Shotokan karate is both a young and an ancient martial art. It is ancient because it's roots are deeply entrenched in the past, and young because, as it is expressed today, it is an art that is less than a hundred years old. Shotokan is characterized by it's long, low stances, it's powerful techniques and it's dynamic forms.
The "founder" of shotokan, Gichin Funakoshi, was an Okinawan. He trained in the oldest of the Okinawan te ("hand") systems as a young man and in the early 20th century brought what he had learned in the island of Okinawa to mainland Japan, where he demonstrated his art before the emperor. He originally intended to return to Okinawa but was persuaded to remain and continue teaching in Japan. Funakoshi's pen name was shoto ("waving pines"), and kan means "hall", so shotokan karate do can be translated to mean, "Shoto's hall of the way of the empty hand".
While Funakoshi was the originator of shotokan, it was really his son, Yoshitaka Funakoshi, who developed it into the form we know today. It rapidly grew in popularity, supported, encouraged and regulated by the powerful Japan Karate Association, and before long was to be found all over the world.
Shotokan has produced some of the world's greatest karate exponents, including Hirokazu Kanazawa. It is believed by many karateka (karate practitioners) that Hirohaza has come closest to possessing the most perfect techniques. He studied karate at Takushoku University and won all the Japan Championships in 1962, with a broken hand after his mother had persuaded him to fight. Shotokan continues to be practised by thousands of people, adults and children, throughout the world.
Triads
Shotokan karate is built on what are known as "triads", which are both real organization and metaphors for something deeper within the human psyche. There exists the physical triad of kihon (basics), kumite (sparring) and kata (forms), which require dedicated training and the constant perfecting of technique. This is followed by the moral triad of justice, mercy and compassion and finally by the ethical triad of duty, honour and loyalty.
If you put all of the nine triad principles together (nine symbolizes perfection) you achieve the whole, rounded person. When these principles are practised in a martial art, they illustrate one of the fundamental concepts of shotokan karate, as advocated by the founder, Gichin Funakoshi. His aim was to focus on the development of the human character as a whole being, rather than on winning and losing.
Quite apart from the normal reasons why somebody would take up a martial art, such as self-defence, there are other reasons that, while they may not be clear at the time, emerge during the course of training. Shotokan not only provides the means to defend yourself against an aggressor, it also gives you a sense of self-confidence. Self-confidence stimulates a sense of well-being and a greater sense of awareness when in difficult situations. It also heightens your consciousness of the environment and the very nature of unjust aggression. In this context, the karateka (students of karate) can make a mature and reasoned judgement as to what responce, if any, to make.
In this sense, shotokan (and the pursuit of excellence) brings with it grave responsibilities that must be excerised with compassion and mercy. The physical development and improvemnet of technique and ability is useless without this other dimension. Ultimately, karate exists to perfect the individual, to produce men and women who are just, compassionate and honourable members of society, people who recognize injustice and, through their own behaviour, challenge it.
While shotokan is a wonderful form of relaxation or sport for many people, for those who practise it seriously it has a much wider and deeper significance. But this deeper realization can come only after years of dedicated practice. While this is a dimension of the art that emerges only slowly, karate can still be enjoyed at all levels by hundreds of thousands of people throughout the world.
