Shotokan Karate

The coolest sport lifestyle in the world

Shotokan Karate originates in Okinawa, which is a small island of Japan. The father of Shotokan Karate is Sensei Gichin Funakoshi (pictured above).

Gichin Funakoshi was sickly and weak as a child, but later found strength in training the then-illegal sport; karate. When karate finally became legal on Funakoshi's island, Okinawa, he was 33 years old and began his journey as a karate instructor. He valued humility and believed that there was more honor in avoiding a fight than to start one and that there was more bravery in running away from a fight than to provoke your enemy. He valued humility and the urge to better yourself much higher than competitions and medalions. Therefore, he created a style of karate, which focuses on perfecting oneself, both as a Karate-Ka (student of karate) and as a person.

Shotokan Karate has three different parts of training that are all intertwined: Kihon, Kumite and Kata. Kihon is the foundation of both Kata and Kumite, but is just as important in karate as the two others.

"The ultimate aim of karate lies not in victory nor defeat, but in the perfection of the character of its participants"

- Gichin Funakoshi