Paul Keller:

Paul D. Keller was born in New York, New York and grew up in Columbus, Ohio. His training in the Matsubayashi Shorin-ryu system under Shoshin Nagamine and Gary Tiktin began when he was 11 years old. Mr. Keller had also trained with Takayoshi Nagamine, son of Shoshin Nagamine, the founder of Shorin-ryu karate, and with Shorin-ryu masters Tadashi Yamashita and Chotoku Omine. Since then, Mr. Keller has trained with a number of other top karate instructors, including Morio Higaonna, Teruo Chinen, and Chuck Merriman of Goju-ryu, Mario “Big M” Medious and Glen Premru of Shorin-ryu.

Mr. Keller started his t’ai chi training in 1979 with Daniel Weng. He began studying Chi Gung (qigong) in 2002 with Fred Gordon and Bruce Kumar Frantzis.

Mr. Keller won national recognition for his expertise in Okinawan weaponry through exhibitions and by winning first place at key tournaments throughout the country. In 1975, Mr. Keller was selected among the top twenty karate and kung fu stars by Official Karate magazine after winning several of the nation’s most prestigious competitions, including the USKA Grand Nationals.

Mr. Keller received his first degree black belt under the American Karate Federation in 1966. In 1973, the Okinawan Karate Federation bestowed the rank of fourth degree black belt in Shorin-ryu and third degree black belt in weaponry on Mr. Keller. In 1980, his rank was upgraded to fifth degree in Shorin-ryu and fourth degree in weaponry. Mr. Keller received his sixth degree in September 1983 and his seventh degree in February 1990. Most recently in a presentation given by Mike Hixon Sr., 9th degree black belt and one of the very first Americans to study Matsubayashi Shorin-ryu karate, promoted Mr. Keller to 8th degree black belt in Matsubayashi Shorin-ryu karate and given the prestigious title of Hanshi. In July 1987, Mr. Keller earned a first degree black belt in Muso Shinden-ryu Iaido (the art of drawing and cutting with the Japanese sword) under Shihan Takeshi Mitsuzuka and Sensei John Prough. At the 1988 ASKA Winter Camp, he was awarded the title of “Papa Paul,” and at the 1988 ASKA Summer Budo Camp received the rank of fifth degree black belt in weaponry.

Mr. Keller has participated as a defensive tactics instructor at the Ohio Peace Officers Training Academy in London, Ohio. He has sponsored several defensive tactics clinics for peace officer survival skills and effectiveness. Mr. Keller was an associate instructor of Dr. Richard Kobetz’s world-renowned Executive Protection Institute.

In 1983, Mr. Keller applied his skills in executive/VIP protection by joining the administrative staff of Forbes magazine in New York, where he was responsible for the care and personal protection of Malcolm S. Forbes, Sr., Chairman and Editor-in-Chief. He continued to serve Mrs. Roberta Forbes until her death in 1994. Since then, Mr. Keller has been a private entrepreneur, developing and operating companies ranging from Sleeping Indian Designs, maker of fine woolen cold weather hunting clothing, Expand Cellular, pioneer in cell phone directory applications, to the Jackson Hole Net Magazine and Travel Wizard, both e-commerce related activities. Mr. Keller currently teaches karate and martial arts full time at the west coast Honbu Dojo in Beaverton/Portland, Oregon.

Mr. Keller was honored by the U.S. Olympic Committee to run the Olympic Torch on its journey to Salt Lake City for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games.  The theme of the Olympics and the Torch Run was “Light the Fire Within” and selection to be a Torchbearer was based on the inspirational stories told to the Committee by Mr. Keller’s many students over the years describing how their lives were inspired and impacted by his teaching.

Mr. Keller earned a B.A. degree in Russian Language and Literature, following a study tour of the former Soviet Union. He earned an M.A. in physical education, specializing in Movement Arts. Both degrees were obtained at The Ohio State University. He served at OSU as an Associate Instructor in the Physical Education Department and was head instructor of The Ohio State University Karate Club for fifteen years. He founded and headed the Columbus Karate Academy from 1973 to 1978 and the American Karate Academy from 1983-1991. In 1988, he established the Wyoming Karate Club in Jackson Hole, WY where he also taught Iaido and t’ai chi ch’uan (taijiquan). In 2011-2012 Mr. Keller attended Sports Management Worldwide headquartered in Portland, Oregon and earned his Certification in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) Sports Management.

Mr. Keller Co-Authored American Shorin-Ryu Karate Association, A Manual For Students and Instructors and is a contributor to “Sensei: A Handbook for ASKA Instructors and Their Students” (2001) and “I Remember When” (2003).  While teaching a meditation and tai chi program at Hazelden Springbrook in Newberg, Oregon, Mr. Keller published  “Gentle Chi®: Progressive Movements Into Balancing Your Life (2009),”  intended to aide and support patients following the 12 Step treatment and recovery process.

The American Shorin-Ryu Karate Association

Mission Statement

Transforming and Empowering Each and Every Student ®

The ASKA is dedicated to helping our students, instructors, and employees pursue unparalleled individual growth and positive personal transformation as they pursue and attain excellence through our black belt leadership programs. The ASKA certifies instructors and students in the art of Okinawan karate and related martial arts. Individual empowerment and personal transformation are the main focus of our curriculum and the cornerstones of our business ethic. The ASKA incorporates and maintains the highest professional standards while challenging all members to achieve their very best in all that they do. Among our embraced values are respect, discipline, confidence, achievement and leadership. The ASKA belt ranking structure is designed to highly motivate and reward the student’s attainment of his or her personal goals. The coveted black belt is the main symbol that embodies and recognizes our members’ highest achievements in their on-going pursuit and commitment to excellence.

Life without John Hideo Houston is incomprehensible. This world will indeed be a duller place to live. But I find solace in the manner in which he lived and in the end how he attained the ultimate goal of honor.

Duty, honor, country. They are but mere words but to my brother it was a way of life. John was samurai in the truest sense of the word. A samurai lives and dies by a code of ethics known as bushido, the way of the warrior. Nearly ten years ago on my eighteenth birthday, John wrote to me explaining the virtues which comprise the code of bushhido:

1. Courage – a spirit of daring and bearing deemed worth when in the cause of righteousness.
2. Benevolence – the feeling and understanding of distress
3. Veracity and sincerity – essential to all other characteristics.
4. Politness – the outward manifestation of sympathetic regard for the feeling of others.
5. Self-control – apparent stoicism and self-restraint.
6. Loyalty – a life is a means of loyalty to family, friends and country.
7. Justice – the power to decide on a certain course without wavering.
8. Honor – a vivd consciousness of personal dignity and worth. However, honor is attained by giving a life for a cause dearer than life.

These are the virtues my brother strove to achieve and achieve them he did. He was a samurai.Some may say John’s death was in vain. On the contrary. For you see. John so dearly loved this country of ours that he endured the supreme sacrifice. What more fitting way for a warrior to die than in service to his country. Let us not mourn John’s death, but let us rejoice, for he died as a Marine Aviator doing his duty, thereby attaining honor. I am proud to say that my brother died as a samurai. As an old Japanese saying goes “as amoung flowers the cherry blossom is the queen, so it is amoung men the samurai is king.”

“Abayo Hidechan”