Karate was originally called Tode meaning T’ang Hand or Te which means hand. In August 1905 Nagashige Hanaguski used the Japanese symbols meaning karate instead of the ones meaning Te. 

In Japan Master Gichin Funakoshi officially changed the name of Te to Karate in the 1930‘s.   

In 1314 AD three powerful warlords went to war and by 1429 AD the lord of Nakayama castle, Syo Hasshi owned all of the main Islands south of Japan, the Okinawa style of karate was influenced by China.    

People believe that Karate originally came from China but the Karate that we know about today comes from Okinawa.  There were two main styles of karate, Shuri-te (Shorin) and Shorei. Okinawa is a small island just south of mainland Japan. In 1609 Okinawa was taken over by the rulers of Satsuma Domain, the new rulers of Okinawa did not permit the people of Okinawa to carry or own a weapon so they started to develop the art of empty hand or as we know it as today Karate, they did most of their training at night while the guards were asleep. 

There are a lot of great legends in Karate-do (meaning a way of life) but the main instructors leading up to Shotokan are Master Yasutsune Azato and Master Itosu. The founder of Shotokan Master Gichin Funakoshi was born very frail and quite ill but while he was at school he became great friends with the son of Master Yasutsune Azato this is why he started Karate.           

Master Ginich Funakoshi had two instructors Master Yasutsune Azato and Master Itosu he trained at Master Yasutsune Azato’s house, after he had been doing Karate for a while he realised that he was getting healthier and he was not as frail as he had once thought.

Master Ginich Funakoshi became a school teacher but he still continued to train at Master Yasutsune Azato’s house, he also began to train with quite a lot of other instructors. Master Ginich Funakoshi’s instructors did not try and compete against each other they just got on with teaching him their way and this is how any true Karateka should act.

Some people believe that Master Ginich Funakoshi took the two forms of karate, Shuri-te (Shorin) and Shorei and developed them into what we know today as Shotokan other people believe this is not true because when you look at the style of Shotokan some of the moves are nothing like either of these two forms of karate.

In 1917 Master Ginich Funakoshi was invited to Japan to demonstrate his new style of Karate, (Shotokan) in the all Japanese athletic exhibition in Tokyo.  He was invited back to Japan again in 1922 to give a demonstration in front of Jigoro Kano the founder of Judo and some of his senior instructors, this was the turning point for Shotokan as it was then approved by the Ministry of Education and introduced into the curriculum of all public school’s in Japan.

Soon after this Master Ginich Funakoshi started teaching in a small dinning hall in Meisojuku.  After a couple of years of teaching other karate clubs started opening in Universities.

Karate then changed and became more Japanese, for example moves were a lot neater and a lot straighter and less flowing.

When Master Ginich Funakoshi retired he handed over all of his Clubs to his son Yoshitaka Funakoshi who was also known as Gigo. 

In 1939 Master Ginich Funakoshi opened a central Dojo called The Hall of Shoto this was written on a plaque above the entrance.   It was called Shoto because this was the name he signed his poems with.  

During the Second World War all Japanese martial arts were banned so some of Master Ginich Funakoshi masters disguised Karate as Chinese boxing.  From the beginning of the war until 1949 Karate was the only martial arts allowed to be taught in Japan.

In 1949 the Japanese Karate Association (JKA) was formed and Master Ginich Funakoshi was the Chief Instructor and Master Masatoshi Nakayama was on the committee as a Principle Active Instructor. Master Ginich Funakoshi died in 1957 at 89 Years of Age.

Greece

           The first sign of any form of martial arts was in an event called Pankration in the first ever Olympic games in Athens in 776 BC which was a full contact fight which included Roman wresting, punches, kicks, throws and holds.

India

          The Greek form of marital arts went to India and they altered and added more techniques to improve power and speed this happened during 336 BC and 323 BC the time of Alexandra the Great, this then moved across to Thailand where the Buddists turned it into Thai Boxing. 

China

         The Chinese and Indian Buddists practised T’ai Chi Chuan to preserve their health, this was a type of fist art founded by Bodhi Dharra he was an India royal who was invited to China by empore Wu of the Liang Dynasty 520 AD.  Bodhi Dharra undertook the meditation known as ‘9 years facing the wall’ at the Shoalin Temple called Szu.  The founder of the Zen secret taught his disciples in 557 AD the art of preservation of health and the 18 ways of Lohun, the Ihu Ching and the Hsi Sui Ching.  

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