Traditional Karate Center - Matawan Gojukan (TKC Dojo)
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, Olympic Karate, and traditional karate. The program includes instruction of IKGA karatedo, specialized instruction about Olympic/WKF rules of competition, conditioning and stretching for Olympic Karate, and training in Olympic Karate kata and kumite, along with coaching for Olympic Karate kumite and kata.
• 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 students are offered a free week. TKC Dojo gives 100% discount for life to active military and honorably or medically discharged veterans, who pay zero tuition forever. Significant discounts are offered for their family members.
Traditional Karate Center - Matawan Gojukan has been making champions in martial arts and in life the Miyagi way since 1994. The founder and Master Instructor, Michael Buttermark, began his karate instruction in 1982, and 2026 marks his 44th consecutive year studying Gojuryu Karatedo. TKC Dojo is an IKGA Certified School, and karate at this dojo is described as an Olympic and a Paralympic martial arts sport. TKC Dojo is described as New Jersey's most successful Olympic and Paralympic training center and as Jersey's Best Olympic Karate, and has transformed kids karate students from the Matawan, Keyport and Old Bridge area into national and international medalists.
The leadership team includes Michael Buttermark, Shihan, founder and Master Instructor of Traditional Karate Center; Konstantin Ozerinzky, Sensei and Medical Doctor; Torsten “TJ” Johnson, Sensei; and Gianna Buttermark, Senpai. Michael Buttermark is an IKGA-Licensed Sensei with the IKGA Master License and Title/License of Renshi Shihan, an IKGA Certified 6th Degree Black Belt (Rokudan), and has been a member of the International Karatedo Gojukai Association since 1987 and a Goju-ryu karatedo student since 1982. His competition record includes World Championships medals (Kata Silver and Kumite Bronze), International Championships (2 Gold, 1 Silver, 1 Bronze), Continental Championships at the 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 was inducted into the USA Karate Hall of Fame in 2022, holds an Associate of Arts degree from the College of Staten Island (CUNY), is a graduate of Moore Catholic High School, and is a U.S. Air Force veteran with an Honorable Discharge at the rank of E4/Sergeant/NCO.
Torsten “TJ” Johnson is an IKGA-Licensed Sensei with the rank of Sandan and the title Shidoin, and is a senior TKC instructor who has been continuously training and involved in Gojuryu Karatedo since 1995. His rank and credentials come from IKGA Hombu in Tokyo, Japan. For the USA-National Karate Federation, he has been both a competitor and a licensed official judge/referee, holding national level licenses as an A-Kumite Referee and B-Kata Judge, and he has won national titles in both kata and kumite. He has competed and/or officiated at IKGA World Championships in 1997 (Sao Paulo, Brazil – competitor), 2001 (Perth, Australia – Kata and Kumite Judge), 2005 (Rotterdam, Holland – Kata and Kumite Judge), and 2013 (Mumbai, India – Kata and Kumite Judge/Referee).
Konstantin Ozerinsky, MD, is an IKGA-Licensed Sensei with the rank of Sandan and the title Shidoin, and is a senior TKC instructor who has been continuously involved in Gojuryu Karatedo since 1999, with rank and credentials from IKGA Hombu in Tokyo, Japan. He attended and participated in the IKGA North American Block's Technical Training Camps in Vancouver (2008) and Calgary, Canada (2012). He holds a Doctor of Medicine degree from Drexel School of Medicine in Philadelphia, a BS in Bio-Medical Engineering from The College of New Jersey (TCNJ), and is a graduate of Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan, New York.
Gianna Buttermark has been a TKC student for 22 years, holds an IKGA Shodan first degree Black Belt, and has won several Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals at USA-NKF Nationals. She is a graduate of Brookdale Community College. The competition trainer at TKC Dojo has top credentials including induction into the USA Karate Hall of Fame 2022, being a 5-time national champion, a certified referee/judge, and a nationally certified coach. TKC Dojo is veteran owned and operated, and has the stated desire to welcome brothers and sisters in arms into their dojo home. TKC Dojo happily serves surrounding areas including Matawan, Aberdeen, Old Bridge, Keyport, Lawrence Harbor, Morganville, Parlin, South Amboy, Sayreville, Union Beach, Keansburg, and Cliffwood Beach. Walk-ins are always welcomed, and scheduling an appointment is recommended. New students receive a new uniform included with the offer of one month of karate classes for $50 following a free week. Parents are told that students can learn Japanese martial arts from a teaching master who has lived and extensively studied karatedo in Tokyo, Japan.
Last updated July 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 students are offered a free week. TKC Dojo gives 100% discount for life to active military and honorably or medically discharged veterans, who pay zero tuition forever. Significant discounts are offered for their family members.
Traditional Karate Center - Matawan Gojukan has been making champions in martial arts and in life the Miyagi way since 1994. The founder and Master Instructor, Michael Buttermark, began his karate instruction in 1982, and 2026 marks his 44th consecutive year studying Gojuryu Karatedo. TKC Dojo is an IKGA Certified School, and karate at this dojo is described as an Olympic and a Paralympic martial arts sport. TKC Dojo is described as New Jersey's most successful Olympic and Paralympic training center and as Jersey's Best Olympic Karate, and has transformed kids karate students from the Matawan, Keyport and Old Bridge area into national and international medalists.
The leadership team includes Michael Buttermark, Shihan, founder and Master Instructor of Traditional Karate Center; Konstantin Ozerinzky, Sensei and Medical Doctor; Torsten “TJ” Johnson, Sensei; and Gianna Buttermark, Senpai. Michael Buttermark is an IKGA-Licensed Sensei with the IKGA Master License and Title/License of Renshi Shihan, an IKGA Certified 6th Degree Black Belt (Rokudan), and has been a member of the International Karatedo Gojukai Association since 1987 and a Goju-ryu karatedo student since 1982. His competition record includes World Championships medals (Kata Silver and Kumite Bronze), International Championships (2 Gold, 1 Silver, 1 Bronze), Continental Championships at the 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 was inducted into the USA Karate Hall of Fame in 2022, holds an Associate of Arts degree from the College of Staten Island (CUNY), is a graduate of Moore Catholic High School, and is a U.S. Air Force veteran with an Honorable Discharge at the rank of E4/Sergeant/NCO.
Torsten “TJ” Johnson is an IKGA-Licensed Sensei with the rank of Sandan and the title Shidoin, and is a senior TKC instructor who has been continuously training and involved in Gojuryu Karatedo since 1995. His rank and credentials come from IKGA Hombu in Tokyo, Japan. For the USA-National Karate Federation, he has been both a competitor and a licensed official judge/referee, holding national level licenses as an A-Kumite Referee and B-Kata Judge, and he has won national titles in both kata and kumite. He has competed and/or officiated at IKGA World Championships in 1997 (Sao Paulo, Brazil – competitor), 2001 (Perth, Australia – Kata and Kumite Judge), 2005 (Rotterdam, Holland – Kata and Kumite Judge), and 2013 (Mumbai, India – Kata and Kumite Judge/Referee).
Konstantin Ozerinsky, MD, is an IKGA-Licensed Sensei with the rank of Sandan and the title Shidoin, and is a senior TKC instructor who has been continuously involved in Gojuryu Karatedo since 1999, with rank and credentials from IKGA Hombu in Tokyo, Japan. He attended and participated in the IKGA North American Block's Technical Training Camps in Vancouver (2008) and Calgary, Canada (2012). He holds a Doctor of Medicine degree from Drexel School of Medicine in Philadelphia, a BS in Bio-Medical Engineering from The College of New Jersey (TCNJ), and is a graduate of Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan, New York.
Gianna Buttermark has been a TKC student for 22 years, holds an IKGA Shodan first degree Black Belt, and has won several Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals at USA-NKF Nationals. She is a graduate of Brookdale Community College. The competition trainer at TKC Dojo has top credentials including induction into the USA Karate Hall of Fame 2022, being a 5-time national champion, a certified referee/judge, and a nationally certified coach. TKC Dojo is veteran owned and operated, and has the stated desire to welcome brothers and sisters in arms into their dojo home. TKC Dojo happily serves surrounding areas including Matawan, Aberdeen, Old Bridge, Keyport, Lawrence Harbor, Morganville, Parlin, South Amboy, Sayreville, Union Beach, Keansburg, and Cliffwood Beach. Walk-ins are always welcomed, and scheduling an appointment is recommended. New students receive a new uniform included with the offer of one month of karate classes for $50 following a free week. Parents are told that students can learn Japanese martial arts from a teaching master who has lived and extensively studied karatedo in Tokyo, Japan.
Last updated July 20, 2026.
Is this your business? There is no cost, but you will be asked to sign up or log in.