•  Founder: Odo (The champion's way) Karate
•  Sponsor: All-Japan Point & K.O. Karate Tournament
•  Author: Odo no Karate
•  1st World Open Karate Tournament Champion
•  2-time All-Japan Karate Tournament Champion

Born on the island of Sakhalin on April 4, 1946, in 1947 his family moved to Nakoso, in Fukushima Prefecture, and it was there that he spent his childhood days. Following that, he went to Tokyo, and in high school joined a judo club, where he was a key "point-getter" (scorer) in team competitions.

After graduating, he went to work for the Kyodo News Service as a journalist, and also took evening classes at Chuo University. With dreams of becoming an instructor and promoting judo overseas, he trained dilligently in judo at the Kodokan and at the Mitaka police station.

However, at the age of 20, he injured his knee and shoulder, and had to give up judo. It was then that he began his training in Kyokushin karate. At that time, in the field of karate, he had an exceptional build, and with the advantage of a foundation forged through judo, within six months he was a brown belt, and in one year he had attained his black belt.

His first competitive appearance was in the Kyokushinkai-sponsored 2^nd Annual All Japan Karate Tournament held in 1970, but he lost by a knockout from a left roundhouse kick to the chin by the eventual champion of the tournament, Kazuyuki Hasegawa. Springing back from that defeat, he trained even harder, and in the 3^rd All Japan Tournament in 1971, he emerged as the tournament champion.

At that time, in Ikki Kajiwara's famous manga, "Karate Baka Ichidai", the author described Mr. Sato as a judo practioner from the Kodokan who came to challenge the karateka [in the 2nd All-Japan Karate Tournament]. Karateka, who were often portrayed as villians at that time, felt gratified [for this positive portrayal]. Unfortunately, many readers confused the fiction of this work with reality, which created some problems for Mr. Sato in the judo world.

In 1974, for the second time, he emerged victorious from the Sixth All Japan Tournament, and went on to become the first world champion in the First World Open Karate Tournament in 1975.

Before the First World Tournament, he went on a tour of the United States. It was a time when, while training inside the dojo, grabbing and throwing techniques were tolerated, although they were forbidden in the First World Tournament. In sparring foreign competitors, when the punches and kicks of the Japanese were not sufficient, judo throwing techniques were often effective. He was simultaneously striving to restrain the "mental recklessness" (wildness) of the foreign competitors, preserve the honor of Japan as the originator (of this martial art), and to train Japanese competitors to overcome their power disadvantage (to the foreigners).

"Because of the strength I had developed through my years of training in judo, I was also competitive in karate. And because of my judo techniques, I was able to be competitive even at a world-class level," recalled Mr. Sato, thinking back to those days.

After the First World Tournament, he retired and withdrew from the Kyokushinkai organization. At first, he devoted himself fully to the responsibilities of running the family business. But as a result of calls from those around him looking for instruction from the first world champion, in 1977 he founded Satojuku in the Mitaka area of Tokyo.

He split off from the Kyokushinkai organization without prideful arrogance in his achievements as a preeminent martial arts competitor and opened a private dojo without aspirations of large-scale expansion. That he rejects the idea of exploiting his karate fame for personal gain is consistent with the selfless principles by which he lives.

Martial arts and safety are contradictory by definition. Competition which emphasizes safety dilutes the intensiveness of martial arts. If you pursue true martial arts, there will be a safety problem. It is difficult to find a point of compromise between martial arts and safety.

However, by restricting grabbing attacks, repetitive low kicks, and techniques intended to inflict severe injury, you could still have the intensity of martial arts while recognizing the need for some safety. The tournament rules of Satojuku, known as "Point and K.O.", are intended to develop a highly precise karate style.

With the aim of "extracting unsuspected potential", he devotes himself to providing guidance and direction to youth and to training instructors. The words of Jigoro Kano, the founder of judo, "use your energies for a good purpose" and "oneself and others prosper together", along with the phrase "trust and gratitude" hang in frames on the walls of his dojo.