MEET THE INSTRUCTORS
Our Sensei
Hanshi Jay Castellano holds the title of Hanshi with 8th Dan in Shotokan Karate from karate legend Hirokazu Kanazawa, and 3rd Dan in Shorinji-ryu Karate from Iwao Tamotsu, familial head of the Renshinkan style. He is the Chief Instructor of the Satsuma Dojo and a member of the SKIF-USA. In 2010, he was personally honored with the title of Hanshi by Kancho Kanazawa — a rare distinction in all of karate. His teaching emphasizes etiquette, goal attainment, and personal development as a way of life.
Known as "Ebo," Sensei Amarjargal began his Shotokan journey in 1989 and rose to become General Secretary of his national federation in Mongolia. In 2006 he coached the Mongolian team at the 15th Asian Games and 9th SKIF World Championships, where they placed 5th in kumite. Since moving to the U.S. in 2008, he has trained under Hanshi Castellano and co-founded the Alameda Shotokan Karate-Do Dojo in 2010.
Sensei Kevin Slauson has trained in Shotokan since 2001, earning his Black Belt in 2006 under Sensei Charles Baker of SKIF-USA. A proud member of the dojo community, he values karate as a means of self-improvement, exercise, and character building rather than competition. He co-manages the Alameda Shotokan Karate-Do Dojo alongside Sensei Enkhbold, guided by the philosophy: "You make a living by what you get. You make a life by what you give."
