 | |
| Date founded | 1928[citation needed] |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | Japan (Okinawa) |
| Founder | Gichin Funakoshi (1868–1957) Yoshitaka Funakoshi (1906–1945) |
| Arts taught | Karate |
| Ancestor schools | Shōrei-ryū, Shōrin-ryū |
| Descendant schools | Wadō-ryū, Shōtōkai, Chitō-ryū, Shindō jinen-ryū, Yoseikan Karate, Kyokushin, Tang soo do, Taekwondo,[a] Soo Bahk Do |
| Practitioners | (see notable practitioners) |
Shotokan (松涛館, Shōtōkan) is a style of karate, developed from various martial arts by Gichin Funakoshi (1868–1957) and his son Gigo (Yoshitaka) Funakoshi (1906–1945). Gichin Funakoshi was born in Okinawa[1] and is widely credited with popularizing "karate do" through a series of public demonstrations, and by promoting the development of university karate clubs, including those at Keio, Waseda, Hitotsubashi (Shodai), Takushoku, Chuo, Gakushuin, and Hosei.[2]
Funakoshi had many students at the university clubs and outside dojos, who continued to teach karate after his death in 1957. However, internal disagreements (in particular the notion that competition is contrary to the essence of karate) led to the creation of different organisations—including an initial split between the Japan Karate Association (headed by Masatoshi Nakayama) and the Shotokai (headed by Motonobu Hironishi and Shigeru Egami), followed by many others—so that today there is no single "Shotokan school", although they all bear Funakoshi's influence.
As the most widely practiced style, Shotokan is considered a traditional and influential form of karate do.
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).
- ^ Mark Bishop (1999). Okinawan Karate: Teachers, styles, and secret techniques. Tuttle. ISBN 0-8048-3205-6.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Funakoshi2was invoked but never defined (see the help page).