history of shotokan karate do

Shotokan Karate-Do, the Way of the Empty Hand, was devised and founded by Gichin Funakoshi in the early part of the twentieth century. The Art is a combination of older open-hand fighting techniques from Okinawa, an island off the coast of Japan.

Master Funakoshi, a poet and a school teacher, combined the best elements of these techniques and included additional training methods that emphasized the balance of kata (training forms), kihon (basics) and kumite (sparring).

Master Funakoshi toured Japan extensively in 1922 demonstrating karate and as a consequence the study of karate spread rapidly during the succeeding decades, karate clubs were also established at many Japanese universities. Karate historians credit the popularity of Shotokan Karate Do among the "intellectually inclined" with many of the scientifically sound refinements of Master Funakoshi methods. Modern Shotokan karate techniques are based on a linear fighting style that highlights power and speed. Character development is an integral part of the study of Shotokan Karate.

World War Two had a serious effect on the study and practice of Karate in Japan, as many of the former masters and students served in Japan's armed forces. The death of Yoshitaka, the destruction of the Shoto-kan and the banning of Martial Arts by the Allied occupational forces led to a virtual hiatus for Shotokan Karate.