was founded by David Griffin in September of 1981 and operated out of the old Windsor Regional High School on Wentworth Road as part of the continuing education program. As the club grew, the program began to expand.
In July of 1988, David and Theresa Griffin purchased the old Mapleton Hall in Three Mile plains. At the time, the building was unoccupied and had not been used for several years. The building had been neglected and its condition had deteriorated significantly. There were several places where the roof had collapsed, and portions of the structure had begun to show the effects of prolonged exposure to the elements. In addition, the foundation was cracked in several places, and it was feared that if not repaired immediately, the building might collapse. The students and parents worked tirelessly for the remainder of the summer and well into the fall repairing and bringing the old building back to life. Classes resumed in September of 1988 however there was still much work to be done. With the most pressing and immediate projects completed, work and renovation continued over the next few years with items being tackled on an as-needed basis, when the money was available.
The style of Karate practised at the Windsor Karate Club is Shito-Ryu which has a rich and colourful history as well as an interesting and complex curriculum. The style originally practised at the club was Chito-ryu which although phonetically similar to Shito-Ryu are vastly different. Chito-Ryu was practised at the Windsor Karate Club from it's founding to about 1997 when Sensei David Akutagawa, our former Chief Instructor for Canada, left the Canadian Chito-Kai Association and formed Renshikan Karate-do International. The changing of styles was slow and difficult and it took about 5 years fully assimilate the new methodology and curriculum. In October of 2008 Sensei Akutagawa passed away suddenly and tragically and the technical responsibilities of Renshikan fell to its senior students.
In 2013 The Windsor Karate Club became the Head Dojo and training centre for Shito-Ryu Karate Nova Scotia as members of Shito-Ryu Karate Canada. Shito-Ryu Karate Canada was founded by Sensei Allen Tanzadeh of Toronto who is also the Technical director.
The Windsor Karate Club is the oldest Martial Arts School in Hants County. David Griffin retired as head instructor in January of 2022 and left the club to a dedicated group of his senior students. All instructors are well trained and experienced black belts. Many of our students have competed Provincially, Regionally and Nationally and some have gone on to represent Canada at international events.