Katsu Dojo Karate
Member USA National Karate-Do Federation
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Katsu Dojo Karate Member USA National Karate-Do Federation |
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For Master Funakoshi, the word karate eventually took on a deeper and broader meaning. Funakoshi chose the characters kara (empty) and te (hand) for their meaning in the zen philosophy; to empty oneself of selfish and/or negative thought, for only with a mind clear of all emotional fears and anxiousness can a karate-ka achieve their ultimate goals. Training in karate-do became an education for life itself. Master Funakoshi was the first expert to introduce karate-do to mainland Japan. In 1916 he gave a demonstration to the Butokuden in Kyoto, Japan, which at that time was the official center of all martial arts. On March 6, 1921, the Crown Prince, who was later to become the Emperor of Japan, visited Okinawa and Master Funakoshi was asked to demonstrate karate. In the early spring of 1922, Master Funakoshi traveled to Tokyo to present his art at the First National Athletic Exhibition in Tokyo, organized by the Ministry of Education. He was strongly urged by several eminent groups and individuals to remain in Japan, and indeed he never returned to Okinawa. Master Funakoshi taught only one method, a total discipline, which represented a synthesis of Okinawan karate styles. This method became known as Shotokan, literally the clan or the house of Shoto, which was the Master's pen name for his poetry, denoting the sound of the wind blowing through pines.
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Master
Gichin Funakoshi is widely considered the primary "father" of
modern karate due to his efforts to introduce the Okinawan art to mainland
Japan, from where it spread to the rest of the world. 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, Azato and Itosu. He grew so proficient
in the art that he was initiated into all the major styles of karate in
Okinawa at the time.