Master Gichin Funakoshi was the founder of modern karate. Born in 1868, he began to study karate at the age of 11, and was a student of the two greatest masters of the time. He grew so proficient that he was initiated into all the major styles of karate in Okinawa at the time. In 1936, Master Funakoshi established the Shotokan Dojo at Zoshigaya, Tokyo. This was the first Karate Dojo (training hall) in Japan. Master Funakoshi himself believed that Karate is one, and there is no "style" of Karate. In 1922, Master Funakoshi, then president of the Okinawan association of the Spirit of Martial Arts, was chosen to demonstrate karate at the first National Athletic Exhibition in Tokyo. This led to the introduction of the ancient martial art to the rest of Japan. At the urging of friends and officials, he remained in Tokyo to teach. In April of 1957, Master Funakoshi passed away at the age of eighty-eight. But tens of thousands of Karate-kas who learned under him remain, insuring that the art will not die with him. On the contrary, persons in many foreign countries have shown interest in Karate, and it is now world-wide art.

   Back to Top