Shotokan Shotokan Southern Finland Category="Karate"Category="Shotokan"Shotokan (松涛館) is a school of Karate, reflecting the style of the initial students (including his son, Yoshitaka) of master Gichin Funakoshi (1868-1957). Gichin Funakoshi was the man who 'officially' brought karate from Okinawa to mainland Japan, although Kenwa Mabuni, Motobu Choki and other Okinawans were actively teaching karate in Japan prior to this point. Shoto was Funakoshi's pen name for his poetry, while Shotokan was the name of the hall where "Shoto" trained his students.

Origins

Funakoshi had trained in both of the popular styles of Okinawan karate of the time: Shorei-ryu and Shorin-Ryu. He combined and modified the styles, and made his own, though he never named it, always referring to it simply as "karate". The karate that he transmitted to his students reflects the changes made in the art by Anko Itosu, including the Heian/Pinan Kata series. Funakoshi himself changed the names of the kata included in his curriculum, in an effort to make the "foreign" Okinawan names more palatable to the then nationalistic Japanese mainland. In several cases, Shotokan kata have been modified, in some places favoring athleticism over practicality. A good example can be found in the side thrust kicks added to the nijushiho kata.

Commands

Characteristics

Training usually begins by reciting the Dojo kun, or dojo rules, and is divided into three sections: Kihon or "basics", Kumite or "sparring", and Kata (forms or patterns of moves). Shotokan techniques in kihon and kata are characterised by deep, long stances which provide stability and powerful movements. 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 be being more "free" and flexible at a higher level. Funakoshi is said to have found the traditional martial arts (such as sumo, Jujutsu and Kenjutsu) to be too focused on combat, and he put more emphasis on health, breathing, releasing energy and outstanding mind and body control.

Shotokan today

Today, Shotokan remains a very popular style worldwide despite internal scandals, political infighting, and outright Profiteering by some Japanese "masters". These have marred the modern practice for some karate adherents and splintered Shotokan into several factions which claim to be teaching "real" Shotokan.

Hirokazu Kanazawa (1931-present) was the first to found his own school, called Shotokan Karate International. He studied under Masatoshi Nakayama (1913-1987) and Hidetaka Nishiyama (1928-present), both disciples of Gichin Funakoshi. His group introduced elements of Tai Chi Chuan, particularly in the matter of flow and balance, and more traditional karate.

Taiji Kase (1929-2004) also founded his own group, called the World Shotokan Karate Academy. He studied martial arts under his father (a Judo instructor), as well as both Gichin Funakoshi and his son Yoshitaka Funakoshi. He left Japan in 1964 to teach karate internationally, but started teaching his own style to avoid the power struggles in the sport.

Basic Techniques

Blocks

(All using the arm)

Strikes

Kicks

List of Katas

Belt Colours

The correspondence between belt colors and Kyu varies from dojo to dojo; what follows is one example of such a system. The colours are symbolic of the Karateka's skill. White signifies a birth, or beginning, of a seed. A white belt is a beginner searching for knowledge of the Art. Orange signifies the first beam of sunlight which shines upon the seed giving it new strength with the beginning of new life. An orange belt karateka is given their first ray of knowledge, opening their mind, from the Sensei. Green signifies the growth of the seed as it sprouts from the earth reaching toward the sun and begins to grow into a plant. A green belt learns to further develop and refine their techniques. Black signifies the darkness beyond the Sun. A black belt seeks new knowledge of the Art. As the karateka begins to teach others, they plant new seeds, ready for growth. It also symbolises the karateka's imperviousness to darkness or evil.

Trivia

See also

In Wikipedia

External links