The founder of what would be called the Shotokan style started life (as do so many of the martial arts masters), as a small and sickly child. Decended from Okinawan bushi, he grew up in the ryukyu islands (Okinawa). He learned Te the old way, through personal training, either one-on-one or in very small groups, at the homes of several Te masters, often at night. He would go to school or work during the day and then walk miles to and from his training, much of the time, on lonely trails in the dark. While he would grow up to become a school teacher and raise a family, he would continue to train in or teach Te for his entire life…living into his late eighties.

He never sought the limelight, being very quiet and humble, but was very devoted to what would become Shotokan. And, although he was acknowledged as one of Okinawa’s leading Te experts, he was not a fighting champion such as Motobu Choki nor the best kobudo (weapons) expert like Mabuni Kenwa. Instead, he was considered to be the best educated, best speaking/writing (in Japanese), and highly respected sensei whom the Okinawan Te community felt would serve as a fine representative to represent the art to the visiting Japanese aristocracy. So impressed and facinated were the visitors by Funakoshi’s demonstration, that they invited him to come to Tokyo to show this Okinawan art to others. Thus it was, that this little old man (about 5′ tall, in his mid-fifties), with no small apprehension, took the sea voyage to the main island for what was meant to be a two-week visit away from home, friends and family…which turned into the remaining 35 years of his life. During those years, the former schoolteacher would often support himself by sweeping up and doing other custodial chores. His earliest dojo was about the size of 10 tatami mats…about the size of a small living room. Separated from friends and family, his writings indicate that what sustained him was a strong belief in the path he had been called to, the spreading of the art to the outer world. He was fortunate to have the great support of Kano Jigoro…the Jiu Jutsu master who had redeemed the rather rowdy art and transformed it into modern-day Judo (The Gentle Way). Their shared belief was that they could similarly redeem Te into an art that would transform practioners’ hearts and character towards a higher walk…the essence of modern Karate-Do. It took Funakoshi years to massage and uplift the art into a budo form that the members of the Budokan would accept as Karate-Do. In Japan proper, the intelligensia quickly became enamored of the art and many clubs sprang up over his first two decades there. This was all, ultimately swept away during WWII…many of the students were called away to and perished in the war, Okinawa itself, was the site of the final battle (1 in 8 of the Okinawan populace along with many thousands of American and Japanese soldiers died in the horrific fighting), the dojo where he taught was obliterated in the Tokyo bombings and firestorms.

At this point, Funakoshi had done his part…he had brought the art over to mainstream Japan from its rural roots in Okinawa, he had transformed Te into what had been accepted as Karate-Do, and he had taught the art to many students over the decades. His part was essentially over, and it was up to senior students, returning from the war, who would come together and continue his mission. Their initial goal was to find a way to rebuild a dojo for their teacher to teach in again. One of the founder’s passions was japanese calligraphy…whenever he wrote his poems and passages, he would use the pen name of Shoto. Shoto is literally translated as “the sound of pine trees in the wind”. I have always been moved by his choice of pen name, as I have always felt the sound of the wind in the forest, as akin to the sound of His breath amongst the trees. Therefore, the hall/place/dojo where Funakoshi taught was known as Shoto’s Hall or the Shotokan…the place where Shoto teaches. The association formed to rebuild his dojo began being known as the Shotokan Assn, then the style became known as the Shotokan style, although the founder never named it as such. I like to think of Shotokan as the place where one can hear the Lord’s breath…which is why I sometimes get chicken skin in our open area pavillion where the wind can be heard in the trees that surround us. Anyways, the later years of Funakoshi’s life were kind of as a figurehead, while the next generation was busy with ideas of spreading the art beyond Japan (Nakayama Masatoshi – I’ll write a little about him next time). Throughout his long life, Funakoshi always kept to high standards and remained quiet and humble. To this day, he is recognized as the “Father of Modern Karate” and millions of karateka in all the countries of the world strive to improve their characters and hearts through the art he preserved and helped transmit to us.