Traditional Karate Center - Matawan Gojukan (TKC Dojo)
347 Matawan Road, G, Matawan, NJ 07747
About
Traditional Karate Center - Matawan Gojukan (TKC Dojo) offers instruction in karate, Japanese martial arts, and Gojuryu Karatedo. The program includes instruction of IKGA karatedo, specialized instruction about Olympic/WKF rules of competition, and training in Olympic Karate conditioning and stretching. Students also receive instruction and coaching for Olympic Karate kata and kumite, and the dojo includes opportunities in Paralympic martial arts sport.
• Ages: 5–18 years old
• Schedule: FALL 2025 thru SPRING 2026 schedule is in effect.
• Price: TKC Dojo offers ONE FREE WEEK to New Students followed by 1 Month of Karate Classes for just $50 (new uniform included).
Traditional Karate Center - Matawan Gojukan states the mission “Making Champions in Martial Arts & in Life the Miyagi way since 1994.” The dojo has been active since 1994, and 2026 marks founder and Master Instructor Michael Buttermark’s 44th consecutive year studying Gojuryu Karatedo, which he began as a teenager in 1982. TKC Dojo is described as an IKGA Certified School and as New Jersey’s most successful Olympic and Paralympic training center, and it notes that karate is both an Olympic and a Paralympic martial arts sport.
The leadership team includes founder and Master Instructor Michael Buttermark (Renshi Shihan, IKGA Rokudan), senior instructor Torsten “TJ” Johnson (IKGA-Licensed Sensei, Sandan, Shidoin), senior instructor Konstantin Ozerinsky, MD (IKGA-Licensed Sensei, IKGA Sandan, Shidoin), and Senpai Gianna Buttermark. Michael Buttermark is an IKGA-Licensed Sensei with an IKGA Master License (Renshi Shihan), IKGA Instructor License, and IKGA Certified 6th Degree Black Belt Rank (Rokudan), and he has been a member of the International Karatedo Gojukai Association since 1987 and a Goju-ryu karatedo student since 1982. His competition record includes induction into the USA Karate Hall of Fame in 2022 (for competition trainer), World Championships medals (Kata Silver and Kumite Bronze), International Championships (2 Gold, 1 Silver, 1 Bronze), Continental Championships – North American Cup on Team USA (Bronze in Kumite), National Championships (4 Gold, 1 Silver, 2 Bronze), and Military Championships (4 Gold, 1 Silver, 1 Bronze). He is the founder of Traditional Karate Center - Matawan Gojukan, has an Associate of Arts from the College of Staten Island (CUNY), attended Moore Catholic High School, and served in the US Air Force with an Honorable Discharge at the rank of E4/Sergeant/NCO.
Torsten “TJ” Johnson is an IKGA-Licensed Sensei (Sandan, Shidoin) and TKC senior instructor who has been continuously training and involved in Gojuryu Karatedo since 1995, with rank and credentials from IKGA Hombu in Tokyo, Japan. He holds IKGA Sandan rank, an IKGA Instructor License, and the IKGA Title of Shodoin, and for the USA-National Karate Federation he has been both a competitor and a licensed official judge/referee with national level licenses as an A-Kumite Referee and B-Kata Judge. He has won national titles in both kata and kumite and has competed and/or officiated at several IKGA World Championships, including 1997 Sao Paulo (competitor), 2001 Perth (Kata & Kumite Judge), 2005 Rotterdam (Kata & Kumite Judge), and 2013 Mumbai (Kata & Kumite Judge/Referee).
Konstantin Ozerinsky, MD, is an IKGA-Licensed Sensei (IKGA Sandan, Shidoin) and senior TKC instructor who has been continuously involved in Gojuryu Karatedo since 1999, with rank and credentials from IKGA Hombu in Tokyo, Japan. He holds IKGA Sandan rank, an IKGA Instructor License, and the IKGA Shidoin Title, and he attended and participated in the IKGA North American Block’s Technical Training Camps in Vancouver (2008) and Calgary (2012). His academic background includes a Doctor of Medicine from Drexel School of Medicine in Philadelphia, a BS in Bio-Medical Engineering from The College of New Jersey (TCNJ), and graduation from Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan, New York. Gianna Buttermark has been a TKC student for 22 years, holds IKGA Shodan (first degree Black Belt), has won several Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals at USA-NKF Nationals, and is a graduate of Brookdale Community College.
TKC Dojo notes that it is a Veteran owned and operated small business. It gives a 100% discount for life (free martial art and karate lessons) to active military and honorably or medically discharged veterans, who pay zero tuition forever, and it offers significant discounts for family members of active military and veterans. The dojo states that it has transformed kids karate students from the Matawan, Keyport, and Old Bridge area into national and international medalists, and that it offers Japanese martial arts instruction from a teaching master who has lived and extensively studied karatedo in Tokyo, Japan. TKC Dojo is described as offering authentic Japanese karate, with options from kids karate to adults, and notes that walk-ins are always welcomed, while scheduling an appointment is recommended so staff can welcome visitors and answer questions. The program states that new students receive one free week, followed by one month of karate classes for $50 with a new uniform included, and that the site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Last updated January 20, 2026.
• Ages: 5–18 years old
• Schedule: FALL 2025 thru SPRING 2026 schedule is in effect.
• Price: TKC Dojo offers ONE FREE WEEK to New Students followed by 1 Month of Karate Classes for just $50 (new uniform included).
Traditional Karate Center - Matawan Gojukan states the mission “Making Champions in Martial Arts & in Life the Miyagi way since 1994.” The dojo has been active since 1994, and 2026 marks founder and Master Instructor Michael Buttermark’s 44th consecutive year studying Gojuryu Karatedo, which he began as a teenager in 1982. TKC Dojo is described as an IKGA Certified School and as New Jersey’s most successful Olympic and Paralympic training center, and it notes that karate is both an Olympic and a Paralympic martial arts sport.
The leadership team includes founder and Master Instructor Michael Buttermark (Renshi Shihan, IKGA Rokudan), senior instructor Torsten “TJ” Johnson (IKGA-Licensed Sensei, Sandan, Shidoin), senior instructor Konstantin Ozerinsky, MD (IKGA-Licensed Sensei, IKGA Sandan, Shidoin), and Senpai Gianna Buttermark. Michael Buttermark is an IKGA-Licensed Sensei with an IKGA Master License (Renshi Shihan), IKGA Instructor License, and IKGA Certified 6th Degree Black Belt Rank (Rokudan), and he has been a member of the International Karatedo Gojukai Association since 1987 and a Goju-ryu karatedo student since 1982. His competition record includes induction into the USA Karate Hall of Fame in 2022 (for competition trainer), World Championships medals (Kata Silver and Kumite Bronze), International Championships (2 Gold, 1 Silver, 1 Bronze), Continental Championships – North American Cup on Team USA (Bronze in Kumite), National Championships (4 Gold, 1 Silver, 2 Bronze), and Military Championships (4 Gold, 1 Silver, 1 Bronze). He is the founder of Traditional Karate Center - Matawan Gojukan, has an Associate of Arts from the College of Staten Island (CUNY), attended Moore Catholic High School, and served in the US Air Force with an Honorable Discharge at the rank of E4/Sergeant/NCO.
Torsten “TJ” Johnson is an IKGA-Licensed Sensei (Sandan, Shidoin) and TKC senior instructor who has been continuously training and involved in Gojuryu Karatedo since 1995, with rank and credentials from IKGA Hombu in Tokyo, Japan. He holds IKGA Sandan rank, an IKGA Instructor License, and the IKGA Title of Shodoin, and for the USA-National Karate Federation he has been both a competitor and a licensed official judge/referee with national level licenses as an A-Kumite Referee and B-Kata Judge. He has won national titles in both kata and kumite and has competed and/or officiated at several IKGA World Championships, including 1997 Sao Paulo (competitor), 2001 Perth (Kata & Kumite Judge), 2005 Rotterdam (Kata & Kumite Judge), and 2013 Mumbai (Kata & Kumite Judge/Referee).
Konstantin Ozerinsky, MD, is an IKGA-Licensed Sensei (IKGA Sandan, Shidoin) and senior TKC instructor who has been continuously involved in Gojuryu Karatedo since 1999, with rank and credentials from IKGA Hombu in Tokyo, Japan. He holds IKGA Sandan rank, an IKGA Instructor License, and the IKGA Shidoin Title, and he attended and participated in the IKGA North American Block’s Technical Training Camps in Vancouver (2008) and Calgary (2012). His academic background includes a Doctor of Medicine from Drexel School of Medicine in Philadelphia, a BS in Bio-Medical Engineering from The College of New Jersey (TCNJ), and graduation from Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan, New York. Gianna Buttermark has been a TKC student for 22 years, holds IKGA Shodan (first degree Black Belt), has won several Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals at USA-NKF Nationals, and is a graduate of Brookdale Community College.
TKC Dojo notes that it is a Veteran owned and operated small business. It gives a 100% discount for life (free martial art and karate lessons) to active military and honorably or medically discharged veterans, who pay zero tuition forever, and it offers significant discounts for family members of active military and veterans. The dojo states that it has transformed kids karate students from the Matawan, Keyport, and Old Bridge area into national and international medalists, and that it offers Japanese martial arts instruction from a teaching master who has lived and extensively studied karatedo in Tokyo, Japan. TKC Dojo is described as offering authentic Japanese karate, with options from kids karate to adults, and notes that walk-ins are always welcomed, while scheduling an appointment is recommended so staff can welcome visitors and answer questions. The program states that new students receive one free week, followed by one month of karate classes for $50 with a new uniform included, and that the site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Last updated January 20, 2026.
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