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                                                A Short History of Shotokan Karate

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gichin Funakoshi is widely considered as the “father” of modern day karate. He was born in the Shuri prefecture in Okinawa in 1868 and at the age of 11 began to study Karate under two of Okinawa’s top masters. In time, he became a master in his own right and in 1922 he was invited to demonstrate karate to the Japanese public for the very first time. The demonstration was such a success he was invited to stay in Japan and teach, which he did with great success.

For Sensei Funakoshi, the word ‘karate’ eventually took on a deeper meaning than just martial arts training, transforming into what is has become known as karate-do, the ‘way of the empty hand.’ He was to modify the Okinawan art by taking inspiration from traditional Japanese budo (kendo, judo, etc) and integrated their philosophical aspects into his and his student’s training. This became a total discipline, which represented a synthesis of Okinawaan and Japanese schools and in 1936 he established the ‘SHOTOKAN’ style of Japanese karate which was to be greatly influenced by his son Yoshitaka (Giko) and Masatoshi Nakayama, first headmaster of the Japan Karate Association.

Whereas his father was responsible for transforming karate from a mere fighting technique into a philosophical martial ‘do’ (way of life), Yoshitaka was put in charge of developing, helped by other important martial artists, a karate technique that definitively separated Japanese karate-do from the local Okinawaan art, thus giving it a completely different and at the same time notoriously Japanese flavour.

It is upon these concepts that in 1948, the Japan Karate Association (JKA) was founded. The establishment of the JKA lead the way to the spread of Shotokan karate throughout the world. Master Masatoshi Nakayama, one of Funakoshi’s greatest students, succeeded him as the headmaster of the JKA and during his time there he further developed Shotokan, based on his own research, into the style we know today.

It was through master Nakayama’s vision, that Shotokan has spread throughout the world by enriching many people’s lives in many countries, while other senior instructors stayed in Japan at the Sohonbu to teach the next generation of Shotokan masters.

 

Funakoshi’s (Shotokan) Principals

• 1.    Never forget: Karate begins and ends with rei. Rei has the meaning of respect.

•         Wasurete wa ikenai: Karate ga hajimari, rei de owaru. Rei wa, sonkei no imi o motte imasu.

• 2.    There is no “first hand” in Karate. (Meaning there is no first attack, karate is about self-defense)

•         Karate ni sente nashi.

• 3.     Karate supports righteousness.

•         Karate wa gi o sapōto shite imasu.

• 4.    First understand yourself, then understand others.

•        Mazu tanin o rikai shi, jibun jishin o rikai shite imasu.

• 5.    The art of mind is more important than the art of technique.

•        Kokoro no geijutsu wa gijutsu no geijutsu yori mo jūyōdearu

• 6.    The mind needs to be freed.

•        Kokoro ga kaihōsareru hitsuyō ga aru.

• 7.    Trouble is born of negligence.

•        Toraburu wa, kashitsu kara umareta.

• 8.    Do not think that Karate is only in the dojo.

•        Karate dake dōjō ni natte iru koto o kangaete wa ikenai.

• 9.    The training of Karate requires a lifetime.

•         Karate no kunren wa jumyō o hitsuyō to shimasu.

• 10.  Transform everything into Karate; therein lies the exquisiteness.

             Karate ni subete o henkan; soko ni zetsumyōdearu.

• 11.  Genuine Karate is like hot water; it cools down if you do not keep heating it.

•         Honmono no karate wa yu no yōna monodesu. Anata ga sore o kanetsu iji shinai baai, soreha hie.

• 12.  Do not have an idea of winning, while the idea of losing is not necessary.

•         Ushinau no aidea ga hitsuyōde wa naiga, shōri no aidea o motte wa ikemasen.

• 13.  Transform yourself according to the opponent.

•         Taisen aite ni ōjite jibun jishin o henkan shimasu.

• 14.  The outcome of the fight all depends on the maneuver.

•         Tatakai no subete no kekka wa, sōjū ni izon shimasu

• 15.   Imagine one’s arms and legs as swords.

•          Ken no yō ni jibun no ude to ashi o sōzō shite mite kudasai.

• 16.   Once you leave the shelter of home there are a million enemies.

•          Anata ga ie no hinansho o hanaretara, ban'nin no teki ga sonzai suru.

• 17.   Postures are for the beginner, later they are natural positions.

•         Shisei wa ato ni, karera wa shizen'na ichi de, shoshinsha no tame no monodesu.

• 18.   Do the kata correctly, the real fight is a different matter.

•          Tadashiku kata no sōsa o okonai, hontō no tatakai wa betsu no mondaidesu..

• 19.   Do not forget the dynamics of power, the elasticity of the body, and the speed of technique.

•          Pawā, karada no danryoku-sei, oyobi gijutsu no sokudo no dōtai o wasurenaide kudasai.

• 20.   Always be good at the application of everything you have learned.

•          Tsuneni anata ga manande kita subete no mono o tekiyō suru no ga tokuidearu.