Kancho
館長
Title of the head of a dojo or of an entire organization, literally “head of the building.” Used mainly in karate organizations.
Quick Facts
Word breakdown
Definition
Kancho (館長) consists of the characters kan (building, hall) and cho (head). In Japanese generally it means the director of an institution, such as a library or museum. In martial arts it is the title of the head of the main dojo or of an entire organization. Many karate organizations use it. The title kancho is held, for example, by Shokei Matsui, head of the Kyokushinkaikan organization, or Hatsuo Royama, founder of Kyokushin-kan. Other organizations use different titles for the same role, for example kaicho or sosai.
Relations to other terms
See also
An honorary title of a high-ranking teacher. Literally “exemplary teacher”. Who receives it and under what conditions differs by organization.
Kwan관Korean martial arts school, literally “hall”. Taekwondo emerged from the first kwans after 1945. The head of a school is called a kwanjang.
Soke宗家The head of a traditional Japanese school where leadership is usually inherited. He decides on the school's teaching and on awarding the highest certificates.