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Shotokan

Long stances, strong straight lines.

The most practised karate style in the world, founded by Gichin Funakoshi, who brought karate from Okinawa to Tokyo in the 1920s. Deep stances, strong straight techniques and kata such as the Heian series.

Fact file

Country
Japan
Founder / origin
Gichin Funakoshi
Year / period
1939 (Shotokan dojo)
Type
Striking
Style of
Karate
Main federation
International Shotokan Karate Federation — ISKF · Shotokan Karate-Do International Federation — SKIF
Sources: Japan Karate Association (JKA) · Encyclopaedia Britannica

History

Shotokan is the karate style of Gichin Funakoshi and the most practised in the world. It takes its name from the Shotokan dojo opened in Tokyo in 1939 — "Shoto" ("pine waves") was Funakoshi's pen name — which was destroyed in the bombings of 1945.

After the war his students founded the Japan Karate Association (1949), led by Masatoshi Nakayama, which built a rigorous teaching system and sent instructors all over the world.