09/10/2026
The best
Gichin Funakoshi is widely regarded as one of the central figures in bringing Okinawan karate to mainland Japan, but the karate we recognize today as Shotokan was not created by Funakoshi alone. Funakoshi arrived in Tokyo in 1922 and devoted the rest of his life to teaching and promoting karate, emphasizing kata, discipline, etiquette and character development. His son, Gigo (Yosh*taka) Funakoshi, later became an important force in the technical development of the style. Gigo introduced or strongly developed training methods that became characteristic of modern Shotokan, including deeper stances, longer and more dynamic techniques, increased emphasis on kumite, and new approaches to kicking and movement. At the same time, other senior students also contributed to the evolution and transmission of Funakoshi's karate. The Shotokan dojo, built by Funakoshi's students in Tokyo in 1936, became an important center for this developing tradition, although the building itself was destroyed during World War II. After the war, Funakoshi's students continued spreading his teachings, while organizations and instructors further systematized Shotokan. Therefore, Funakoshi's historical importance is not that he single-handedly created every element of modern Shotokan, but that he opened the door through which Okinawan karate entered mainland Japan and created the foundation upon which later generations built.
Catch phrase:
“Funakoshi opened the door—but his students and his son helped shape what came through it.”
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