Kanazawa Kancho
Affiliates :
The man most responsible for the systemization of Karate as we know it today
was Gichin Funakoshi. He was born in Shuri, Okinawa in 1886. When he was only
a boy of 11, he began to study  (then known as "Okinawa-te") under the top two
masters of the art at the time, Azato and Itosu. In time, he became a Karate
expert in his own right. He is credited with being the first man to introduce Karate
to Japan proper, when he gave expositions sponsored by the Ministry of
Education. The art soon caught on in Japan, and Funakoshi traveled throughout
the country giving lectures and demonstrations. The main universities invited him
to help them set up Karate teams, and hundreds of persons studies the art under
his guidance. In 1957, Master Funakoshi, the father of modern Karate, passed
away at the advanced age of 89, leaving thousands of students to carry his spirit.
In Karate, Funakoshi  was also a poet under his pen name "Shoto:, meaning
"Pine trees in the sand" The style of karate which is taught then became known
as "Shotokan Karate".
For any Questions, comments or concerns
please contact Long Island Shotokan at:
Lishotokan@aol.com or call
1-516-488-7382
Master Funikoshi