The
SOUTH AFRICAN SHOTOKAN KARATE ACADEMY (SASKA) was established as a
martial arts organisation in 1990 by Hanshi Koos Burger. Hanshi Koos trained with many well renowned
Shotokan karate masters such as Kanazawa, Enoeda, Tanaka, Asai Sensei and many others before travelling with his son Henk to Milan, Italy in 1991 to train with two of the world's most senior and respected Shotokan karate masters, Kase Taiji Sensei (1929-2004) and Shirai Hiroshi Sensei (1937- ). After intensive training sessions and discussions, Kase Sensei accepted Hanshi Koos as a student, and SASKA became a member organisation of Kase Sensei's then newly-formed World Karate-Do Shotokan Academy (WKSA).
Hanshi Koos Burger, 9th Dan and Style head of SASKA

Over the next two decades, Hanshi Koos and senior SASKA instructors made the annual pilgrimage to Europe to train with Kase Sensei in order to learn his unique and unorthodox style of
Shotokan Karate-Do. Kase Ha, as it would later become known, promoted Shotokan Karate-Do as a pure form of Japanese
budo. A key feature of
Kase Ha is the extensive use of large scale, powerful open-handed techniques based on the movements of the Japanese katana (sword).
Since its inception in 1990 SASKA has developed into a highly-respected
karate and
martial art organisation both in South Africa and abroad. Success for SASKA
Karate in South Africa is reflected, in part, in the high technical standard of our yudansha (
black belt karateka) as well as the excellent results achieved by our karateka in national and international shihai (
karate competitions).
SASKA currently enjoys representation throughout South Africa as well as in the United States of America.
In addition to holding the position of style-head for SASKA, Hanshi Koos currently serves as a technical director for the International Shotokan-Ryu Karate-Do Shihankai (ISKS) and is also the Vice Presidentfor the World Union of Karate Federations (WUKF).
Affiliation
SASKA is affiliated to:
• World Union of Karate-Do Federations (WUKF).
• Hanshi Koos Burger serves as a Technical Director for the International Shotokan-Ryu Karate-Do Shihankai (ISKS).
Vision Statement
• Promote Shotokan Karate in its purest form to all of our members.
• Impart the highest standard of technical proficiency in Shotokan Karate to all of our members.
• Maintain Shotokan Karate as a form of budo and as a means to achieving a disciplined way of life.
This will be achieved through adherence to the ideals, principles and progressive technical standards set out by the South African Shotokan Karate Academy (SASKA), the International Shotokan-Ryu Karate-Do Shihankai (ISKS) and the World Union of Karate-Do Federations (
WUKF).
In pursuing our vision, we seek not to imitate the masters; rather we seek what they sought.
We invite you to browse through our website and if you have more
karate questions please feel free to contact us.
Hanshi Koos Burger burger@saska.co.za
WOMEN, MEN, CHILDREN AND SMALL KIDS CAN BE PART OF THE SASKA EXPERIENCE