Outstanding Instructors
Decades of Experience
Colorado Budokan provides an outstanding group of instructors from a wide range of backgrounds. They include United States National Karate Federation Team members, certified referees and judges, numerous National and International Championship medalists, and sports medicine professionals and fitness trainers.
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Isao Gary Tsutsui
Head Instructor
The Head Instructor of Colorado Budokan is Mr. Isao Gary Tsutsui. He was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1946 and moved to Denver, Colorado when he was six months old. He began his formal training in the art of karate in 1965 in Shotokan karate under Mr. Yutaka Yaguchi and Mr. Joseph Castillo of the Japan Karate Association of Colorado. After five years of Japan Karate Association training he moved to Irvine, California. He trained under Mr. Kiyoshi Yamazaki, karate master in Shindo Jinen ryu and weapons expert from 1970-2007.
During the period from 1970-79 Mr. Tsutsui completed his Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree at the University of California, Irvine, taught photography and serigraphy for the UC Irvine Recreation Department, and was head instructor of the UC Irvine Karate Club. He moved back to the Denver area in the fall of 1979. He is a 7th degree black belt and recognized as Kyoshi (a teaching title). He teaches karate at Colorado Budokan, his main dojo, in Denver Colorado, and travels extensively teaching technical seminars and officiating at tournaments around the country.
Mr. Tsutsui was a bronze medalist at the Fourth World Union of Karate-do Organizations (now named World Karate Federation) World Championships in Tokyo, Japan in 1977. He is the first, and one of only three American males to ever medal in individual kata competition in the World Karate Federation World Championships. He was four times a United States Karate Team member from 1977-1980. In July 2001 he was inducted into the USA National Karate-do Federation (USANKF) Traditional Karate Hall of Fame.
Mr. Tsutsui has certified as a World Karate Federation kumite referee, World Karate Federation kata judge, a Pan American Karate Federation kumite referee, and a Pan American Karate Federation kata judge. He is former Chairman of the Referee Council for the USA National Karate-do Federation and has served as Regional Vice-President.
Mr. Tsutsui is also a member of the Advisory Board of the Colorado Governor’s Council for Physical Fitness.
Candice Tsutsui, MPT
Assistant Head Instructor & Program Director
Assistant Head Instructor & Program Director
Mrs. Candice Rei Tsutsui is the Assistant Head Instructor of Colorado Budokan. She was born in Seattle, Washington in 1956, moved to Kenwood, California when she was 3 months old, moved to Grants Pass, Oregon in 1965, and then to Denver, Colorado in 1970.
Mrs. Tsutsui holds a B.A. in Physical Education with Emphasis in Athletic Training from Metropolitan State College and a Masters of Physical Therapy (MPT) degree from Northern Arizona University.
Mrs. Tsutsui began her formal karate training under Isao Gary Tsutsui in 1981, she currently holds a 6th degree black belt in Shotokan karate and is recognized as Renshi (a teaching title). She is a Konishi Cup Grand Champion and multiple Gold medal winner, and has lectured as an educator.
Mrs. Tsutsui also holds a third degree black belt in Naginata-do (All Japan Naginata Federation) and is licensed as a USA National Karate-do Federation kumite referee and kata judge and frequently officiates at tournaments.
In addition to actively teaching, Mrs. Tsutsui assists with implementing exams, administration of Colorado Budokan curriculum, and coordinates the annual Friendship Cup Karate Tournament.
Mrs. Tsutsui’s formal education in anatomy, kinesiology, nutrition, and rehabilitation, in combination with her successful competition experience makes her unusually qualified in teaching karate and naginata.
Akemi Tsutsui
Assistant Instructor
Akemi Tsutsui-Kunitake was born in Denver, Colorado and began her formal Shotokan karate training under her father, Sensei Isao Gary Tsutsui in 1997. She currently holds a 3rd degree black belt in Shotokan Karate. Growing up in a karate family and immersed in the principles of karate-do, she has truly experienced karate as a way of life. She views her relationship with karate as a life-long endeavor and fully appreciates how the martial art is constructed to build strong moral character through the hard work and discipline required to execute the physical aspects of karate.
In addition to having a strong Shotokan base from her training with Sensei Tsutsui, Akemi has been fortunate to train with karate masters of different styles, namely Sensei Barbara Maile Chinen-Koncal (Shito-Ryu), Sensei Shin Tsukii (Goju-Ryu) and Sensei Tomohiro Arashiro (Ryuei-Ryu).
Her diverse experience in kata of different styles has contributed to her great respect for the karate community as a whole.
Akemi competes regularly and has medaled in the Junior International Cup, USA Open, USANKF/USA Karate Nationals, and countless local, national, international events. She is a former USA Karate Senior Team member and balances her life as an athlete with working as an artist and small business owner. In addition to teaching at Colorado Budokan, she also instructs at Colorado School of Mines.
Akemi enjoys teaching karate out of a genuine love of the art. In her own training she enjoys exploring the complexity of transitions and how to present the kata in a way that most clearly communicates the intentions of the fighter. She enjoys transferring this knowledge to her students and works for those moments when a challenging technique or concept is actualized by a student.
Akemi holds a Bachelor of Arts in Ethnic Studies from the University of Colorado, Denver.
Megan Cicchetti
Assistant Instructor
Ms. Megan Cicchetti started training with Tsutsui Sensei at the age of 7 in 1994. Through her years training under him, she holds a 3rd degree black belt and is the lead instructor for the Colorado Budokan program at the Goodson Rec Center. She began competing at an early age locally and continued to train for higher competition at the age of 13. In 2001 she competed at the Konishi Cup in Tokyo, Japan where she received her Shodan (first degree) and won a gold medal in women’s kata. From there her love of competition and budo transpired into an athletic career on the Jr. National Team from 2003-2007 and as a Senior member of the National Team from 2007-2016 as a kata and kumite athlete.
In addition to competing in local and regional tournaments, Megan has medaled and competed in events all over the world including; USANKF Junior Olympics, National Championships, US Team Trials, Junior & Senior Pan American Championships, North America Cup and Shotokan World Championships.
From an early age, karate-do has acted as a guiding principle for her physical, emotional and spiritual development. Shadowing Tsutsui Sensei’s teaching programs from a young age, it taught her to always continue to be a student of the art and the importance of passing on the history of karate-do.
Megan loves teaching and enjoys helping students improve their skills and reach their personal goals as they develop when the student is having fun and shows their karate-do spirit both in and out of the dojo to improve their everyday life.
In addition to being a teacher and student at Colorado Budokan, she also holds a bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science from Metro State University, Denver. Megan has been a certified Strength & Conditioning Coach at Landow Performance in Centennial since 2018. She is also one of two National Strength & Conditioning Coaches for USA Karate.