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THE FOUNDER OF
SHOTOKAN KARATE-DO
Sensei Gichin
Funakoshi
(Photo
courtesy of Shihan Kenneth Funakoshi, 9th Dan, FSKA)
Gichin Funakoshi sensei, known world wide 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 grateful for.
Born 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
inntroduced to the study "Tode" or "Chinese Hand" under Master Yasutsune
Azato, as his family felt that by studying the art of karate it 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 it's 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. 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
Memorial to
Master Gichin Funakoshi, in Kamakura, Japan
(Photo courtesy
of Sensei Thomas Casale, 5th Dan, JSKA-USA)
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.
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- "The objective
of karate-do is to contribute to the evolution
- of the human
spirit through physical and mental training."
- Sensei Peter
Lindsay (courtesy of)
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Therefore, Know the enemy and know yourself: in a hundred
battles you will never be in peril
When you are ignorant of the enemy but know yourself, your
chances of winning or losing are equal
If ignorant both of your enemy and of yourself , you are
certain in every battle to be in peril
For to win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the highest
skill. To SUBDUE the enemy WITHOUT FIGHTING is the highest skill.
When birds of prey are attacking, they fly in low without
extending their wings. When wild beasts are about to attack, they crouch
low with their ears close to their heads. Similarly, when sage is about
to act, he always appears slightly dull.
A stone with no water within it is very hard. A natural
magnet with no water within it is dense. If a body is hard within and
dense without, how can it ever be penetrated? If thing has an opening,
then it will be filled. If a thing has an inch of cavity, then one inch
of water will fill it.
NIJU KUN
(20 PRECEPTS)
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Karate is not only Dojo Training
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Don't forget that Karate begins with a bow and ends with a
bow
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In Karate, never attack first
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One who practices Karate must follow the way of JUSTICE
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First you must know YOURSELF. Then you can know the
others.
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Spiritual development is paramount: technical skills are
merely means to the end.
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Your must release your mind.
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Misfortune comes out of laziness.
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Karate is a LIFELONG TRAINING.
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Put karate into everything you do.
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Karate is like HOT WATER. If you you do not give
heat constantly it will again become cold.
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Do not think you have to WIN. Think that you do not have
to lose.
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Victory depends on your ability to tell vulnerable points
from invulnerable ones.
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Move according to your opponent.
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Consider your opponent's hands and legs as you would sharp
swords.
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When you leave home, think that millions of opponents are
waiting for you.
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Ready position for beginners and natural position for
advanced students.
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Kata is one thing. Engaging in a real fight is another.
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Do not forget 1. strength and weakness of power, 2.
slowness and speed of technique.
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DEVISE AT ALL TIMES.
MASTER FUNAKOSHI ALWAYS EMPHASIZED THE SPIRITUAL ASPECTS OF KARATE, SUCH
AS COURAGE, COURTESY, INTEGRITY, HUMILITY, AND SELF-CONTROL. MASTER
FUNAKOSHI WAS NOT ONLY GENIUS IN MARTIAL ARTS, BUT ALSO LITERARY TALENT
Extracted from the "Karate Do Kyohan" By Master
Gichin Funakoshi
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