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THE
FOUNDER OF SHOTOKAN KARATE-DO
Sensei
Gichin Funakoshi
(Photo
courtesy of Shihan Kenneth Funakoshi, 9th Dan, FSKA)
Master
Gichin Funakoshi
April
26, 2009 marked the 52nd anniversary of the passing of
the Founder of Shotokan Karate-Do, Master Gichin
Funakoshi, while this coming November 10, 2009 will mark
the 141st anniversary of his birth.
Please
always remember him with true gratitude and with great
respect, for without his dedication to the art of karate
the style we study today, Shotokan Karate-Do, would not
exist. How is it possible for us to repay such a debt?
Gichin Funakoshi
sensei, known worldwide as the Founder of Shotokan Karate-Do,
was born in Shuri, Okinawa in Yamakawa-cho district on
November 10, 1868.
The official
district records, however, show that his birth took place
in 1870, but he in fact he falsified his own records in
order to be able to take the Tokyo Medical School
entrance examination. In spite of passing the exam
Funakoshi sensei never did become a member of the medical
profession. Something millions of karate students around
the world, myself included, will always be very grateful
for.
Since he was
considered a frail child many members of his family felt
that he was destined for a short and uneventful life.
Little did his family know just how long and how
important his life would really be.
It was during his
early primary school years that he was first introduced
to the study "Tode" or "Chinese Hand"
under Master Yasutsune Azato, since his family felt that
studying the art of karate might help to strengthen him
physically and thus improve the quality of his life.
A good student
Gichin Funakoshi flourished under the tutelage of Master
Azato to whose home he travelled each evening to practice
karate. Later Master Azato would introduce him to another
important teacher under whom he would also study, Master
Yasutsune Itosu. It was these two men more than any
others who would have the greatest impact on his life.
No longer
interested in entering the medical school it was while
studying karate that Gichin Funakoshi decided to become a
school teacher and so after passing the qualifying
examination he took charge of his first primary school
class in 1888. It was a profession he was to follow for
more than thirty years.
A high point in
Gichin Funakoshi's karate took place on March 6,
1921 when
he had the honour of demonstrating the art of "Okinawan
te" to then Crown Prince Hirohito during a visit he
made to Okinawa. Then, in the Spring of
1922, Gichin Funakoshi traveled to Tokyo where he had
been invited to present his art of Tode at the First
National Athletic Exhibition in Tokyo, which had been
organized by the Ministry of Education. After the
demonstration he was strongly urged by several eminent
groups and individuals to remain in Japan, and indeed he
never did return to live in Okinawa.
As it had in
Okinawa, the educational system of Japan was to become a
major factor in the spread of karate. By 1924 Gichin
Funakoshi had started to introduce karate to several of
the local universities, first at Keio, followed by Chuo,
Tokyo, and Waseda to name but a few. It was through these
universities that he was able to reach a much larger
audience and this contributed greatly to the growing
popularity of karate.
Master Funakoshi
was finally able to establish the Shoto-kan dojo in 1936,
a great landmark in the history of karate. Funakoshi
sensei was not only a genius in martial arts, but he was
also a literary talent, and he signed all of his works
"Shoto" which was his pen name. Hence, the dojo
where he taught came to be known as "Shoto's school"
or "Shoto's kan" which was ultimately adopted
as the official name for his style of karate. Funakoshi
sensei had combined the techniques and katas of the two
major Okinawan styles to form his own style of karate, as
a result, today Shotokan karate-do includes the powerful
techniques of the Shorei style of karate, as well as the
lighter more flexible movements of the Shorin style of
karate.
The original
Shotokan Dojo
In the beginning
Funakoshi sensei taught only sixteen katas, they were:
Kankudai, Kankusho, five Heian katas (known in Okinawa as
Pinan katas), three Tekki katas (known on Okinawa as
Naihfanchi katas), Wanshu, (later to be known as Empi),
Chinto, (later to be known as Gankaku), Patsai, (later to
be known as Bassai), Jitte, Jion, and Seisan (later to be
known as Empi), since he felt that sixteen katas were
more than enough for one lifetime.
 After the end
of the Second World War, karate was slowly revived, and a
major step forward took place when the Japan Karate
Association (JKA) was established in 1949, with Funakoshi
sensei appointed by the organization as its first Chief
Instructor due to his advanced skills and leadership
capabilities.
Although Funakoshi
sensei was famous as a great karate master he was also
acknowledged as a very humble man. During his lifetime he
emphasized three major aspects of karate-do above all
else, basic technique, kata, and the development of
spiritual values leading to the perfection of the
character of karate's participants.
Memorial
to Master Gichin Funakoshi, in Kamakura, Japan
(Photo
courtesy of Sensei Thomas Casale, 5th Dan, JSKA-USA)
After training, and
teaching the art of karate for more than seventy-five
years, Master Gichin Funakoshi passed away in Tokyo,
Japan on April 26, 1957 at the age of 88. The photograph
above is of the memorial to Gichin Funakoshi sensei that
is located on the grounds of Engakuji Temple, in
Kamakura, Japan. This photo is one of a series that were
taken by, and very kindly provided to me, courtesy of
Sensei Thomas Casale, 5th Dan, Chief Instructor, JSKA-USA,
to whom I am very grateful.
- Part
the clouds - see the way.
-
- "The
objective of karate-do is to contribute to the evolution
- of
the human spirit through physical and mental training."
- Sensei
Peter Lindsay
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