Instructors

GERMAIN BISSON SENSEI - Martial arts background

Germain at 10

• 1971: yellow belt in judo
• 1973: started karate with Gilbert Kingsbury sensei at King Karate Dojo
• 1990s: practiced aïkido with Patrick Auger sensei from the Yoseikan budo.

The present

• 5^th dan, Renshi – Canadian Chito-Ryu Association headed by Higashi sensei, 9^th dan, Hanshi
• 5^th dan, Canadian Karate Association founded by O’Sensei Masami Tsuruoka
• 5^th dan, Shihan, International Chito-Ryu Association headed by Soke Sensei Chitose

GERMAIN BISSON SENSEI - Sports performances

Germain 3^rd in team kumite at the
Pan-American Championships

• Took part in the open tournaments for over ten years
• Three-time competitor in the National Karate Association’s (Karate Canada) Canadian Championships where he won five medals (two gold, two silver and one bronze)
• Took part in two North American Cups where he won two gold and two silver medals
• Took part in the Pan-American Championships in Curaçao and won a bronze medal in team kumite
• Competed in two Soke Cup (Chito-Ryu World Championships) and won one gold and one silver medal
• Competed in the World Karate Federation Championships in 1992
• Former captain of the Québec and Canada teams

 
                                 Germain, North American Cup Champion

GERMAIN BISSON SENSEI- Other commitments

• From 1993-2007: deputy coach and head coach of Team Québec
• Former director, vice-president and president of Karaté Québec
• Former vice-president of the National Karate Association
• Former director and vice-president of the Association Chito-Ryu Traditionnel du Québec
• Director of the Canadian Chito-Ryu Association
• Chairman of the Children’s Karate Development Committee of the Canadian Chito-Ryu Association
• Karaté Québec’s regional respondent
• Member of Karaté Québec’s Développement de l’excellence (high performance) committee
• Member of Karate Canada’s Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD) committee
• Member of Karate Canada’s National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) committee
• Member of provincial and national Chito-Ryu karate-do technical committees
• Head coach of Team Québec 2010, 2011 and 2012

GERMAIN BISSON SENSEI - Awards

Germain receiving the
Russ Rumble Award from
Stanley Janusas

• Karate Canada’s Coach of the Year in 1994, 1997, 1998 and 2000
• National Instructor Award at the Gala Loisirs Outaouais in 1993, 1995, 2002, 2003 and 2006
• Honoured at the Masson-Angers and Buckingham Sports Galas
• Awarded the prestigious Karate Canada’s Russ Rumble Award at the 2008 annual gala for his exceptional contribution to the development of karate in Canada

GERMAIN BISSON SENSEI- Chito-Ryu

Germain has had the opportunity to meet many instructors who have influenced his understanding of karate-do and martial arts. Among the most notable are the following:

• Gilbert Kingsbury sensei 
• Luc Maisonneuve sensei 
• Shane Higashi sensei
• Soke sensei Chitose

Other styles and martial arts:

• Patrick Auger sensei of the Yoseikan Budo
• O’Sensei Richard Kim of Dai Nippon Butokukai
• Antonio Oliva Seba sensei, international expert in combat strategy and tactics

	Mochizuki sensei and Auger sensei
	O’sensei Richard Kim and Germain
	Germain and Seba sensei

GERMAIN BISSON SENSEI - Karate history

Germain began practicing martial arts in 1971, beginning with judo for which he earned a yellow belt. In 1973 at the age of 10, he started practicing karate at Gilbert Kingsbury sensei’s King Karate Dojo. His first instructor was Richard Charron sensei who had a green belt at the time and was in charge of children’s karate.

Germain obtained his black belt shodan (1^st dan) on November 15, 1980 at the Fédération québecoise de Karaté. The panel of judges included Fernand Cléroux sensei (Chito-Ryu), Pierre Joyal sensei (Shotokan), Ari Anastasiadis sensei (Shotokan) and Maxime Masaltarim sensei (Sankudo).

In 1985 at the age of 22, Germain opened his dojo with his training partner Martine Bélanger. The school started with 20 students and now has more than 400 active members.

Germain learned a lot from working with Gilbert Kingsbury sensei, who transmitted his passion for karate and a great interest for competition to him.

Germain joined Richard Kim sensei’s Butokukai organization with Luc Maisonneuve sensei, who made a great contribution to Germain’s understanding of kumite. Germain received the grade of 3^rd dan from Butokukai.

While attending a summer training camp organized by Harvey Brown sensei of the Ottawa Chito-Kai dojo in 1987, Germain had the opportunity to train under Shane Higashi sensei, who was the national technical director of Chito-Ryu, and thereafter decided to join the Canadian Association of Chito-Ryu.

To prepare for the probation exams for the grades of shodan, nidan and sandan, Germain worked with Jean-Noël Blanchette sensei of Sherbrooke, who was then the provincial technical director of the Association Chito-Ryu Traditionnel du Québec.

In fall 1995, Germain had the opportunity to train at the Hombu dojo in Kumamoto, Japan, with Soke sensei, Sakamoto sensei and Tanaka sensei. Thereafter, he met chief Chito-Ryu instructors, among them Kugizaki sensei, Inomoto sensei, Aktugawa sensei and Imamura sensei.

Karaté Cama students with Sakamoto sensei, 6thdan and Inomoto sensei, 8th dan

Germain, Jean-Sébastien Bisson
(first born son) and Higashi sensei

Germain has also been exposed to other forms of martial arts and holds a yellow belt in judo. He also practiced aïkido for two years with Patrick Auger sensei from O’Sensei Mochizuki’s Yoseikan Budo. O’Sensei Mochizuki was a student of O’Sensei Ueshiba, the founder of aïkido, and O’Sensei Kano, the founder of judo. He also practiced kobudo with Inoue sensei from Japan.

For over 20 years, Germain has followed the teachings of Higashi sensei. He is a member of provincial and national technical committees and a director of the Canadian Association of Chito-Ryu.

SHANE HIGASHI SENSEI - Background

SHANE YUKIO HIGASHI, 9^th dan, Hanshi

Chief instructor of the Canadian Chito-Ryu Karate-Do Association
(Excerpts from "The New Canadian" October 23, 1963 – compliments of the Soke Cup Committee 1998.)

Shane Yukio Higashi, the third youngest in a family of eleven, was born in Chemainus, British Columbia, on October 14, 1940. Six years later, the Higashis relocated to Japan and moved back to Canada in the spring of 1956 and settled in Toronto. In 1961 at the age of 20, Shane Higashi started studying karate under Masami Tsuruoka Sensei, the father of Canadian karate, who was then 3^rd dan. His interest in karate arose from a profound interest in the philosophy of Oriental martial arts and the association and knowledge gained from his brother-in-law, a 4^th dan in judo and from a 5^th dan karate relative in Japan (Mitsuzome Yukio Kinki University Shito-Ryu).

At the Tsuruoka karate school, the young Higashi soon became a star pupil and within one year, had attained his shodan in Chito Ryu karate. In 1964, he became the grand champion of the Canadian Karate Championship. In 1974 he officiated at the first Canadian Black Belt Championships organized by the National Karate Association (NKA) in Alberta. He was also an international referee and served as the NKA vice-president from 1996 to 1998. In 1975, Higashi sensei was appointed chief instructor of the Ryu-Kyu Kobu-Jutsu by Matokatsu sensei Inoue.

In 1965, he received his nidan from O’Sensei Tsuyoshi Chitose, the founder of Chito Ryu karate. In January 1966, Higashi sensei returned to Japan for private instruction from O’Sensei Chitose, 10^th dan, and supreme instructor of all Japan karate associations. He studied and underwent intensive training in Japan for seven months, attaining his 4^th dan and an instructor certificate, which is issued to a select number of karatekas.

In 1968, he received his 5^th dan from O’Sensei Chitose and his 6^th dan in 1972. In 1979, he was awarded Kyoshi-go (elite master instructor licence) and received his 7^th dan from O’Sensei Chitose. In 1997, Higashi-Kyoshi received his 8^th dan from Soke Sensei Chitose (the son of the founder, who was then president of the International Chito-Ryu Karate Association).

In 1979, O’Sensei Chitose designated Higashi sensei the leader of Chito-Ryu in Canada and he founded the Canadian Chito-Ryu Karate-Do Association to coordinate the development of Chito-Ryu karate in Canada.

Higashi sensei has promoted the spread of Chito-Ryu karate across the globe. Over the years, he has worked with various senseis to establish dojos in their respective countries, including:

• 1970 — Chito-Ryu karate was established in Australia
• 1986 — Chito-Ryu karate was established in Scotland
• 1989 — Chito-Ryu karate was established in Hong Kong
• 1991 — Chito-Ryu karate was established in Singapore
• 1992 — Chito-Ryu karate was established in Norway
• 1999 — Chito-Ryu karate was established in Hungary

Since 2008, the Canadian Chito-Ryu Karate-Do Association has been independent. It is led by Higashi sensei, who was awarded 9^th dan, Hanshi, by O’Sensei Tsuruoka, Higashi sensei’s first instructor.

 
O’Sensei Tsuruoka awarding the grade of 9^th dan and the title of Hanshi to Higashi sensei

Instructors at the main dojo

 
From left: Jacques Robitaille sensei, Marcel Guitard sensei, Sylvain Chartrand sensei, Germain Bisson sensei,
Lyne Laroche sensei, Steeven Cryans sensei and Guy Chartrand sensei.

Karaté Cama can count on the commitment of passionate instructors who are dedicated to the development of our karateka's, who can also rely on the support of a group of qualified assistant instructors.

Sensei

Someone who was born before

In traditional karate-do practice,
The instructor is known as Sensei.
The Sensei acts as a guide in the karateka’s progress.
He is actively involved in the karateka’s harmonious development.