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Karate and Weapons
Wado
Kyokushinkai
Renshinkai
Shotokan

 

Shotokan Karate

Master Gichin Funakoshi (1868 - 1957)

 

Master Gichin Funakoshi is widely considered the "father" of modern karate due  to his efforts to introduce the Okinawan art to mainland Japan, from where it spread to the rest  of the world.

 Born in 1868, he began to study karate at the age of 11, and was a  student  of the two    greatest masters of the time, Azato and Itosu. Training in Karate at the time was conducted  under the utmost secrecy with no one teaching or training openly the way it is today. For  this reason books or early written records of the art are almost nonexistent. It was  unthinkable that karate should be displayed in public exhibition. With the beginning of the  Meiji period [1868-1912] the formal education system and military conscription were  inaugurated, and during the physical examination of the new draughts and students, those  young men with Karate training were recognizable at a glance and greatly impressed the  examining doctors with their well balanced limb development and clearly defined muscular  development. Then some time later, the commissioner of public schools, Shintaro Ogawa strongly recommended in a report to the Ministry of Education at the time, that the physical education programmes of the formal schools and the first public high school of Okinawa Prefecture include Karate as part of their training. This recommendation was excepted and initiated by these schools in 1902. In 1906 Sensei Funakoshi and  a few friends formed a group to give public demonstrations, and together they toured Okinawa. This was probably the first time Karate demonstrations had been held in public places. In particular, at an opening ceremony of the then new prefecture building, to which many prominent people were invited. Sensei Funakoshi was requested to lead a group of five outstanding masters of  Karate in a demonstration of this unique martial art . Master Funakoshi was the first expert to introduce karate-do to mainland Japan. In 1916  he gave a demonstration to the Butokuden in Kyoto, Japan, which at that time was the  official centre of all martial arts. On March 6, 1921, the Crown Prince, who was later to become the Emperor of Japan, visited Okinawa and Master Funakoshi was asked to demonstrate karate. In the early spring of 1922 Master Funakoshi travelled to Tokyo to present his art at the First National Athletic Exhibition in Tokyo organized by the Ministry of Education. He was strongly urged by several eminent groups and individuals to remain in Japan, and indeed he never did return to Okinawa.

Master Funakoshi taught only one method, a total discipline, which represented a synthesis of Okinawan karate styles.

By 1936, the karate movement started by Funakoshi was gaining strength. Funakoshi established and taught at more than 30 clubs on college campuses and at commercial businesses. Funakoshi's students opened the first freestanding karate training hall (dojo) in 1936. Funakoshi vividly recalls the opening. "In the spring of 1936, I entered for the first time the new dojo and saw over the door a signboard bearing the dojo's new name: Shoto-kan." Shotokan, literally meant the clan or the house of Shoto, which was the Master's pen name for his poetry, denoting the sound of the wind blowing through pines. Hence, the official beginning of Shotokan Karate. Funakoshi regretted the naming of the dojo for one reason: as time passed, Japanese society began to refer to him and his students as the Shotokan school. Classification greatly disturbed Funakoshi because the idea of viewing the karate he taught as a separate school went against the true goal of Karate-do. Karate-do should be one art, not many separate styles, so that it may progress with humankind. 

Regardless of Funakoshi's strong beliefs, today Shotokan Karate is the style of karate recognized across the world as the martial art he introduced to Japan in 1922.

Funakoshi summarizes the philosophy behind Shotokan training in his Dojo Kun (Training Hall Code of Ethics):

Hitotsu! Jinkaku kansei ni tsutomuru koto! Seek Perfection of Character!
Hitotsu! Makoto no michi o mamoru koto! Be Faithful!
Hitotsu! Doryoku no seichin o yashinau koto! Endeavor!
Hitotsu! Reigi o omonzuru koto! Respect Others!
Hitotsu! Kekki no yu o imashimuru koto! Refrain From Violent Behavior!

 Training involves body and spirit and most importantly, one should treat his opponent courteously and with the proper etiquette. The first purpose in pursuing Shotokan is to develop a spirit of humility. Shotokan Karate does not train individuals to solve problems through fighting. On the contrary, the highest achievement in Shotokan is to learn to resolve conflicts without violence.

Shotokan training involves dedication. Funakoshi warned his students not to expect results in a short time. A student must train systematically without impatience, advancing one step at a time. Students wishing to improve their skills must sacrifice time and energy to develop coordination and control of the body. Learning to control and to coordinate the body requires time. Without proper balance and muscle control, it is difficult to perform techniques correctly.

Traditional training requires students to wear acceptable clothing. The correct clothing for Shotokan training consists of a uniform made from heavy cotton, known in Japanese as a gi. The gi has a top and a bottom that fasten together with cotton strands. The student also wears a belt that signifies rank. Funakoshi adopted the belt system for Shotokan from the rank system used by judo founder Jigoro Kano.

 

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