Gichin Funakoshi (船越 義珍 Funakoshi Gichin)
Gichin Funakoshi, c. 1955
Born	November 10, 1868 Shuri, Ryūkyū Kingdom
Died	April 26, 1957 Tokyo, Japan
Other names	Shoto
Martial art practiced	Shōrei-ryū, Shōrin-ryū and Shotokan
Teacher(s)	Ankō Asato, Ankō Itosu
Rank	Grandmaster 5th dan (maximum dan at that time)
Notable students	Hironori Ōtsuka, Gigō Funakoshi (his son), Shigeru Egami, Taiji Kase, Masatoshi Nakayama, Hidetaka Nishiyama, Tsutomu Ohshima

Gichin Funakoshi (船越 義珍 Funakoshi Gichin, November 10, 1868 – April 26, 1957) was the creator of Shotokan karate and is attributed as being the "father of modern karate"^[1]. Following in the teachings of Anko Asato and Anko Itosu, he was one of the Okinawan karate masters who introduced karate to the Japanese mainland in 1921. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... is the 314th day of the year (315th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1868 (MDCCCLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a leap year starting on Monday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Shuri is a city in Okinawa also known as Shui or Syuri. ... The main building of Shuri Castle The flag of the Ryukyu Kingdom (1875-1879) The RyÅ«kyÅ« Kingdom (Ryukyuan: 琉球王国, Traditional Chinese: then officially 琉球國) was an independent kingdom which ruled most of the RyÅ«kyÅ« Islands from the 14th century to the 19th century. ... is the 116th day of the year (117th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1957 Gregorian calendar). ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Japan. ... For other uses, see Tokyo (disambiguation). ... Shorei-Ryu ) is an Okinawan Japanese Karate style brought to the United States by Sensei Robert Trias. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Anko Asato , Azato Yasutsune in Japanese, 1827–1906) was an Okinawan master of karate. ... Ankō Itosu ) is considered by many the father of modern karate, although this title is also often given to Gichin Funakoshi because the latter spread karate throughout Japan. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Hironori ÅŒtsuka ) (1892–1982) created the Wadō-ryÅ« style of karate. ... Gigō Funakoshi ) (1906—1945) was the third son of Gichin Funakoshi (the founder of Shōtōkan karate) and is widely credited with developing the modern karate style. ... Shigeru Egami (1912-1981) was a student of the founder of modern karate - Gichin Funakoshi; and later the founder of the style he named shotokai. ... Nakayama Masatoshi (jap. ... Hidetaka Nishiyama (born on October 10, 1928) is a Japanese Shotokan karate instructor. ... Cover of Notes on Training Ohshima at the 50th anniversary of Caltech Karate club, September 2 2007 Tsutomu Ohshima is the founder and Shihan of Shotokan Karate of America (SKA), and is also recognized as chief instructor of many other international Shotokan organizations. ... is the 314th day of the year (315th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1868 (MDCCCLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a leap year starting on Monday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... is the 116th day of the year (117th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1957 Gregorian calendar). ... -1... For other uses, see Karate (disambiguation). ... Anko Asato , Yasutsune Azato in Japanese, 1827-1906) was a Japanese Master of Okinawan Karate. ... Itosu Yasutsune, best known as Anko Itosu, is considered the father of modern karate although the same title is sometimes given to Gichin Funakoshi (mainly because Funakoshi actually made karate known throughout Japan. ... This article is about the prefecture. ... For other uses, see Karate (disambiguation). ... The Japanese Archipelago which forms the country of Japan extends from north to south along the eastern coast of the Eurasian Continent, the western shore of the Pacific Ocean. ... Year 1921 (MCMXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar). ...

History

Early Life

Gichin Funakoshi was born in Shuri, Okinawa in the year of the Meiji Restoration around 1868 and originally had the family name Tominakoshi^[2]. After entering primary school he became close friends with the son of Ankō Azato, a karate and kendo master who would soon become his first karate teacher.^[3] Shuri is a city in Okinawa also known as Shui or Syuri. ... The Meiji Restoration ), also known as the Meiji Ishin, Revolution, or Renewal, was a chain of events that led to enormous changes in Japans political and social structure. ... Year 1868 (MDCCCLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a leap year starting on Monday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Kendo ), or way of the sword, is the martial art of Japanese fencing. ...

Stiff opposition of Funakoshi's family to the abolition of the Japanese "topknot" meant he would be ineligible to pursue his goal of attending medical school. Being trained in both classical Chinese and Japanese philosophies and teachings, Funakoshi became an assistant teacher in Okinawa. During this time, his relations with the Azato family grew and he began nightly travels to the Azato family residence to receive karate instruction from Ankō Azato. Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ...

Funakoshi had trained in both of the popular styles of Okinawan karate of the time: Shōrei-ryū and Shōrin-ryū. His own style was influenced by kendo distancing and timing. Shorei-Ryu ) is an Okinawan Japanese Karate style brought to the United States by Sensei Robert Trias. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Kendo ), or way of the sword, is the martial art of Japanese fencing. ...

Shotokan is named after Funakoshi's pen name, Shoto, which means "pine waves" or "wind in the pines". In addition to being a karate master, Funakoshi was an avid poet and philosopher who would reportedly go for long walks in the forest where he would meditate and write his poetry.^[4] Kan means training hall, or house, thus Shotokan referred to the "house of Shoto". This name was coined by Funakoshi's students when they posted a sign above the entrance of the hall at which Funakoshi taught reading "Shoto kan".

By the late 1910's, Funakoshi had many students, of which a few were deemed capable of passing on their master's teachings. Continuing his effort to garner wide-spread interest in Okinawan karate, Funakoshi ventured to mainland Japan in 1922.^[3]

The Creation of Shotokan Karate

In 1936, Funakoshi built the first Shōtōkan dojo in Tokyo. He changed the name of karate to mean "empty hand" instead of "China hand" (as referred to in Okinawa); the two words sound the same in Japanese, but are written differently. It was his belief that using the term for "Chinese" mislead people into thinking karate originated with Chinese boxing. Karate had borrowed many aspects from Chinese boxing which the original creators say as being positive, as they had done with other martial arts. In addition, Funakoshi argued in his autobiography that a philosophical evaluation of the use of "empty" seemed to fit as it implied a way which was not tethered to any other physical object. Year 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... A dojo ) is a Japanese term which literally means place of the Way. Initially, Dojo were adjunct to temples. ... For other uses, see Tokyo (disambiguation). ... Not to be confused with the Javanese language. ... A sparring form of Shaolinquan, an external style of Chinese martial arts, being demonstrated at Daxiangguo Monestary in Kaifeng, Henan. ...

Funakoshi's take on the use of kara was reported to have caused some recoil in Okinawa, prompting Funakoshi to remain in Tokyo indefinitely. His extended stay eventually led to the creation of the Japan Karate Association (JKA) in 1955 with Funakoshi as the chief instructor. Funakoshi was not supportive of all of the changes that the organization eventually made to his karate style. He remained in Tokyo until his death in 1957. After World War II, Funakoshi's surviving students formalized his teachings. The Japan Karate Association (or JKA; known in Japanese as Nihon Karate Kyokai, or sometimes just kyokai among karateka in Japan) is the primary shotokan karate organization. ... Year 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar). ... For other uses, see Tokyo (disambiguation). ... Year 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1957 Gregorian calendar). ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...

Legacy

Funakoshi published several books on karate including his autobiography, Karate-Do: My Way of Life. his legacy, however, rests in a document containing his philosophies of karate training now referred to as the niju kun, or "twenty principles". These rules are the premise of training for all Shotokan karateka and are published in a work titled The Twenty Guiding Principles of Karate^[5] Within this book, Funakoshi lays out 20 rules by which students of karate and urged to abide in an effort to "become better human beings"^[3] Karateka is a Japanese word for a practitioner of karate. ...

Memorial

Memorial of Gichin Funakoshi in Kamakura

A memorial to Gichin Funakoshi was erected by the Shotokai at Engaku-ji, a temple in Kamakura, on December 1, 1968. Designed by Kenji Ogata the monument features calligraphy by Funakoshi and Sōgen Asahina (1891-1979), chief priest of the temple which reads Karate ni sente nashi (There is no first attack in karate), the second of Funakoshi’s Twenty Precepts. To the right of Funakoshi’s precept is a copy of the poem he wrote on his way to Japan in 1922. Shotokai is the organisation formed in 1936 by Gichin Funakoshi to teach karate. ... The great bell ÅŒgune at Engaku-ji A stone carving at Engaku-ji An armory at Engaku-ji Engaku-ji is one of the most important Zen Buddhist temple complexes in Japan. ... Kamakura ) is a city located in Kanagawa, Japan, about 50 km south-south-west of Tokyo. ... is the 335th day of the year (336th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1922 (MCMXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

A second stone features an inscription by Nobuhide Ohama and reads:^[6]

is the 161st day of the year (162nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1870 (MDCCCLXX) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Yasutsune Itosu, best known as Anko Itosu, is considered more than anyone else to be the father of modern karate. ... This article is about the morphology and meaning of the Japanese term jutsu. For techniques used in the anime Naruto, see Jutsu (Naruto). ...

Publications

• Funakoshi, Gichin (1973). Karate-Do Kyohan: The Master Text, translated by Tsutomu Ohshima. Kodansha International Ltd. ISBN 0-87011-190-6.
• Funakoshi, Gichin (1981). Karate-Do: My Way of Life, Kodansha International Ltd. ISBN 0-87011-463-8.
• Funakoshi, Gichin (1994). Karate-Do Nyumon: The Master Introductory Text, translated by John Teramoto. Kodansha International Ltd. ISBN 4-7700-1891-6.
• Funakoshi, Gichin (2001). Karate Jutsu: The Original Teachings of Master Funakoshi, translated by John Teramoto. Kodansha International Ltd. ISBN 4-7700-2681-1.
• Funakoshi, Gichin (1975). The Twenty Guiding Principles of Karate: The Spiritual Legacy of the Master, translated by John Teramoto. Kodansha International Ltd. ISBN 4-7700-2796-6.

Cover of Notes on Training Ohshima at the 50th anniversary of Caltech Karate club, September 2 2007 Tsutomu Ohshima is the founder and Shihan of Shotokan Karate of America (SKA), and is also recognized as chief instructor of many other international Shotokan organizations. ...

Links

Gichin Funakoshi Videos

References

1. ^ Funakoshi, Gichin (2001). Karate Jutsu: The Original Teachings of Master Funakoshi, translated by John Teramoto. Kodansha International Ltd. ISBN 4-7700-2681-1
2. ^ Deconstructing Funakoshi.
3. ^ ^{a b c} Funakoshi, Gichin (1981). Karate-Do: My Way of Life, Kodansha International Ltd. ISBN 0-87011-463-8.
4. ^ John Stevens (1995). "Three Budo Masters: Kano, Funakoshi, Ueshiba". Kodansha International ISBN 4-7700-1852-5
5. ^ Funakoshi, Gichin (1975). The Twenty Guiding Principles of Karate: The Spiritual Legacy of the Master, translated by John Teramoto. Kodansha International Ltd. ISBN 4-7700-2796-6.
6. ^ Cook, Harry (2001). Shotokan Karate: A Precise History. England: Cook.