Instructors

 

Sensei - Tom Mah

-Owner & Chief Instructor-

Sensei Tom Mah was born in Canton, China in 1954. Soon after that he and his parents, along with his older sister, moved to Hong Kong. Four more siblings came during his time in that city.

Tom was first introduced to the martial arts by a family friend. This friend practiced Tai Chi Chuan and had demonstrated his art several times to the family.  He was an avid reader of martial arts novels in his childhood days and frequented cinemas where kung fu movies were in abundance. But interestingly, even with his huge attraction to the martial arts, Tom had never contemplated on taking kung fu during his early years.

In June 1964, Tom and his family immigrated to Canada and resided in the town of Smithers. The following year the family moved west to a coastal fishing town call Prince Rupert, with a population of several thousand. Although very shy in conversation due to language differences, the school years still found Tom very involved in athletic programs in which he excelled: volleyball, track and field, tumbling, badminton, table tennis, and wrestling.

Tom completed his high school in Prince Rupert then attempted higher education at the University of British Columbia in 1975 with the ambition of pursuing a career as an architect. It was while attending university in 1976 that he was introduced to karate by two friends. The dojo was of a Shotokan style under the direction of Sensei Norman Welsh, a sandan at the time. It was love at first try. Something clicked with him the first day, though he is not sure what it was. Perhaps it was the rigorous and intense workout, it may have been the speed and power of the movements demonstrated by the instructor or the graceful movements of the katas, or it could have been the combination of all these things. Regardless Tom found himself drawn to this discipline like a bee to honey. Little did he realize that this was the beginning of a whole new way of life totally different than what he had set out to accomplish in university.

After 1½ years in UBC he left university for a position with a supermarket chain in Vancouver. Karate also took a back seat for about a year. In 1978 Tom moved back to Prince Rupert and there he joined a local Chito-Ryu dojo under Sensei Bill Pitcher, who was a student of Sensei David Akutagawa, the vice-counselor for the Canadian Chito-Kai Association at that time. That same year Sensei Pitcher left for an RCMP position in Vernon and Sensei Mah found himself studying directly under Sensei D. Akutagawa from that time on.

Sensei Mah’s Karate History

  • Began karate training in 1976.
  • 1st degree (Dan) black belt in 1979 – promoted by Akutagawa Sensei.
  • 2nd degree black belt in 1981 – promoted by Chitose Sensei (Chito-Ryu founder).
  • 3rd degree black belt in 1983 – promoted by Sensei S. Higashi – Head of Canadian Chito-Kai.
  • Opened the TOM MAH SCHOOL OF KARATE in 1986.
  • Became a member of the BC Karate Team in 1986.
  • Silver medalist in individual and team kata at the 1987 Canadian National Black Belt Championships in Halifax
  • Awarded the Karate BC Sportsmanship award at the 1987 Fall Provincial Championships as well as the 1988 Karate BC Spring Provincial Championships.
  • 1st place in kata at the World Chito-Ryu Championships in Vancouver in August, 1989.
  • Promoted to 4th degree black belt and certified as a Shidoin (instructor) in 1989 by Chitose Sensei (Son).
  • 2nd in kata at the 1992 World Chito-Ryu Championships in Newcastle, Australia.
  • Gold medallist in lightweight division kumite and weapons at the 1993 Karate BC Fall Provincial Championships in Kelowna, BC.
  • Certified as a National ‘A’ class referee in 1994.
  • Joined Renshikan Karate-Do International in 1997 under the leadership of Akutagawa Sensei. The karate style changed from Chito-Ryu to Shito-Ryu
  • Gold medallist in Masters kata at the 1997 KBC Spring Provincial Championships.
  • Bronze medallist in Masters kata at the 1998 KBC Spring Provincial Championships.
  • Bronze medallist in lightweight kumite at the 1998 KBC Fall Provincial Championships.
  • Began teaching at the newly built Kelowna Traditional Martial Arts and Fitness Center in Kelowna, BC, Canada, on September 1, 2001.
  • Promoted to Shihan (Master Instuctor) in November, 2001 by Akutagawa Sensei, 6th Dan.
  • Promoted to 5th Degree Black Belt on August 23, 2002. Assisting Akutagawa Sensei, 7th dan at the examination was Sofue Sensei, 8th Dan Japan Karate-Do Shito-Ryu.
  • Promoted to 6th degree black belt on July 19th, 2009 by Nishida Sensei, 8th Dan, Shihan, World Shito-Ryu Karatedo Federation.