Welcome to the Black Bear Traditional Martial Arts Center website. Our school, also known as Shindokan Dojo, is a traditional martial arts school located in Stonington, Connecticut and is dedicated to the study, preservation and promotion of authentic Japanese and Okinawan martial arts in southeastern New England. We offer ongoing classes in the following arts:

• Shorin-Ryu Reihokan Karate-do and Kobudo
• Iaijutsu and Kenjutsu (classical Japanese sword arts)
• Jujutsu (Japanese self-defense arts)
• Thai kickboxing

Our dojo promotes a friendly, yet traditional training atmosphere where members can experience authentic training in the martial traditions of Japan and Okinawa. Studies within the dojo include Japanese and Okinawan history, etiquette and culture, essential elements for a deeper understanding of the arts we practice.

Our dojo proudly serves as the Shibu-Dojo for Connecticut for the Shorin-ryu Reihokan Karate and Kobudo Association and is the first fully accredited Shorin-ryu Reihokan dojo to be authorized and established in New England.

Additionally we are honored to be a regional representative and Shibu-Dojo for the Nippon Kobudo Jikishin-Kai /Jikishin-Kai International, the organization that houses the authentic koryu traditions that we practice. We are the only source for the study of authentic koryu bujutsu, the classical martial arts of the samurai of feudal Japan, offered at our level of accreditation in the eastern Connecticut and southern Rhode Island area.

At Black Bear Traditional Martial Arts Center we train in the martial traditions and methods that have come down to us from antiquity. The long-term study of these arts can contribute to the development of life protection skills, increased health, greater longevity, leader ship attributes, clarity of mind, the infusion of courtesy and the cultivation of a code of ethical and moral conduct. We invite you to visit our dojo and experience these unique and life-changing pathways with us.