Shotokan Karate

What is Karate?

Martial arts were originated in Japan and China before the birth of Shotokan Karate. However, it was believed that due to the existence of Buddhism, the use of weapons was prohibited by Japanese leaders, due to which weapon less method of self-defense is evolved in the form of martial arts known as Karate.

The word Karate is the combination of two Japanese words known: Kara means Empty and Te means Hand thus Karate means “Empty Hand”. Adding the suffix “do” (pronounced “doe”), meaning “the way of”, as Karate-do translates to “the ways of Karate”.

The form of Shotokan Karate is a weaponless martial art that is performed on the basic techniques like punching, kicking, striking and blocking, whereas there is a deeper meaning to serious Karate which deals with character building.

Thus, Shotokan Karate is a way to realize the individual’s potential and to expand the limits of that individual mental and physical strength. Hence Karate can be known as an excellent, time-proven method of personal development.

What is Shotokan?

Shotokan is a form of the Japanese style of Karate which was founded by Gichin Funakoshi (1868–1957), known as Master Funakoshi.

He brought two systems of martial arts that flourished in his native Okinawa to form a new system called Shotokan.

Proper training of Shotokan eliminates ego and encourages hard work, humility, and excellence in day to day life. Shotokan Karate originates Shotokan Tiger.

The Shotokan Tiger

The founder of Shotokan Karate was Master Funakoshi and he was known as “Shoto” by his pen name which means “pine waves”, which symbolizes the Tiger symbol it means the tiger never sleeps.

It was believed that when Master Funakoshi was a young man, he walks in the solitude of pine trees which surrounded his home of Shuri.

After a rigorous day of teaching in a local school and a strenuous practice of Karate for several hours he would often walk to Mt. Torao where he meditates among the solitude of pine trees.

Mt. Torao is a narrow and very heavily wooded mountain when viewed from a distance the road going up to the mountain seems like a tiger’s tail. The name Torao, in fact, means “tiger’s tail”.

In later days, Master Funakoshi explained that the cool breezes which blew among the pine trees on Mt. Torao made the trees whisper-like waves breaking on the shore. Thus, he chose the pen name of Shoto, “pine waves.”

The use of the tiger symbol for Shotokan karate is a traditional Chinese design that implies “the tiger never sleeps.”

Symbolized in the Shotokan tiger, therefore, is the keen alertness of the wakeful tiger and the serenity of the peaceful mind which Master Funakoshi experienced while listening to the pine waves on Tiger’s Tail Mountain.

The practice of Shotokan Karate leads to Muscular and Mental fitness, it improves stress management, it controls balance and maintain body alignment, it increases perceptual awareness and makes us to concentrate on our works increases confidence.

Philosophy of Shotokan Karate

The philosophy of Shotokan karate is not just all about self-defense or martial art training.

In a statement of the philosophy of the ISKF, Master Okazaki says, ‘’The very essence of karate, the main purpose of training — is all about improving ourselves. We must always work hard at this. When we take responsibility to become persons of good character and integrity, we will be doing our part to make the world a better place, which in turn can help bring peace to the world.’’

The Japan Karate Association

The Japan Karate Association was created by Funakoshi in 1948 and has since become a global organization with dojos all over the world.

After Funakoshi died in 1957, its leadership was taken over by Masatoshi Nakayama, a senior student. Nakayama died in 1987, but before his death, he sent Teruyuki Okazaki, who had helped Nakayama to develop the course, to the United States to open more dojos and further the cause of Shotokan karate throughout the world.

Master Okazaki then founded the International Shotokan Karate Federation, or ISKF, to provide Shotokan karate education based on Master Funakoshi’s teachings.