Keep on Fighting
Donation protected
Dear Family and Friends,
Our Karate Dojo (Karate School)
Las Vegas Shotokan Karate is the longest running martial arts school of any kind in Las Vegas. It was established forty years ago in 1981 by Shihan Osamu Ozawa a direct pupil of Gichin Funakoshi, founder of the Shotokan style of Karate and is known today as the “Father of Modern Karate”. In 1995, James Tawatao, having been chosen by Shihan Ozawa, took over the running of the dojo and became its chief instructor. In 1998, three years after his retirement, Master Ozawa, our beloved Teacher, died from complications of pneumonia.
As many of you know, I earn my living mostly from teaching karate fulltime at my dojo, Las Vegas Shotokan Karate and also through hosting the Ozawa Cup International Karate Tournament, an annual event honoring my late teacher, Shihan Osamu Ozawa. Both the dojo and the Ozawa Cup are my main sources of income to support myself and my family.
Today, as an aftermath of the horrific coronavirus pandemic, we are fighting a battle that no karate instructor should have to fight - the fight to keep our dojo open so that we can continue our long tradition of teaching Shotokan karate to the kids and adults of our community.
I would like to share with you what our Dojo has gone through during the pandemic:
March 2020
Our dojo and most businesses in Nevada had to close due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We also had to cancel our annual event, the 2020 Ozawa Cup International Karate Tournament. (We had to cancel the 2021 Ozawa Cup this year as well.) However, even when the dojo was forced to close, it did not mean that the rent stopped. It has continued and it has piled up since then. Fortunately, our landlord has been very understanding and has deferred our rent to be paid at a later time when we are able to open our doors again and have enough members to be able to start paying rent and also start paying down our back rent.
June 2020
The Nevada Governor allowed reopening our doors but only at a maximum capacity of 25%.
Sadly, we did not even have enough members to reach 25% capacity. Many of our members did not, or could not, come back either from fear of the virus or because they lost their jobs and had no money to continue training.
Between June and November 2020
We continued to struggle to keep from closing our doors. Very few people were signing up as new members and many of our former students still did not come back even after I reached out to them. With everything that was going on, I understood and could not blame them.
December 2020
At the start of the month, there was a COVID-19 infection at the dojo even though masks and temperature checks were mandatory for every person who came in. I had to close the dojo once more to protect the rest of our members and their families from getting infected.
After closing the dojo due to the infection, I spent many days and nights thinking and evaluating our situation. I realized that things were bad and had gotten to the point where, after forty years that our dojo has taught karate to the people of Las Vegas and its outlying communities, I had no choice but to close our doors; to close the dojo that we love so much! I informed some of our senior instructors of my decision and explained to them that with very few members and with the rent and bills piling up each month, I would have to close our doors for good.
I felt sad about the decision and felt bad for our students especially those who came back to train and support the dojo even while the coronavirus was still raging.
Karate Lesson Learned and Remembered
The decision to close the dojo kept going through my mind over and over. Was it indeed time to give up? Besides kicking and punching, one of the most valuable lessons karate taught me came from our dojo's Five Precept as handed down from Master Funakoshi: “One must cultivate courage and tenacity”! You must not and cannot give up easily. You must fight for what you love! After Christmas, I decided not to close the dojo after all but instead TO KEEP ON FIGHTING! - to keep on fighting for Master Ozawa’s legacy, to keep on fighting for our loyal students, and to keep on fighting for my family… even as the dojo rent kept accumulating more and more!
January 4, 2021
On this date, with the valuable Karate lesson still fresh on my mind, we reopened the dojo. And each day since, we continue to fight to keep our doors open! We are still in a struggle to pay the rent, utilities and miscellaneous dojo expenses. On the bright side of things however, new members are starting to sign up although not enough to cover even just the rent.
Facing Reality – It’s Time to Ask for Help
Today, the reality is that our dojo needs help. It is time to reach out to our friends, family, and community.
I have created this go fund me page to ask for your help to raise $30,000 to keep our dojo open and to help our long-time students as well as new members to have a chance to train in this wonderful art we love called Karate.
Our Students and Our Love of Karate
Some of our former students have come back to start training again. However, some cannot afford to pay the full cost of tuition and some cannot afford to pay at all. Like our landlord, I fully understand their situation and have either deferred or lessened their payments, and even let some train for free until they can start paying again. I know that this sounds foolish to some who may ask, “Why do that when you can’t even pay your rent?” This is who I am and this is the way of karate.
Sometimes a simple act of kindness goes a long way and it pays back even when you don’t expect it! One of my students whose name I won’t mention, (Shelly… lol) lost her job a couple of years ago before COVID came. She told me about it and I told her that she could train for free until she got back on her feet and was able to pay again. Eventually she found another job and started paying her dojo dues again. When COVID hit, she kept on paying her dues even while the dojo was closed. She said she wanted to help me who was now the one out of work. She found out that since the dojo reopening this past January, the dojo is still struggling to keep its doors open and she started paying double for her dues out of the kindness of her heart. I am very touched and humbled by this and so grateful to have a student like her.
What Your Donation Means
Your simple act of kindness can keep our dojo doors open. We will use your donation exclusively for the dojo: to pay for its ongoing rent and utilities, as well as miscellaneous dojo expenses such as bathroom supplies, cleaning supplies, A/C filters, etc. until we have enough members to be able to fully cover the dojo’s monthly bills. We will also use your donation to help us get caught up with the back rent that we owe our landlord.
Your donation will also create an opportunity for those who cannot fully pay the cost of classes or afford to pay at all, to keep on training. It is my sincere hope that someday, I and others that you've helped along the way, will be able to repay your kindness and generosity. My Mom used to tell me and my siblings that whatever you give from your heart, comes back to you a hundredfold!
On behalf of our Dojo Family, I humbly ask that you help us with our effort to raise money to “keep on fighting” to keep our doors open. Any amount will help. We also ask you to please share the link with your friends and families and on your social media page to see if others are willing to help as well.
From the bottom of my heart, I sincerely thank you for your kindness, generosity, and support. I wish you and your families health and safety in this challenging time.
James Tawatao
Chief Instructor
Las Vegas Shotokan Karate
Our Karate Dojo (Karate School)
Las Vegas Shotokan Karate is the longest running martial arts school of any kind in Las Vegas. It was established forty years ago in 1981 by Shihan Osamu Ozawa a direct pupil of Gichin Funakoshi, founder of the Shotokan style of Karate and is known today as the “Father of Modern Karate”. In 1995, James Tawatao, having been chosen by Shihan Ozawa, took over the running of the dojo and became its chief instructor. In 1998, three years after his retirement, Master Ozawa, our beloved Teacher, died from complications of pneumonia.
As many of you know, I earn my living mostly from teaching karate fulltime at my dojo, Las Vegas Shotokan Karate and also through hosting the Ozawa Cup International Karate Tournament, an annual event honoring my late teacher, Shihan Osamu Ozawa. Both the dojo and the Ozawa Cup are my main sources of income to support myself and my family.
Today, as an aftermath of the horrific coronavirus pandemic, we are fighting a battle that no karate instructor should have to fight - the fight to keep our dojo open so that we can continue our long tradition of teaching Shotokan karate to the kids and adults of our community.
I would like to share with you what our Dojo has gone through during the pandemic:
March 2020
Our dojo and most businesses in Nevada had to close due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We also had to cancel our annual event, the 2020 Ozawa Cup International Karate Tournament. (We had to cancel the 2021 Ozawa Cup this year as well.) However, even when the dojo was forced to close, it did not mean that the rent stopped. It has continued and it has piled up since then. Fortunately, our landlord has been very understanding and has deferred our rent to be paid at a later time when we are able to open our doors again and have enough members to be able to start paying rent and also start paying down our back rent.
June 2020
The Nevada Governor allowed reopening our doors but only at a maximum capacity of 25%.
Sadly, we did not even have enough members to reach 25% capacity. Many of our members did not, or could not, come back either from fear of the virus or because they lost their jobs and had no money to continue training.
Between June and November 2020
We continued to struggle to keep from closing our doors. Very few people were signing up as new members and many of our former students still did not come back even after I reached out to them. With everything that was going on, I understood and could not blame them.
December 2020
At the start of the month, there was a COVID-19 infection at the dojo even though masks and temperature checks were mandatory for every person who came in. I had to close the dojo once more to protect the rest of our members and their families from getting infected.
After closing the dojo due to the infection, I spent many days and nights thinking and evaluating our situation. I realized that things were bad and had gotten to the point where, after forty years that our dojo has taught karate to the people of Las Vegas and its outlying communities, I had no choice but to close our doors; to close the dojo that we love so much! I informed some of our senior instructors of my decision and explained to them that with very few members and with the rent and bills piling up each month, I would have to close our doors for good.
I felt sad about the decision and felt bad for our students especially those who came back to train and support the dojo even while the coronavirus was still raging.
Karate Lesson Learned and Remembered
The decision to close the dojo kept going through my mind over and over. Was it indeed time to give up? Besides kicking and punching, one of the most valuable lessons karate taught me came from our dojo's Five Precept as handed down from Master Funakoshi: “One must cultivate courage and tenacity”! You must not and cannot give up easily. You must fight for what you love! After Christmas, I decided not to close the dojo after all but instead TO KEEP ON FIGHTING! - to keep on fighting for Master Ozawa’s legacy, to keep on fighting for our loyal students, and to keep on fighting for my family… even as the dojo rent kept accumulating more and more!
January 4, 2021
On this date, with the valuable Karate lesson still fresh on my mind, we reopened the dojo. And each day since, we continue to fight to keep our doors open! We are still in a struggle to pay the rent, utilities and miscellaneous dojo expenses. On the bright side of things however, new members are starting to sign up although not enough to cover even just the rent.
Facing Reality – It’s Time to Ask for Help
Today, the reality is that our dojo needs help. It is time to reach out to our friends, family, and community.
I have created this go fund me page to ask for your help to raise $30,000 to keep our dojo open and to help our long-time students as well as new members to have a chance to train in this wonderful art we love called Karate.
Our Students and Our Love of Karate
Some of our former students have come back to start training again. However, some cannot afford to pay the full cost of tuition and some cannot afford to pay at all. Like our landlord, I fully understand their situation and have either deferred or lessened their payments, and even let some train for free until they can start paying again. I know that this sounds foolish to some who may ask, “Why do that when you can’t even pay your rent?” This is who I am and this is the way of karate.
Sometimes a simple act of kindness goes a long way and it pays back even when you don’t expect it! One of my students whose name I won’t mention, (Shelly… lol) lost her job a couple of years ago before COVID came. She told me about it and I told her that she could train for free until she got back on her feet and was able to pay again. Eventually she found another job and started paying her dojo dues again. When COVID hit, she kept on paying her dues even while the dojo was closed. She said she wanted to help me who was now the one out of work. She found out that since the dojo reopening this past January, the dojo is still struggling to keep its doors open and she started paying double for her dues out of the kindness of her heart. I am very touched and humbled by this and so grateful to have a student like her.
What Your Donation Means
Your simple act of kindness can keep our dojo doors open. We will use your donation exclusively for the dojo: to pay for its ongoing rent and utilities, as well as miscellaneous dojo expenses such as bathroom supplies, cleaning supplies, A/C filters, etc. until we have enough members to be able to fully cover the dojo’s monthly bills. We will also use your donation to help us get caught up with the back rent that we owe our landlord.
Your donation will also create an opportunity for those who cannot fully pay the cost of classes or afford to pay at all, to keep on training. It is my sincere hope that someday, I and others that you've helped along the way, will be able to repay your kindness and generosity. My Mom used to tell me and my siblings that whatever you give from your heart, comes back to you a hundredfold!
On behalf of our Dojo Family, I humbly ask that you help us with our effort to raise money to “keep on fighting” to keep our doors open. Any amount will help. We also ask you to please share the link with your friends and families and on your social media page to see if others are willing to help as well.
From the bottom of my heart, I sincerely thank you for your kindness, generosity, and support. I wish you and your families health and safety in this challenging time.
James Tawatao
Chief Instructor
Las Vegas Shotokan Karate
Organizer
James Tawatao
Organizer
Las Vegas, NV