Shotokan is a style of karate, developed from various martial arts by Gichin Funakoshi (1868–1957) and his son Gigo (Yoshitaka) Funakoshi (1906–1945). Shoto, meaning "pine-waves" (the movement of pine needles when the wind blows through them), was Funakoshi's pen-name,which he used in his poetic and philosophical writings and messages to his students. The Japanese kan means "house" or "hall". In honor of their sensei, Funakoshi's students created a sign reading shōtō-kan, which they placed above the entrance of the hall where Funakoshi taught. Gichin Funakoshi never gave his style a name, just calling it karate. Kara is the Japanese for empty while te means hand and do translates as the way, or path.So Karate-do is The Way of the Empty Hand. It is a martial art in which the ultimate purpose is not to seek to win, but to work towards perfection of character, self-control and self-discipline by the accumulation of experience through training. It is also a form of self-defence using all parts of the body which, by hard and systematic training, become effective and powerful weapons. Karate encompasses whole body movements which develop balance, flexibility, co-ordination, speed and power.This is achieved through the constant practice of the basic movements (Kihon) which, due to their variety and complexity, can be considered as a complete art form themselves. SHOTOKAN KARATE Oriental fighting arts can be traced back over 2,000
years. The Japanese island of Okinawa came in to contact with many of
these combat systems, especially those of China. Some of their features
were added to a native Okinawan fighting art. |
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