. For Sensei Sahans the teaching of Karate was his sewa ('selfless service'). His commitment was to promoting 'Sarbat da Bhalla' - The well-being and success of everybody.