History

Learn about the history of karate, from its precursors in ancient India to its development in Okinawa, Japan and its spread in the 20th century.

Sensei Gichin Funakoshi is known as the Father of Modern Day Karate and is probably the best known name in karate history.

Please understand that this video does not belong to me in any way, it is only a documentary video that was given to me by a martial arts instructor to bette...

If there’s one man who can be credited with popularizing karate, it’s Gichin Funakoshi. This account by Richard Kim looks at how the shotokan founder went from sickly boy to respected master.

Karate, the Japanese word for “empty hands,” was born in the Okinawan Islands as a form of self-defense, at a time when weapons were banned by invading Japanese forces. It began as te (hand), a fighting style used by the natives of the Ryukyu Islands, and was later influenced by Chinese kenpō, introduced through the Chinese families that settled on Okinawa after trade relationships between China and the islands were established.

Gichin Funakoshi (船越 義珍 Funakoshi Gichin, November 10, 1868 – April 26, 1957) is the founder of Shotokan Karate-Do, perhaps the most widely known style of karate, and is attributed as being the "father of modern karate".[1] Following the teachings of Anko Itosu and Anko Asato,[2][3] he was one of the Okinawan karate masters who introduced karate to the Japanese mainland in 1922. He taught karate at various Japanese universities and became honorary head of the Japan Karate Association upon its establishment in 1949.