Karatedo Honma Dojo

I've been affiliated with Honma Dojo for over 10 years. Sensei Honma is an incredibly skilled teacher who embodies great humility, depth, and concern for his students. Karate training at Honma Dojo continues to teach me valuable lessons about perseverance, hard work, integrity, and community. I have also made life-long friendships here. Unlike any other dojo that I know of, this dojo feels like a true karate school, where students of all ages are valued and accepted at whatever stage they are at in their karate journey.

Honma Dojo is a wonderful place to study karate and learn about Japanese culture. It is run by Sensei Honma and he is an exceptional teacher. My 9 year old son has been training here for over 2 years and he loves it! He started during the pandemic on zoom and then Sensei Honma met the students in a park in the West Village. Learning Karate truly helped my son get through the difficulty of the pandemic. Now my son enjoys the beautiful dojo and the great community-it’s welcoming to everyone. It is the perfect balance of a great workout, improving focus, endurance and having a lot of fun!

I can't begin to say enough what an authentic and all-age inclusive tight knit community Sensei Honma has created with his dojo. If there were some objective rating system, it would be #1 in the U.S. It would be the same were we in Japan, it would be the same no matter where it is. I recommend Honma dojo to anyone of any age and ability who wants to study Karate with a master as well as experience a bit of Japanese culture. Sensei Honma hosts many events and holds mystifying demonstrations. My 11 yo son has been studying here since age 5 and we his parents couldn't be more grateful with his speedy progress. I think all his students and their families realize how lucky we are to have such a gem like this dojo here in NYC!

I was nervous about starting karate as an adult with no prior experience. I'd wanted to train since I was a child, but never had the time. When I finally decided to start, I searched around to find the best fit. I'm so grateful I went with Honma Dojo. Sensei Honma has been patient, and supportive from the beginning, and I've learned much more from him than just karate. The community is all ages and abilities. I've made great friends there. Honma Dojo is another home in the city for me.

I joined Karatedo Honma Dojo six years ago as a way to reset my life in the middle of career and personal transitions. It has been my anchor. I always wanted to do martial arts but had never tried, and I stumbled into a place that has been as good for my mental and spiritual health as my physical health. Sensei Honma has taught me how karate is not simply about advancement and working out though it is, but also about patience Osu and grace, two things I needed more of in my life. Having said that, I feel very strong and powerful as a result of being part of this community and I recommend it to anyone who is looking for something deeper than a gym. Life-changing.

Honma Dojo is an excellent traditional dojo led by Sensei Honma. Sensei Honma has created a safe and rigorous environment in which students are provided with a strong foundation of fundamental skills and advanced techniques. Sensei Honma provides instruction not only in technique but also the deeper meaning and philosophy of Karate. The culture of the dojo is respectful, supportive and inclusive. The dojo is a wonderful place for both adults and children to learn and grow.

This is a traditional Japanese Karate dojo. The classes involve a balanced mix of basic technique, katas, and kumite sparing. The dojo has great energy and a very diverse community of students from many countries and ways of life. The classes are taught by Sensei Honma who is a great role model for the students both in karate training and in life.

A noncommercial karate school a 501c3 nonprofit just off Astor Place, Honma Dojo feels more like a family than a gym, and more like a zendo than a fight club. Sensei Honma prioritizes self-development and self-defense, not competition and comparison; even sparring is framed as helping one another grow rather than vying to win. Classes pack a lot into just one hour to fit within kids' and adults' busy schedules; they are physically limit-stretching, introspective, and warmly communitarian, a tone set by Sensei Honma, who combines no-excuses rigor with self-deprecating humor. The dojo also places karate in its cultural context by holding events to introduce kids and adults to traditional Japanese arts and crafts and performing arts: tea ceremony, calligraphy, origami, ikebana, festival dance. Breaking and kata workshops, summer beach training, holiday ceremonies and parties, and a kids' summer day camp also enliven the schedule, but steady, persistent training is the heartbeat of the place. During the pandemic we ages 5–75, of every possible background and description trained together over Zoom, and met twice a month in East River Park adults or Village parks and playgrounds kids to train and eat together in the open air—even in the snow. None of us wanted to let go of this source of physical and mental health, calm, confidence, and companionship in a town and a time when almost everything has seemed to be going the other way.

I have been coming to this dojo since I was 10 years old and have continued to attend class through my early adulthood. Sensei Honma truly cares about teaching students traditional Japanese karate and makes an effort to build everlasting relationships with everyone who steps through the doors. The relationships Sensei builds with us and the ones we build with one another truly are what makes the dojo feel so special and like a second home.

Honma Dojo is a great, traditional karate dojo. I have trained here since 2009, and I have always been impressed with Sensei Honma's teaching skills. He pushes his students adult and child alike just enough so that they grow as karatekas and people. He is great with children, and makes sure to teach them focus and discipline while also making classes fun. The dojo also has regular community events for children and adults, and all types of people are welcome. I have made some of my closest friends at Honma Dojo.