Sensei Paul Ortino Jr.

Sensei Paul Ortino, Jr. is presently an 8^th Degree Black Belt under Grand Master Seikichi Odo. Formally the Hawaii State representative for the O.K.K.K.F., Sensei Ortino is the senior instructor under Master Odo in Hawaii. He began his martial arts training in Judo in 1968. In 1969, he studied for a short while under Sensei George Dillman (Okinawa Kenpo). In 1970, he studied Tae Kwon Do under Kyosa Robert Dunn in Pennsylvania.

While in college at UNC-G from 1972 to 1974, he studied Shotokan under Sensei Charlie Lewchalermwong and Pai Lum Kung Fu under Sifu Don Howard. It was in 1974 when Sensei Ortino began training under Shihan Al Smith of the Red Dragon System. He achieved his Shodan, Nidan and Sandan under his direction over the next eight years.

Sensei Ortino opened his first dojo in 1975, and has been teaching ever since. Sensei Ortino has dojos throughout the United States and Japan. His brother, Sensei Victor Ortino (5^th Dan) (Naples, Florida) is presently teaching under the guidance of Shihan Richard Gonzalez (8^th Dan). Sensei Gonzalez, along with Master Odo are the Sensei Ortinos’ present instructors in Okinawa Kenpo.

In competition, Sensei Ortino has been a top competitor along the East Coast in the 60’s and 70’s, as well as being rated in the 80’s and 90’s by the Hawaii Karate Congress in Kata, Kumite, and Kobudo in both the open as well as the 35 and over Division.

Sensei Ortino has been the Commissioner for the Aloha State Games (Karate) since 1990. He is  the president of the Hawaii Karate Congress (H.K.C.).  He is also a member of the Hawaii Karate Kodanshakai and the A.A.U. He is considered among the finest teachers in the State of Hawaii and has been teaching for all branches of the military since 1980.