History

The Story of American Shotokan Karate Federation

Short History

A Short History
The road to the creation of the American Shotokan Karate Federation (ASKF) began when Richard Gould, serving as a US Marine, on the fields of the Korean War. Richard served in combat before being stationed in Tokyo, Japan. There, he lived among the native Japanese rather than on base and one day walked into a karate dojo under the guidance of Gichin Funakoshi. After proving himself to retain proper etiquette training in the judo dojos, he was allowed to train in one of Gichin Funakoshi’s Shotokan dojos. Gould trained under Akiyama Sensei, other Japanese Shotokan yudansha, and in master classes from Gichin Funakoshi himself.

Shotokan History

A Brief History of Shotokan Karate

Karate originates from the island of Okinawa. Okinawa itself is a small island at the southernmost point of the chain of islands that comprise modern-day Japan. It is situated 400 nautical miles east of mainland China, 300 nautical miles south of mainland Japan, and an equal distance north of Taiwan. Being at the crossroads of major trading routes, its significance as a “resting spot” was first discovered by the Japanese.

Gichin Funakoshi

Gichin Funakoshi – The Father of Modern Karate-do
Gichin Funakoshi was born in 1868 on the island of Okinawa in the capital city, Shuri. His family belonged to the shizoku (privileged) class and was attached to the house of a minor official. His social status, however, did not grant him an easy life. His father, an accomplished singer, dancer, and expert with the bo, was also a heavy drinker and spent the family money on wine and spirits, eventually selling even their house to buy liquor. Consequently, as Funakoshi was growing up his family always lived in a rented house.