Adam Carter is a senior karate practitioner and teacher, recognised by Katsumi Tamaki Sensei as 8th Dan and granted the title of Hanshi. His connection to Shinjin-ryu Okinawa-te comes through Tamaki Sensei and the wider Tamaki family tradition.
Adam first trained with Tamaki Sensei in the United Kingdom in 1981, when Shinjin-ryu was being taught outside Japan through personal instruction and dojo practice. Many years later, that connection was renewed, leading to a process of recording, preserving, and continuing the tradition.
Katsumi Tamaki Sensei and Rhys Collins Sensei have both been important mentors to Adam and to Shuri Dojo, offering guidance, support, and continuity over many years.
Katsumi Tamaki Sensei later gave Adam permission to continue developing his own approach independently, outside the structure of Tamaki Sensei’s personal organisation. This was not a break from Shinjin-ryu, but a gesture of trust and goodwill.
As that independent work developed, it needed a name that could recognise the connection to Tamaki Sensei while also making clear that it was Adam’s own continuing expression of practice. That name was Shuhaku-den, given by Tamaki Sensei himself.
The name Shuhaku-den reflects shared transmission and continued practice. In this context, it also refers to material brought together from several Okinawan traditions, including Shuri-te, Naha-te, and Hakutsuru.
Shuhaku-den should therefore be understood as an independent expression of practice, permitted by Katsumi Tamaki Sensei, and connected to Shinjin-ryu Okinawa-te. It is not presented as a new style or as an addition to the Tamaki family lineage.
Its purpose is to carry forward what has been received, while allowing room for personal study, practical development, and honest examination. In this sense, it reflects the principle of On Ko Chi Shin (温故知新): studying the old in order to understand the new.
Adam’s work through Shuhaku-den remains grounded in preservation, continuity, responsibility, and respect for the people through whom the tradition has been passed on. It also reflects his continued support for Katsumi Tamaki Sensei, Shinjin-ryu Okinawa-te, and the wider Tamaki family tradition.
