Membership lists now available
Membership lists now available
Rankings: 9th Dan – Kentokukan; 7th Dan – Kenkokan; 8th Dan – Koshiki
Shinan Donivan has dedicated his entire adult life to studying, teaching, and promoting Shorinjiryu Karatedo. His influence extends beyond the dojo, shaping generations of martial artists, leaders, and professionals. Below are some of his many contributions.
Martial Arts Journey & Achievements
Early Training & Promotions
Competition Success
Teaching & Coaching
Academic & Dojo Instruction
International Coaching & Leadership
Pioneering Modern Koshiki Karate
Education & Research
Legacy & Impact
Beyond his technical achievements, Shinan Donivan is widely regarded as a mentor and life coach. His teachings extend beyond the dojo, influencing students in personal development, leadership, and professional success. Through corporate training programs and mentorship initiatives, he has provided individuals with life-changing experiences, helping them surpass their full potential. His ability to instill discipline, confidence, and a strong moral foundation has left a lasting impact on countless students worldwide.
Shinan Donivan’s unwavering dedication to the art and his community continues to inspire new generations of martial artists and leaders. His legacy is not only one of skill and accomplishment but of profound influence on the lives of those he has taught and mentored.
Hanshi Michel Laurin 9th Dan, a six-time World Champion in Koshiki karate, and three-time Japan Champion is the founder of the International Shorinjiryu Shindo with several dojos located in Canada and the US, in addition to dojos around the world that have been trained by Hanshi Laurin.
Hanshi Laurin's experience spans over 50 years and his first dojo in Canada has been open since 1981. In 2018 he was inducted to the US Association of Martial Artists Hall Of Fame "The Hawkes Society." In 2019, he was inducted to the Canadian Karate Hall Of Fame.
At the early age of 12, Hanshi Laurin set a goal to study Karate-do in Japan. When he was 19 years old, Hanshi Laurin left to Japan for the first of several times, to live and study Karate-do under the founder of the Shorinjiryu Kenkokan, Shinan Masayoshi Kori Hisataka and his son, Hanshi Masayuki Hisataka. Hanshi Laurin also studied Judo at the famous Kodokan.
Hanshi Laurin travels the world extensively, teaching seminars in Shorinjiryu and Koshiki fighting techniques. Hanshi Laurin is also an accomplished actor having appeared in numerous movies. Hanshi Laurin resides in Santa Clarita, California where he's currently acting, producing, writing, and teaching Karate-do and Judo.
Founder of the International Shorinjiryu Shindo
Founding member of the World Alliance of Shorinjiryu Karate-do
Style head of the US Association of Martial Artists
Canadian president for Shinzen Karate
Executive of the Koshiki Pan America
Owner of the Santa Clarita Karate
Owner of the Santa Clarita Valley Judo Club
Owner of ASE Martial Arts Supply
President of Magic Sky Films
1976 Certified black belt in Kenyukai Karate-do (Hanshi Watanabe & Hishino)
1980 Certified 3rd Dan in Kenkokan Karate-do (Shinan Masayoshi Kori Hisataka)
1986 Certified referee All Japan Federation (Hanshi Tamagawa)
1987 International Koshiki referee & 5th Dan certification
1988 Appointed as Chairman of Koshiki technical committee WKKF and
certified 6th Dan (Hanshi Masayuki Hisataka)
2002 Certified Chanbara and Toyama Ryu instructor (Shihan Tanabe)
2003 Certified judo Nage No Kata instructor by the USJA
2008 Certified 8th Dan USKA
2010 Certified Commando Krav Maga instructor
2012 Promoted 9th Dan Shorinjiryu by the World Shorinjiryu Committee
2018 Certified Judo instructor Katame No Kata & Goshin Jitsu No Kata.
1976 Shorinjiryu Open International Champion (New York)
1977 Shorinjiryu Open Champion (Montreal)
1978 Shorinjiryu Open International Champion (St-Jerome)
1979 Mascouche international Champion team (Quebec)
1980 Shorinjiryu Japan Champion (Tokyo)
1980 all Japan Koshiki Champion open weight (Tokyo)
1980 World Koshiki Champion open weight (Tokyo)
1980 Shinjuku (WUKO) Champion Individual (Tokyo)
1980 Shinjuku (WUKO) Champion Team (Tokyo)
1981 Shorinjiryu Japan Champion
1981 Shinjuku (WUKO) Champion Individual (Tokyo)
1981 Shinjuku (WUKO) Champion Team (Tokyo)
1981 All Japan Koshiki Champion open weight (Tokyo)
1983 Regional Judo Champion
1986 International Koshiki Champion heavy weight (Tokyo)
1987 USKA/Koshiki heavy weight world champion (California)
1987 USKA/Koshiki team world champion (California)
1988 Chili Koshiki Champion
1989 Koshiki heavy weight world champion (Canada)
1989 Koshiki team world champion (Canada)
2018 USJA Winter National Katame No Kata Champion (California)
2018 USJA Winter National Goshin Jitsu No Kata Champion (California)
Starred in five Panther Production and Century instructional karate videos
Produced a series of three instructional karate DVD's (Magic Sky Films)
Produced a Koshiki referee DVD (Magic Sky Films)
Scott Brown is a founding member of the World Alliance of Shorinjiryu Karate-do (WASK) and its chief representative in Australia. He began training inn Karate-do 1973, originally in Kyokushinkai under Aubrey Brookes for a period of two years. He then began training a number of different karate styles from 1975 - 1978 including Goshin Ryu and Shotokan, eventually commencing training Shorinjiryu Kenkokan Karate-do (SKK) in 1978 under Laurence Vanniekerk Sensei, the style in which he remained and continues to train and teach in to do this day. In October of 1979, Scott decided to travel to Japan to train directly at the Hombu of SKK under Hanshi Masayuki Hisataka. This intensive training period lasted just over one year where Scott also had the opportunity to train directly under SKK's founder, Kaiso Kori Hisataka, on multiple occasions.
After returning to Australia in December 1980, Scott began to teach what he had learned, opening Australian SKK branches in a number of locations in Western NSW under the name of Ken Sei Kai, bequeathed to him Kaiso Hisataka approximately 6 months prior upon receiving his 2nd Dan grading. In 1986, post his second six-month intensive practice in Japan, Scott decided to relocate Ken Sei Kai and teach karate professionally in Sydney Australia. His school built up to include several dojo's in multiple locations across Sydney including Scott's parallel program of school Martial Arts, teaching some 500 school aged students from 1989-1996.
When Vanniekerk Sensei retired from Karate in the mid 80's, Phill Hooper (4th Dan from Queensland & Scott Brown 4th Dan from NSW) took control of the SKK tradition in their respective states. In 1995, some structural changes were instigated within the Australia branch of SKK. In that year, Scott Brown, now 5th Dan, and his Ken Sei Kai were given a enormous responsibility and appointed Australian Chief Instructor for SKK by Hanshi Masayuki Hisataka as Shihan Phil Hooper had decided to separate from the Hombu Dojo in Japan. Between 1996 and 1998, Scott decided to enhance his ability to better bridge the cultural gap between Japanese and Western thinking via formal education in an undergraduate degree at the University of Western Sydney. He completed his degree in Asian and International studies in three years full-time, a comprehensive degree with an emphasis on Japanese history and culture and a sub-major in Philosophy.
In1999, as a result of his Karate and academic studies, technical ability, countless trips to Japan and on tour with So Shihan Hisataka in Canada, USA, India, and Greece, and his leadership within the Shorinjiryu Kenkokan tradition, particularly in Australia, Scott Brown was promoted to 6th Dan, Shihan, in SKK by Hanshi Masayuki Hisataka. During the year 2000, Scott Brown Shihan travelled to Hong Kong to meet with Hanshi Hisataka Sensei, where plans were finalized for the 2000 World Koshiki Karate-do Championships in Australia that Scott would host.
Scott lived in Hong Kong for three months where he assisted his Hong Kong based student Pierre Ingrassia, 2nd dan (deceased), to establish the Hong Kong branch of the SKK.
After the successful hosting of the 2000 Koshiki World Championships, Scott made the decision to withdraw from teaching karate professionally and began to reduce the Ken Sei Kai down a small group of dedicated students that he would continue to teach. Since 2000, Scott took the Ken Sei Kai team to the WKKF Oceania Cup organized by Shihan Nigel McReaddie and organized the SKK reunion on the Gold Coast, Australia 2012 with the Sole Masayuki Hisataka 9th Dan. In June 2013, Scott promoted and organized the WKKF NSW Koshiki Karate-do Championships in the Blue Mountains, assisted by his daughter Kody-Leigh 2nd Dan and son in law, Grant Brechney 2nd Dan (NSW). Scott continued to coach his son in law who competed in several more international Koshiki competitions in Canada and Malaysia winning multiple world championships, before Grant then focused on a professional competition career in mixed martial arts in which Scott also coached him in successes. Throughout Scott's own competition career in Koshiki Karate, he won multiple prestigious titles over the years among his peers but he now focuses on an academic and philosophical study of SKK and the Martial Arts.