A Brief History of Shotokan Karate
Master Gichin Funakoshi
Gichin Funakoshi is known as the founder of the shotokan style of karate we practice in the United States today. He was born a small, weak, and premature child in the city of Shuri on the Island of Okinawa in 1868. Okinawa was under Japanese rule at the time of Funakoshi’s birth, and the study of the martial arts in Okinawa had been banned.
One of young Funakoshi’s school classmates was the son of a karate master, Yasutsune Azato. Master Azato secretly taught Funakoshi karate even though its practices were forbidden by the Japanese government. Funakoshi always said that his study of karate not only improved his health, but his personality as well. He firmly believed that karate changed him into a strong, energetic, and confident person.
In 1902, karate became legal and was taught in all physical education classes. Gichin Funakoshi was a schooteacher by profession. When he wasn’t teaching school, he practiced and taught karate students in his backyard at home. Master Funakoshi believed that the way to learn karate was to practice a pre-arranged series of moves to perfection. These series of movements are called a kata. Funakoshi wrote poetry and used the pen name Shoto. When his students raised money and built him a dojo in 1936, it was named Shotokan, and therefore his style of karate became known as shotokan karate.
the international shotokan karate federation
The ISKF was founded in September 1977. Shihan Teruyuki Okazaki, 10th dan, the Chairman and the Chief Instructor of the ISKF (retired), and Shihan Yutaka Yaguchi, 9th dan, the Vice Chairman and the Vice Chief Instructor (retired), were two of the original founders. Today, the ISKF is comprised of over twenty-eight Pan American countries, and over thirty-two countries from Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. The ISKF is still growing and continually adds new clubs and countries to its membership, and currently has over 75,000 individual members worldwide. (From ISKF.com)
Dojo Kun
道場訓
Everyone who trains in karate must know the Dojo Kun. At the end of each training session—whether at the dojo, after class, or following a tournament—the students recite the Dojo Kun together as a reminder of why we train. The Dojo Kun expresses the foundational philosophy of karate, as taught by its founder, Master Gichin Funakoshi.
Master Funakoshi believed that for a true karate-ka, the Dojo Kun should not only serve as a code of conduct within the dojo but also as a guide for daily life. Everything we learn in the dojo should be applied to our everyday lives, reinforcing values that transcend the practice of karate. (via ISKF.com)
一、人格 完成に 努める こと
HITOTSU! JINKAKU KANSEI NI TSUTOMURU KOTO!
Seek Perfection of Character
一、誠の道を守ること
HITOTSU! MAKOTO NO MICHI O MAMORU KOTO!
Be Faithful
一、努力の精神を養うこと
HITOTSU! DORYOKU NO SEICHIN O YASHINAU KOTO!
Endeavor
一、礼儀を重んずること
HITOTSU! REIGI O OMONZURU KOTO!
Respect Others
一、血気の勇を戒むること
HITOTSU! KEKKI NO YU O IMASHIMURU KOTO!
Refrain From Violent Behavior