This article, part of our series on martial arts, is dedicated to Shotokan karate. Shotokan karate is a style of karate that was developed in Japan in the early 20th century. We will tell you more about the history of this karate style, its rules, and how popular it is today.
History of Shotokan Karate
The creator of Shotokan karate is Gichin Funakoshi (1868-1957), and the name of the style comes from the name of the dojo he established – Shotokan. Funakoshi previously used Shoto as a pen-name; the word “Shoto” representing the motion of the pine needles when the wind blows, while “kan” stands for house. Now that’s poetic.
The Shotokan dojo was founded in 1936 in Okinawa, Japan. Unfortunately, the building was destroyed in 1945 as a result of allied bombings. However, the style was kept alive by Funakoshi’s students, especially his son Yoshitaka Funakoshi. The students gave it the name Shotokan and popularized it around the world (Funakoshi didn’t pick a name for his style, he just called it karate).
Before we tell you more about the style itself, we think it’s appropriate to talk about karate in Okinawa, so you can understand why the style was developed in the first place. There was a strict ban on weapons in Okinawa, which is credited for the development and popularization of unarmed fighting techniques.
The fighting style in Okinawa was very simple and effective and it’s the result of centuries of real combat. At the same time, there were a lot of Chinese people and people of Chinese descent living on the island who added something to the Okinawan style. More precisely, they induced with Chinese philosophy centered around discipline and non-violence.
Funakoshi was the disciple of this mixed Okinawan fighting style, and he injected its teachings into Shotokan. Although karate was invented around the 17th century in Okinawa and it was systemized by the 20th century, it remained an Okinawan affair until then. For those who might not know, Okinawa was not always part of Japan. It used to be an independent kingdom called Ryukyu until 1609 when Japan conquered it. Although 300 years had passed since then, Japanese and Okinawan cultures didn’t always coincide and this is exemplified in karate, which was unknown to most Japanese people.
Gichin Funakoshi, along with his son Yoshitaka and masters Shigeru Egami and Takeshi Shimoda, sought to change that by exporting karate to other parts of Japan in the 1920’s. They staged karate demonstrations all around the Japanese islands to introduce people to it.
This process was also one of learning as these karate masters gradually began adopting certain techniques from Japanese martial arts, as well as Japanese philosophy. The Shotokan karate style experienced many changes before and after Funakoshi’s death in 1957 to turn into Japanese Shotokan Karate.
Apart from karate demonstrations, Master Funakoshi’s students realized the importance of documenting the style, so they encouraged him to write the basic rules and philosophy of his karate style, which turned into the book called “Kyohan”. This book officially formalized Shotokan Karate.
Unfortunately, the allied bombings of Okinawa in 1945 destroyed the Shotokan dojo and a few months later, Funakoshi lost his son and heir Yoshitaka. After losing his wife as well, Funakoshi moved from Okinawa to Tokyo.
The American occupying army banned martial arts instruction, but karate wasn’t considered one, so Funakoshi continued practicing it. American servicemen were fascinated with it and wanted to keep practicing it after they left Japan. This led to Funakoshi sending his students all around the world to teach it, and thus the tale of Shotokan Karate had a happy ending.
Philosophy of Shotokan Karate
Having drawn inspiration from Chinese and Japanese philosophy and history, Master Funakoshi established the basic philosophical principles of Shotokan Karate, called Dojo Kun:
- One. Seek perfection of character.
- One. Be faithful.
- One. Endeavor.
- One. Respect others.
- One. Refrain from violent behavior.
The reason why every point on this list is marked as the first one is because Funakoshi wanted to emphasize on the fact that they are all equal in importance. To attain true mastery of Shotokan Karate, everyone must follow these principles and to constantly think of them while practicing the martial art.
Practicing Shotokan Karate
Let us briefly describe the practice of Shotokan Karate in the next three sections.
Kihon
Kihon or basics, is the foundation that contains simple moves that include blocks, punches, and specific positions. The student learns how to control their body in terms of balance, stability, and relaxation. The proper techniques are also learnt through kihon.
Kata
Kata or forms, encompasses the formal movements of Shotokan Karate. These movements are used during simulation of attacks and defenses. Each kata session begins with a block to emphasize the self-defense nature of karate. The kata can be divided into two types of practice; one focuses on muscle strengthening, while the other concentrates on speed and orientation.
Kumite
Kumite or sparring, is the culmination of the practice. Students face each other with one of them assuming the role of the attacker, and the other – that of the attacked. While kata uses imaginary enemies, kumite’s purpose is to recreate realistic scenarios in which Shotokan Karate can be used for self-defense.