Shiraoka was founded by Gareth Spiers in April 2008.
A student of Taiseidokai Kendo Club in Glasgow and a resident of Hamilton, Gareth wanted to expand the Kendo population by give people in the Hamilton/Motherwell area a local club.
The clubs first venue was Whitehill Community Centre in the Whitehill Area of Hamilton and so when searching for a name it seems a fairly obvious choice to translate Whitehill into Japanese and hence “Shiraoka Kendo Kai” or Whitehill Kendo Association was born.
The name Shiraoka gave the club the opportunity to use some classic japanese iconography and a quick sketch later the club had a “mon” (logo/crest) in the form of a white hill symbol with a resemblance to Mt Fuji.
The club moved venue to the Sir Matt Busby Sports Complex in the early 2010’s
Senior Instructors
Gareth Spiers
Rokudan (6th dan)
National Level Coach
Gareth started Kendo in 2004. He initially learnt in Manchester at K.N.M.S and Doshinkenyukai.
In 2005 he moved to Hamilton and started training at Taiseidokai in Glasgow.
He founded Shiraoka in 2008.
He has taught at various BKA and Dojo seminars over the years.
Taz Hassam
Yondan (4th dan)
Level 2 Coach
Taz began practicing kendo in 2008 at the University of Aberdeen, where he trained with and later served as President of the Aberdeen University Kendo Club. Following his graduation, he went on to act as President and Coach of Aberdeen Kendo Club from 2011 to 2019, while also supporting the university club as a coach. During this time, he was involved in promoting kendo locally through events such as the early Thistle Cup and Japan Day, as well as through regular participation in seminars and competitions. In 2019, he moved to Glasgow and joined Shiraoka Kendo Kai, where he continues his kendo practice.
Taz was recently selected for the Scottish team.
Daniel Lafferty
Yondan (4th Dan)
Level 2 Coach
Daniel started kendo in 2011 at Strathclyde University, serving as club captain and representing the University in competition. He also attended training at taisidokai. In 2015 he started attending Shiraoka and it quickly became his main club.
Assistant Instructors
Sam Dawson
Nidan (2nd dan)
Level 1 Coach
Sam started practicing Kendo with Shirokoa in 2022 and quickly fell in love with it. Since then, he’s progressed to become a coach, helping out with sessions and beginner courses. He has also had the opportunity to represent Scotland in various competitions.
David Liinamaa-Graham
Nidan (2nd dan)
Level 1 Coach
David started his Kendo journey with one of Shiraoka’s beginners courses just after lockdown was lifted in 2021 and has remained with the club since then helping out as an assistant coach.
Sarah Allwood-Spiers
Nidan (2nd dan)
Level 1 Coach
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