Keeper of Karate's
Highest Tradition

'The ultimate aim of the art of Karate Lies not in victory or defeat, but in the perfection of the character of its participant"                                                          Gichin Funakoshi, Father of Shotokan Karate

JKA History

Karate's roots go back to the shao Lin and other ancient fighting arts of China where physical training methods were used to build the endurance and strength required to carry out the rigid discipline of the religion. These arts eventually
spread to Okinawa. Master Funakoshi, Founder of modern karate-do, was born in Okinawa in 1868. In 1942 at the age of 54, Master Funakoshi traveled to Japan where he introduced and demonstrated Karate for the first time. He remained in Japan instructing and developing, Shotokan Karate until his passing in 1957. Master Funakoshi chose the characters Kara (empty) and Te (hand) for their meaning in the Zen philosophy: to empty oneself of Selfish and /or negative thought, for only with a mind clear of all emotional fears and anxiousness can a Karate- Ka(student) achieve his/her ultimate goals. Karate should not be considered just a fighting Art. But...a way of life!