Soke Heinz Köhnen Memorial Seminar

20. May 2026 · Dominik Lübben

On May 16th, the second annual Heinz Köhnen Memorial Seminar was held in Oberwolfach, located in the Black Forest. Why Oberwolfach? Because that is where Soke Heinz is buried, after having spent two-thirds of his life in Freiburg im Breisgau. Fittingly, the seminar began with a group visit to his grave to honor Soke Heinz’s life’s work.

That is also where I first met him and learned most of what I know today. Because of that, making the long trek across Germany from Berlin is a given for me. After all, without him, the Kiryoku Dojo wouldn’t even exist. I was thrilled that we had such a great turnout this year—11 people in total who were willing and able to make the long journey, not only to honor Soke Heinz Köhnen but also to focus on their own personal growth.

Everyone had a blast at the memorial seminar and walked away with a lot of great insights that will really fast-track their martial arts journey. We are already looking forward to next year, hopefully with an even bigger turnout.