SHOTOKAN KARATE

During many periods of Okinawan history, the general population were forbidden to own or carry weapons and this resulted in rapid advancement of fighting techniques and the underground development of fighting styles using bare hands or common farming implements. These forms of fighting were known as Okinawa-te or Tode (Chinese Hand) and resulted in the formation of three distinct styles, Shuri-te, Naha-te and Tomari-te (named after the cities where the styles were practiced).

Gichin Funakoshi was born in 1868 in Okinawa and began to study karate at the age of 11. He studied under many great Okinawan masters of the time and rapidly became adept at both the Shorin and Shorei styles. Tode could also be pronounced as kara and so Tode-te became Kara-te or 'Chinese hand'. Funakoshi adopted the alternate meaning for the Chinese character for 'kara' which is empty and so kara-te came to mean 'empty hand'.

Karate was first demonstrated in Japan  by Gichin Funakoshi at the Butoku-den in Kyoto. He returned in 1922 and remained in Japan to teach Karate at the Kodokan Dojo.

By the mid 1930's Gichin Funakoshi started to have less to do with the running of his clubs and handed control to his son Yoshitaka. Yoshitaka continued to modernise the style until in 1936, the Funakoshi's opened a new central dojo - the Shoto-kan (hall of shoto). Shoto was the pen name Gichin Funakoshi used to sign the poems he had written in his youth.

In 1948 the Japan Karate Association was established with most of the Instruction led by Masatoshi Nakayama.  Gichin Funakoshi died in 1957. Following Nakayama death the JKA as known split and many of the senior instructors left to form their own groups.

Karate emphasizes striking techniques, such as punching and kicking, knee/elbow strikes and open hand techniques. However, grappling, joint manipulations, locks, restraints, throwing and vital point striking are inherent in the finer points of the kata. Simple punching and kicking is too one dimensional to be called true karate.

In general, karate training is divided into three major areas, kihon, kata and kumite. Kihon is the study of the fundamental moves, the basic components, required to perform the art. Kata means 'form' and is a series of movements and techniques, linked together by the principles that the kata expresses, represented as a fixed sequence of moves against imagined opponents. Kumite means 'sparring' and develops from well-defined kata to open sparring.

It is important to remember that the kihon/kata/kumite Is not  a complete representation of the sum of the art, nor is it the most 'traditional' approach. There are many different expressions of karate technique found in different styles, teachers and cultures, and none may be regarded as inferior or superior.

Shotokan techniques in kihon and kata are characterised by deep, long stances which provide stability, powerful movements and also helps strengthen the legs. Strength and power are often demonstrated instead of slower, more flowing motions. The kumite techniques mirror these stances and movements at a basic level, but progress to being more "free" and flexible at a higher level. Shotokan can be regarded as a 'hard' and 'external' martial art.